My name is
Ziggy!

ZIGGY has been on our waiting list to come into rescue but, as space is at a premium, his family is going to foster him while we search for Ziggy’s furever home. Ziggy is a GOOD dog who had a mishap when a toddler surprised him at his water dish. Ziggy reacted on impulse and snapped, requiring stitches - the little girl is OK but as she is a granddaughter who will visit often the decision was made to rehome Ziggy to mend family ties. Ziggy grew up in the pandemic and is a little shy meeting new people, as Akitas often are. He is a handsome, striking boy who will do well in an adult only home. We are looking specifically for a family with Akita experience who will continue with his training and socialization. Ziggy is currently enrolled in the “Reactive Rover” program with local trainer, Jamie Shellington. Ziggy is fully vetted, neutered and ready to move in with you. Adoption $200. 

Here is his bio as told by his current family:  ZIGGY – is a fixed male Akita, about 100 lb, tri-color. He was born in August of 2019 and was one of 4 puppies housed by the Amish in an 8x12 horse stall inside a barn. We selected him because of all the puppies, he came to us. We like to say we “rescued” him from the Amish for a variety of reasons. First, he was 4 months old when we got him and probably to that point had never yet seen the sky. Being outside the barn fascinated him for quite a while.  The little Amish girls were in charge of the puppies’ care and they seemed to herd the puppies with towels. Ziggy did not like towels for months and to this day is somewhat tactile- defensive toward being petted top-down on the top of his head. He is still leery of young children and should be kept on a leash in the community when children are present. He does enjoy being stroked from under his chin.  Ziggy is generally mellow, but when we come back home from being out he is very excited, runs about, does his “spins” (running in fast circles, leaping, changing directions etc.)  He will settle down and approach for a little affection. He does love to play –when you let him know its play time…..Hiking, exploring, riding in the car and of course, eating are some of his favorite activities. He has a receptive vocabulary of 30-plus words and phrases. He is house broken and will sit and stay when we open the gate to our fenced in yard. He usually sleeps through the night.  In the time we have had Ziggy he has had only one incident where he bit someone, a family member (a toddler) at a surprise party at our house. With more people in his yard than he has ever seen, he bit the toddler as he was drinking water out of his bucket. She needed stitches and we knew we had to find Ziggy a new home….We found “Comp Animals” and we found a trainer they use-Jamie Shellington….We are enrolling Ziggy in Jamie’s “Reactive Rover” program in order to address the triggers which caused that bite, and, to better prepare him for his new home and owner(s)……Jamie sent us an on-line muzzle training which we are working with at present.  Ziggy is very smart and wants to please. We think he will do well. We also think that he and his new owner(s) will be happy in a new home - with no small children.  Family comes first. We will miss Ziggy, but understand now that we have been “fostering” him until the next phase of his life….