Cita and Mitsu, the Akitas

Cita’s Story:

Cita was on death row in the county shelter in Los Angeles, CA.  A concerned Akita lover alerted Akita Advocates that she was about to be euthanized. Luckily, they had room to take her in as a foster. They quickly sprang into action and arranged for her transportation to Phoenix.  She was an older girl, thought to be approximately seven or eight years old. She was brought to many adoption events but was always overlooked because of her age. Most people in the market for a new pet aren’t interested in dogs that are over five years old. While working at one of the events, a volunteer for the rescue group fell in love with her. She has always been fond of the older and more settled dogs. She ended up adopting Cita but was finding it difficult to teach her basic commands, until one day when she discovered that Cita spoke Spanish. Once this was discovered, she found that Cita was already very well trained!  About three years ago, Cita was diagnosed with breast cancer. She has gone through three surgeries to remove the disease and she’s still going strong. Cita is living proof that with good medical care and a lot of love, even an old dog can beat the odds and remain a faithful companion for many years.

Mitsu’s Story:

Mitsu was turned in to the shelter by her family because they could not care for her anymore. At the time, the shelter was not allowing Akitas to be adopted by the general public as they thought they were too aggressive, and thus a liability. Mitsu would have been euthanized if Akita Advocates had not rescued her. Mitsu is a kind and gentle soul, but at approximately five years old, she was a little older than most people are looking for. Soon after she entered foster care, she started having seizures. She was given immediate medical attention and went through testing but no real cause for the seizures could be found. It was determined that they were being caused by the severe amount of stress that she was experiencing due to the recent changes in her life. This further reduced her chances of finding a family to adopt her and again, potential adopters passed her over because of her medical issues. The Akita Rescue’s founder, who was fostering Mitsu, decided to adopt her.  She has adapted well to her new stable home environment and as the level of stress in her life began to diminish, so did the number of seizures that she was experiencing. Mitsu gets along with many of the dogs who come through her new home as rescues and fosters, as if she is saying “I’ve been homeless myself… Don’t stress. You too will find your forever home”.

Akita Advocates Relocation Team

Primary Breeds:       Akitas and Akita Mixes

Address:                 P.O.Box 12016, Glendale, AZ   85318-2016 

Phone:                    602-882-5482  (message line)

Contact:                  Deb Harlow or Carol Harris

Website:                 www.AkitaAdvocates.com

E-Mail:                    AkitaAdvocates@cox.net

We rescue Akitas from shelters that are in danger of being euthanized, simply because someone does not want them.   We have been providing rescue services since 2004 and have saved over 300 dogs in that time.  Most are fostered or boarded until their forever homes can be found.

Foster-home based, non-profit organization founded in 2005.  Our Mission is to rescue, rehabilitate and re-home unwanted pets to fur-ever families!