Cross Breeds

A question about my neighbor's Akita and my possible adoption of it.?

Okay, my next door neighbor has this cute little Akita that is about 2 years old. I'm trying to see if it's alright to adopt him from my neighbor because he's already moved far out and comes by from time to time to feed him. Recently I've taken up feeding him and giving him water over the fence (there's a large fence between our houses) and I always make sure he's alright as best as I can. Ever since his owner's left him (it'll be about a good 3 months now), he seems lonely and I'm concerned if he will be able to accept a new family without issues. Now, my concern is... will I be able to take him if my neighbor says it's alright (because I'd hate for him to go to a shelter...)? I guess I should describe his temper, behavior and what not so I will. Okay first, I've known the dog since he was a baby puppy (and a cute one <3 ), and he's always been playful and silly. I wasn't at their house much but whenever I was he never did anything to seem like he was hostile with me or that he was extremely fond of me either. It wasn't until recently that I REALLY got into him. Mostly because ever since his owner's moved, they've left him in the yard and like I said before, come by every day or two to feed him. I noticed this and volunteered to feed him over the gate because I don't have the nerve to get close to him. Every time I do this, he seems happy and even comes over to the fence when I call him (His name's Thor and yes, he's neutered). I even sprinkled him with a little water and all he did was run, but not too far away. He seemed like he wanted to play with me but I think he doesn't like water lol. He doesn't have a problem with my little sister or mother either, in fact, whenever my mom comes out the back door or goes to the fence he gets happy. And with my little sis, he just sniffed her. Now, here's the problem. I already have two dogs, both are 8 years old. One's a German Shepard/Retriever (male, not neutered) and the other's a pit bull/terrier (girl, neutered). He's never shown any hostility towards my Shepard mix and they even seem to have some sort of connection through the fence. Whenever I play with my Shepard in the backyard, he whines and acts like he wants to play too. And once he heard the broom fall on my Shepard once (yeah, he freaks out whenever things fall on him, kind of funny really), and my mom was on the back porch so she saw Thor run over to the gate. She told him it was alright and he just walked back to where he was before. But they did meet once before when Thor was younger. My Shepard (Bear), was sitting on the front porch with my older brother and Thor's previous owner's came over with him on a leash. Now, I wasn't there for this interaction but the owner's said that Thor wanted to play with Bear but he ignored him or something. But like I said, they don't seem to have problems with each other at all... Now, the Pit (Sugar) is a bit different. Whenever Thor sees her, he barks at her. I always assume it's because she's a girl though. I tell him to stop whenever he does that and he usually whines for a moment, then stops. Now it's rare that he does it at all. But moreover, Sugar's timid and unlike my dog Bear (who's calm and playful), she's always a nervous wreck and isn't violent at all. (Her previous owner was responsible for that). My concern is, will Thor hurt her? Will he hurt Bear? I'd love to take him but if he'll try fighting with them I don't know if I can. Also, will he try to cause harm to me and my family? We're all girls, except my brother who comes over from time to time. I'm a firm trainer I believe. I took over training Bear and Sugar after my brother left and now Bear listens to me very well (while before he would ignore me) and Sugar pretty much listens to everyone. I think I can give Thor some firm commands and training but if he will snap at me I don't know if I can be bothered with that. I don't take to kindly to unruly dogs. It makes me nervous that they'll snap. His previous trainers didn't train him at all. He didn't sit when told, didn't know how to stay, all he wants to do is play and no matter what they told him, he would practically ignore them (they were also a very small family while everyone in my house is 5'3/5'4 and taller. I just want some advice or information. I can't stand to see this dog so lonely everyday, spending time chasing birds and looking back and forth from the yard to the house, praying his family hasn't forgot him. He's gone through many nights alone in thunder storms, rain and sticky heat, his only shelter is the back porch. If I can help this dog please give me some information. I don't think I can call HS on my neighbor's because Thor's technically being taken care of (

Public Comments

1. The first thing you need to do is talk to the neighbors about it. Be sure to make it clear that you're only interested in adopting him, not certain that you want him. If they say it's fine if you take him, then it's time for the next step: introducing the dogs. Put Thor on a leash and put Bear (it would be easier to do Bear first seeing as he seems to get along with Thor) on a leash as well. It would be best to do this in Thor's yard. You should probably hang onto Thor and have someone else hold onto Bear. Hold Thor still and have Bear walk past him (not within Thor's attack range) and see how Thor reacts. If he reacts positively, then you can bring them a bit closer and let them sniff each other from a few feet apart but with no direct contact. Again, if they react well to that, move closer. Let them sniff each other in direct contact. If they react well to that, let them off leash. If they react well to that, then it's time to remove Bear and bring Sugar in. Do the same with Sugar as you did with Bear. Make sure both dogs seem comfortable before bringing them closer. If its a success with Bear and Sugar, bring them both back in off leash. Its potentially dangerous, but if you're constantly watching them they should be fine. If they start to fight, you should catch them soon enough and be able to separate them. If all goes well, start introducing the people that will be in your home most. If that goes well, bring Thor into your yard on a leash. If all goes well, bring him inside your house on a leash, and of course, if it goes well, take him off leash. If that goes well, then you're ready to adopt him. Akitas are very unique and very tricky to work with, but with proper training and lots of love, they will make amazing pets. Good luck!
2. Im not sure you taking him is a good idea.Akitas are a hard headed breed.a dog this old with no training Akitas are known for being aggresive with other dogs.have you spoken too the neighbor maybe they plan on taking the dog when they get a kennel set up.I think this dog will need professional training.