Akita
If you prefer cute and fluffy over long and lean, look no further than the Akita.
This working breed comes from the mountainous Northern region of Japan.
There are actually two different types of Akita: the Japanese Akita, the Akita Inu, and the American Akita.
In the United States and Canada, those two strains are considered a single breed with differences in type, but in other countries, they're considered different dogs.
You might recognize one famous Akita, Hachikō, who captured all of our hearts when he kept a constant, 9 year vigil at a train station.
The famous movie ‘Hachi: A Dog’s Tale’ starring Richard Gere as a college professor who adopts an abandoned dog – an Akita Inu, retells the story of how the faithful dog kept waiting for its master to return from the railway station for 10 years even after he had died. It's a colossal tearjerker!
During World War II, American soldiers were so impressed with the Akita that they brought them back to the United States.
This is when the Japanese and American Akitas began to diverge.
These dogs are notoriously loyal. However, they can be quite stubborn and dominant so require a lot of training.
An in-demand Akita can fetch up to $4,500 in price.
