Two Things

Before I start, I sorry I not post for so long. Mom not leave the typey thing on and be away, so I could not type things. Sorry.

First thing: I like to sleep. All dogs like to sleep, and we like to nap (everybody in the whole world should take naps and get snacks, and then everybody be happy. Mom says people fight everywhere but if I ruled, everybody get naps and snacks and then nobody fight!) But sometimes my naps get interrupped. Sometimes the door knocks and I must run and bark. That's OK, it's my job. But sometimes, Mom decides that my nap time is good time to take pictures of me, Kimiko. I do not like to get my pictures taked, because although I am beeyoutiful, it is MY face and I show it to people I love. If she take picture, anyone can see. Once she tried with the little black thing she keeps in her purse (she says it is sell phone, but it can't be phone because it doesn't ring, and I can't get it for her!) but I know what she does when it points at me! I not stupid even when I asleep![editor: that's debatable.]

So one time I was having good dreams about chasing the squirrels that throw things at me, and Mom sneaked up and got a picture. Hmmm.



She says it's pretty good picture of me, but it waked me up, and I was not happy! But then she gave me a treat so it was good after all. But Mom, if you read this, NO MORE PICTURES! (I found button that make all letters big! so there!)

Second thing:
I am Akita, as you must know from blog name. Whole name is Akita Inu. (I am special Akita because I have "papers." I have not seen these papers, but they must be pretty. Or else I peed on them when I was a baby.) Akita Inu come from Japan. Mom says in Japan, Akita Inu are National Monument. I don't see how dog is monument, if I understand that word and I think I do; we should be National Treasures. (Shiba Inu also Monument in Japan, but they are little and foxy and I don't care. So there. Akitas RULE).

Japan is many islands, not one land like North Dakota [um, ND is a state, dear one]. It is waaay west of here; so far west that, Mom says, it is east. That make no sense, but Mom says world is round. That's silly; if it were round we'd fall off! But anyway, it is many islands, and the farthest north one is where first Akitas started. It is called Hokkaido. It was not first Japanese; people there were Ainu, also called Ezo sometimes. They hunted, and they brought wolf-dogs with them wherever they came from (maybe China?) and those dogs became Akita. The Japanese came to Hokkaido, long long time ago, and they had a town, and more Japanese came, and Japanese and Ainu fight, and Japanese win. But Ainu still live there.

Akita Inu are closest dogs to woofs [wolves. sigh.] of all the dogs. Our DeeEnAy says so. The Ainu needed us to hunt (we hunt little things, but also wolves and bears; we hunt in pairs that are male and female and love each other forever, like woof pairs do!) and we guard. We guard towns, and homes, and temples. We are famous for guarding temples, and hunting Japanese Sun Bears [ed: once considered a "pest" the Sun Bear is now almost extinct]. No bear stand against Akita pair!

Japanese people keep Akitas to Japan for very very very long time. Hunderds of years. Maybe more. First Akita to come to America was gift from Emperor of Japan (they not vote then, Mom says; I don't know what that means, but I like being Empress!) to a lady named Helen Keller in 1937. Mom says Helen Keller can't see or hear, but she can smell and taste and feel her Akita's soft coat and the kisses her puppy gave her. Very sad: puppy got sick and died. Emperor must be very good man because he sent her another one. [Ed: Maybe not so good; he ordered the invasion of China, then Pearl Harbor. But that's history.] Japan make many beautiful things. Japanese people love nature and beauty, like Akitas do too. They make careful paintings of mountains and blooming trees with hardly any strokes, not all blobby like other paintings. Mom showed me picture of picture painted by Jackson Potluck [ed: Pollack] and it all blobby. I could make one like that, with paint and brush in my mouf! Japanese much more delicate! They also write beeyoutiful poetry, some called Hi-koo [Ed: Haiku,now] and some that are longer. All must have nature and season in them. They love nature and seesons. They also make pretty pots called Sell-a-don [Ed: celadon; later made in several Asian countries, including Korea and China] that are green. Mom love them; she has many of them. She says not old ones, but pretty ones. One thing she have is Sell-a-don Akita! So Japanese still love Akita!

Mom says after Emperor gave puppies to Helen Keller lady, there was big war, with whole world (almost) fighting. The Japanese soldiers were in many cold places, and all Japanese people hungry. Then very very bad thing happen, badder than war: Emperor make law: they kill Akitas and use our fur coats to line army men coats, and eat us! Can you imagine? Eat Akitas? Were they crazy? [Ed: desperate, more likely.] But one very good man, name Morie Sawataishi, brake law (not a japanese habit, like here!) and save Akitas, and take a bunch to Hokkaido. When war finally ended, only 16 Akitas left in Japan, all in snowy mountains on Hokkaido with Mr. Morie Sawataishi. He saved us. I would not be here at all without him. I think I love him almost as much as Mom. He gave all his life to Akitas, and to saving them and keeping them safe. He still lives in mountains with the babies' babies' (many times) of his first Akitas, and they still go play in snow like I do when the snow is gone enough so they can walk without falling deep in. (It deeper snow there than where I live.) Some American soldiers, years after war ended, smuggled Akita puppies out of Japan. Now Akitas in America, England (mom was there once, but didn't see Akita), and maybe Canada. Maybe some other countries too. Mom says Japanese Akitas and American Akitas are a little different, but that doesn't matter; we all Akita, and we all beeyoutiful and guard our people we love. (Some people say Akita are bad dogs, and start fights and bite. I am here to tell you that if they are bad, really bad, not like stealing chicken bad, then that is because their HOOMANS is bad, and do not treat them right! Akitas love their people; they want their people to be their pack, and live with them, not in pen! They will guard their people, especially little ones, but they do not start fights. They will finish them, though. I have saved Mom twice from people who try to come in our house at night! Bad men!I make them go away. She not let me chase them, though.) [they might have had guns. I didn't want Kimiko to be shot!]

Two real story, not make-up stories, show how much Akitas love their people. One I wrote about before, about how 8 Akitas were left behind in, um, that country at the south pole that is always cold [ed: Antarctica] survived because they knew their person, a Syintist [ed: scientist] would come back for them. One died, one got hurt, but the rest were fine when their person DID come back! (there was movie, but in movie dogs were huskies. NOT huskies! Akitas!). Other story is very sad. In Japan town (Tokyo, I fink) an Akita named Hachiko lived with (OK, Mom) SCIENTIST and love him very much. Every day Hachiko walk with him to train station, where he take train to his job (Tokyo VERY big, bigger than here!). Hachiko go back to the station to wait for his person to come back from work, and they walk home together. Every day. For long time, maybe two years? Then one day, the person not come back on train. Mom says the SCIENTIST died at his work. But Hachiko did not know this, so he waited. He stayed at the train station and waited. For the rest of his life. People felt sorry for loyal Hachiko, and knew why he waited; some tried to take him away, but he would escape and go back to station to wait for his person. So they fed him and gave him water, for all that time. Finally Hachiko died, because his heart was broken without his person. He was buried by his person. Japan government made statue of Hachiko that stands at train station, with plack that tells story of his love and loyalty. If my Mom went away, I would wait forever too.

That's all. I try to post more often if Mom leave typey thng on!
Bye! Kimiko the Akita.