Akita Rescue

Shadow - A Rescue Story

Shadow, a 7 year old, in-tact, male akita, was picked up from a local Houston shelter on September 14, 2002. He was extremely under nourished, had puncture wounds in his back legs from a fight with two other male dogs and had just been neutered. Needless to say, he was in sad shape.

Shadow was an owner give up and when he arrived at the shelter, the club was notified that an adult akita had been brought in and was in serious need of rescue. Ray, one of the club members, went to evaluate him. He was rail thin but hanging in there and Ray was immediately taken by his wonderful temperament. By a series of miscommunications, Shadow was almost euthanized, but fortunately, that was cleared up and the club took swift action to spring him.

Within a few days, three club members arrived at the shelter to claim him and take him home. Being so under nourished and frail, and with the boarding kennel full, a member of the club fostered Shadow at her home. After being picked up from the shelter, all rescue dogs make a trip to the vet and Shadow was no exception. His gentle temperament won over the vet at the Spring Branch VCA clinic and he was given a clean bill of health with the exception of an ear infection and the wounds from the fight were treated.

Shadow flourished in his new environment, adding approximately 30 lbs to his frame and all wounds / infections cleared up. He soon became very playful but he had his quirks. He didn't like being off the deck and in the yard, he didn't like the cement floor in the family room that was there because of a remodeling project and he certainly did not like the tile in the kitchen. He was very gun shy with raised arms or loud voices. He would recoil in fear with fast movements or harsh words. It was obvious that Shadow had not only been neglected, but had also been abused.

Shadow's baffling behavior with the yard and floor surfaces intrigued the producer of The Animal Planet's, The Pet Psychic program. We wanted to know why he behaved this way, what had happened to him and hoped to find a new forever home for Shadow soon. The film crew arrived on December 6 and Sonya immediately bonded with Shadow. His story is a sad one but with a happy ending. What he revealed to Sonya certainly explained his odd behavior and helped his caregivers work with Shadow to help ease his transition from being abused and neglected to being loved and cherished.

Shadow was adopted in February of 2003 by a wonderful woman, Wendy, who lives down in the Texas valley. Word has it that he is very happy and there are no problems with tile. We miss Shadow here in Houston, but are pleased this wonderful boy was saved and is living a happy life with his new owner. We thank the producers of the Pet Psychic and Sonya for taking an interest in Shadow and for their support of akita rescue.

Celine, Judy, Sonya, Jeanette & Shadow
December 6, 2002
To see photos of Shadow when he first arrived, click here.