What do you get when you cross a German Shepherd and an Akita?
A Kiba!
Kiba is almost 4 years old and is a handsome cross between a German Shepherd and an Akita. He is a cross between 2 breeds that face Stereotypical views on the daily, 2 breeds that are mentioned in papers and on tv when there has been a dog attack. Read Kiba's owners interview to see how there is no such thing as a bad dog only a bad owner.
Q) Why did you choose to buy/adopt the breed of your dog ?
A) We didn't specifically choose this breed of dog, we were just wanting to get a dog and Kiba was within our budget and was so unbelievably cute. We knew that we wanted a big dog and he would be big.
Q) Before you had your breed of dog, did you have any of your own stereotypical views towards the breed?
A) Yes. There was someone who lived near me that owned an akita and it was viscous, but i have always had the belief that it is the way the dog is brought up and not the breed of dog. So before we went to get him, i did some research and i read up about the breed (Akita) and everything said that they are super friendly and loyal. I had owned german shepherds in the past, so i had no concerns over that side of the breed.
Q) Have you had people cross the road/ give you a wide berth in order not to pass close to you whilst out walking your dog?
A) Yes
Q) Have you ever had parents pull their children out of the way/ closer to them when they have seen you coming?
A) Yes
Q) What is the most negative thing you have experienced physically/ verbally whilst out walking?
A) Some yelled at me that i shouldn’t have my dog off its lead while we were in an enclosed field. Also, we had family members in beginning that were afraid of him and how he may turn out to be. I think we have been lucky in the fact that we haven’t really had much negativity.
Q) What’s the most negative experience you have had online regarding your dog /the breed of your dog?
A) I haven’t experienced this, fortunately.
Q)Why do you believe people have the stereotypical views that they have towards (your breed of dog)?
A) I feel like due to the size of the dog and how they look, they are attractive to people that want to use them to fight, just like staffs and similar dogs.
Q) What would you say to someone who was considering getting (your breed of dog)?
A) DO IT! As long as you can put up with stubbornness and their diva ways, you won’t regret it. If you want to have an off lead dog you’ll have to put in a lot of work to train them as they just do not possess recall skills. Everyone who meets Kiba falls in love with him, he really is such a lovely dog.
Q) Do you feel that dog stereotyping is talked about enough, if not, in what ways can we raise more awareness?
A) I haven't really thought about this but i guess not. The only way i can see is to try and break the stereotypes by sharing stories, videos etc via social media.
