Riggs was the akita the mended my broken heart after losing Lassie.
He was an amazing puppy that lived to please. His Grandfather is one of my favorite modern akitas, and I was so happy to have a bit of him with me. Riggs always had the most snuggly appearance. He was the first dog I took into the conformation ring, and although he didn't show much, we had a good time. Riggs was my first performance akita. He was ridiculously smart and eager to please. He did very well in training class, as well as in independent training. He earned his CGC title, the first title I ever put on a dog, even if it was a small one. Unfortunately he washed out of performance, and then conformation. Our neighborhood was TERRIBLE about following the leash laws, and his final bit of strange dog tolerance went out the window the day we took a trip to the park and 4 dogs in 3 separate incidents rush him off leash in one day. After that he was hyper focussed on any dog remotely near when out of the house from then on, so much so he refused obedience in public, and was very touchy at shows. After our failed move up into wisconsin and return 3 months later, his distrust of strange dogs evolved to not trusting the rest of our dogs, too much change in territory I suppose. I ultimately decided he would be happier in a home that only had a submissive female dogs instead of multiple, often dominant females and other males.
He is now co-owned with said home in MN where he lives his life as a pet. I have not used him for breeding since then, but mostly due to lack of opportunity. I am considering having his sperm frozen for use later down the line, as I am still quite fond of his looks and would love a pup with his extreme desire to please again.
