15/11/2024
PLACED AND SAFE.
Main photo: Tank, Akiko, and Marvin, RIP (11/15/1963-10/17/2024)
Last week, we shared the plight of Tank and Akiko, suddenly orphaned after their Human passed away on under very tragic circumstances. What we did not initially share with everyone was that Akiko was one our “our” Akitas, and we had placed her with this lovely man, in early 2022, when she was about 6-8 months old. In fact, Akiko – who had been passed around many hands in her short life – had come to us, from another all-breed rescue – from Northern California – who took her in and then asked us to take her. It took a village to make Akiko’s journey to us happen and we thank Vince, Mari, and Steve, who not only temporarily housed Akiko, but got her here to us.
That’s when we met Marvin, a lovely man of Japanese descent whose family had owned Akitas for many, many years. In early 2022 shortly after Akiko came into rescue, he inquired about Akiko. He had Tank, a gorgeous, 1 year old Male, and Tank was lonely after his female Akita companion had recently passed. Tank was also a “rescue”, and Marvin had adopted him from an entirely different all-breed rescue. All the proverbial “boxes were checked”, and Marvin brought Tank, and not only was Marvin in love, but Tank and Akiko immediately hit it off. Over the next few years, Marvin and I stayed in touch - mostly by text. It could be any time of day or night, that my phone would make the “Text message” sound and it was Marvin - sharing pictures of “his kids” and thanking me for Akiko and for bringing them so much joy and love to him and Tank.
So you can imagine the complete shock when we learned of Marvin’s passing. Besides shock, there were so little information and so many emotions. What was indisputable was that there was no one, no next of kin, who could take in two adult Akitas and it would have been very easy for us to worry only about Akiko. But we didn’t. These two had been together for almost 3 years and needed to stay together. For the last week, we have been working, every day, to figure out a plan and place for not just Akiko – but also Tank. We learned that the all-breed rescue that had adopted Tank to Marvin in 2019 was now no longer around, and Tank’s microchip – implanted by a veterinarian/clinic had never been registered and changed into Marvin’s name, and the vet was also no longer in business. This created a huge issue with ownership as, in a nutshell, Tank’s microchip had never been transferred into Marvin’s name and it wasn’t enough to prove that he had owned and had physical and legal custody of Tank for the past 3-4 years. This has been a time-consuming nightmare to say the least.
After our post, we had received an inquiry from a previous adopter and one who is not on social media. This woman had RESCUED six (6) Akitas over the years, and she was interested in another Akita we had in rescue. She is self-employed, works from home, semi-retired, financially stable and physically fit. She has been owned by Akitas both tough and soft, and everything in between. When I told her about Tank and Akiko – and Marvin - the phone went silent for a second, and then she said, “I’ll take them.” In the coming days, plans were made. They involved a plane, a car rental, and a long drive – with two Akitas – back home.
Yesterday, we made it happen. Our Adopter arrived at Burbank Airport, and we picked her up, met up with Tank and Akiko’s temporary foster family at a neighboring park, got them in the car, then got on the freeway and headed north. Approximately 6 hours later, they arrived with their new Human, their new Mommy, at their new HOME. It was a long day for all, and while we wanted to share the incredible update, to be honest, I was too emotionally, physically, and mentally exhausted to even try to write this post.
Our Grief … and Relief … are still, even now, running high.
Especially so because Tank and Akiko arrived at their new home, with their new Human, on the eve of Marvin’s Birthday. Yes, today would have been Marvin’s 61st Birthday.
We know that Marvin had a hand, from Heaven, in this Miracle. In a climate where adoptions are slow and the number of dogs in need exceeds the available resources, we somehow made this happen and we hope that Marvin can rest easy knowing his “kids, his babies, his Akitas”, are now SAFE.
We always tell our Adopters that we STAND BY OUR DOGS, for Life, and will always do what’s best for THE DOG, even if that means taking in and taking responsibility for another one.
We will post updates as available.
If you wish to make a donation in Marvin’s memory (11/16/1963 - 10/17/2024), please visit our website (AkitaAngels.org) or directly by Zelle or PayPal at: [email protected]. (LINK to our DONATE page in the comments).
About Akita Angels: Our Mission is to help save the lives of Akitas and other large, dominant and/or Primitive-Breed dogs through Education, Intervention, Advocacy, and Rescue. Akita Angels is a Non-Profit Public Charity under IRC (Internal Revenue Code) Section 501(c)(3). We are a volunteer-based organization and rely on voluntary donations to help fulfill our mission. Donations are Tax Deductible to the extent allowed under law. Thank you for choosing to Adopt and Save a Life.
Together, we are making a difference.
