Welcome, my husband, Heath, and I own and operate Wishing Well Boarding Kennel, home of Akiko Akitas, in Bellingham, Massachusetts.

Our first Akita, Redman's Akiko, CD, was whelped in our home in 1982. "Kiko" produced our first champion, CH. Akiko's Foxy Ted, CD, ROM, VDX in 1986, and the rest, as they say.... is history. We were hooked on Akitas and the sport of dog fancy. (At least I was hooked on showing, it took Heath a few more years.)

We have the great good fortune to have Marianne "Tuni" Coviello as a major part of the Akiko Akita team. Tuni not only provides her expert professional handling skills to present Akiko Akitas to their best advantage in the show ring, but also supports our breeding program with her devotion to the breed and to our dogs.

We are fortunate to have produced more than forty champions of record over the years. We have multiple Best in Shows, Best in Specialty Shows and Awards of Merit to our credit. We were honored to retire the Akita Club of America Top Twenty trophy at the 2000 National with three wins in only four years of the competition. Our brace of brilliant red brothers continue to win at national and regional specialties, showing off not only conformation, but also the wonderful temperament that we strive for and produce at Akiko Akitas.

Heath and I are members of the Akita Club of America, where I have served on the Board as a regional rep., on the Judges Education Committee, and currently on the Breeders Education Committee. I am also a board member and assistant show chair for the Hockamock Kennel Club, an all-breed club; and a member of the Connecticut River Working Group Association.

At Akiko Akitas we believe in careful genetic screening of all breeding stock and strive to produce sound Akitas that will be wonderful family members as well as excelling in the show ring. We also believe that producing sound temperament must come first in todays society. We focus on producing beautiful Akita type, sound movement, and correct conformation according to our AKC breed standard.

Last but not least, the friends we have made, both "Akita friends" and "Other-breed friends", have become an integral part of our lives and at least as important to us as showing our dogs.