Entered the Rainbow Bridge July 14, 2008

Ora was one of, if the not the single most, loving dog we have ever had.  I almost show a picture of her with me snuggling, as that is what she loved to do but want to show pictures of her by herself instead!  The picture on the left was taken while playing outside the day before her passing.  The picture on the right was taken about three weeks or so before her passing while in her "kitty cat phase" as I call it.  She did this when she got excited and ready to play!  She would do absolutely anything that I wanted to do, even something she hated, just to make me happy.  Her favorite place to be was in my lap on the recliner or on my feet when I stretched out on the sofa. 

She got along with any dogs I put her with, sometimes too well because the more alpha dogs would quickly find her to be a major pushover!  She even got along very well with all of the puppies as they found her especially interesting.  Ora had an issue with acid reflux and would occasionally spit up, especially triggered by her drinking too fast.  She would walk around and stop with a queasy look and a dribble of food and slobber would come out which puppies thought was great.  They would be thrilled to beat me to cleaning up the mess, as most dogs are.   She loved trying to steal cookies and it was kind of a game of ours for me to try to find new hiding places for treats and she would always end up locating them, other than if they made it to on top of the fridge - completely out of her reach.  That was her only "bad" habit which I would glad take back ten-fold just to have another day to snuggle with my sweet girl. 

Sadly, Ora was lost while playing with her sister.  They were wrestling in the front yard and Haiku, Ora's littermate sister, got her lower jaw tangled in Ora's collar which ultimately strangled her and terrified Haiku.  Unfortunately, it was not until after Ora's quick passing that I was able to frantically free Haiku's sore jaw.  I have since been notified by several other Akita owners, or dog owners in general, that this has happened to them as well, often at dog parks so be careful when those furbabies get wrestling because when they get caught, their first reaction is to flip, causing the collar to get even tighter!

She will be forever missed by her littermate, Haiku who truly shared a bond only littermates have with each other, Maya, as Ora was so tender and gentle while playing with Maya due to her disability, and most especially by me as no dog could make you feel as important as Ora did for me!  I love you sweet girl!

Pictured at 3 1/2 months

AKC Pedigree