Christine & Robert Womack | Ichigo

Interview with Christie & Robert Womack, Breeders of Ichigo

1. Please tell us a little bit about yourself. Where do you live? How many years in dogs? How many years as a breeder? What is your kennel name?
2. In your opinion, is your breed in good condition overall? Any trends that warrant concern?
3. As a Preservation Breeder, can you share your thoughts on the sport today? How’s the judging these days?
4. What are some of the challenges encountered along the road to full AKC recognition? What are some of the challenges as a preservation breeder? As an Exhibitor?
5. In your opinion, is social media good for the sport? Is it harmful?
6. What are the biggest challenges facing the dog show community as a whole today and how can these be addressed?
7. What are some of the positive changes you’ve seen in the sport over the past decade?

Christie & Robert Womack

1. We recently moved our kennel from Central Florida to Western New York where our triple-coated dogs can flourish in the cooler climate. We have owned the Japanese Akitainu for 10 years and have been actively breeding as preservation breeders for five years. Our kennel name is Ichigo Japanese Akitainu Kennels (the meaning of Ichigo in Japanese is strawberry). Where we used to live in Central Florida is known as the Strawberry Capital of the United States.

2. Our breed continues to get stronger in the US because of the preservation breeders in our breed clubs maintaining good relationships with one another. At our kennel, we remain committed to strengthening the breed through pairing pedigrees that will enhance and complement each other, learning from mentors, and, of course, health testing. One concern we do have is that the Japanese Akitainu will veer in a different direction from the breed in the country of origin. Another concern is that of the backyard breeders. As the breed has grown in popularity, we see more breeders who lack the desire to learn more about the Breed Standard, to health test, and to carefully screen their buyers.

3. As preservation breeders, it is very important to us that we enter our dogs in shows and get our breed in front of AKC judges, to educate the judges on the correct Standard of our breed. The judges that we have shown to so far have all been very kind and have had a genuine interest and excitement at the prospect of seeing our breed being recognized here in the AKC. We would love to see more FSS/Miscellaneous shows added to the rosters for the opportunity to represent our breed, our club, and the dogs in our kennel.

4. Some of the challenges that we have faced on our journey to get this breed fully recognized are that there are only a few of us preservation breeders here in the US, and we are very spread out, in addition to the lack of shows or shows being far away. Preservation breeding can be a very slow process, as it is of the utmost importance that everything we do has the best interest of the breed and only improves the quality of the breed. We take careful consideration in all we do, from studying pedigrees on our imports, health testing, showing them, good animal husbandry practices, etc. As an exhibitor, any challenges thrown our way are met with our dedication and commitment to the breed and our determination to improve. But so far, the experience has been positive overall. Everyone, from other exhibitors, judges, other breed enthusiasts, and our club, has been encouraging. As this breed has been around for many, many years and is a natural monument in their native land (and let’s be honest, a truly beautiful dog) it is an exciting time to be involved and be an active part of the Japanese Akitainu community in the AKC.

5. Social media has been a good resource to network with other AKC show enthusiasts and has provided us with support, information, and advice that have been valuable on our journey. In other ways, it can be harmful when used in an unsportsmanlike way.

6. I believe the biggest challenge as we continue to evolve in the show community is breed education, and a genuine interest from judges to understand the history and correct interpretation of the Standard. We could also stand to be kinder to all who genuinely want to learn about showing their dogs.

7. While we haven’t been in the show world as long as others, we have been welcomed by many and the overall experience has been positive. We have recently seen more of an interest in FSS and Miscellaneous breeds, which has been exciting. We have had Junior Handlers reach out to us with an interest in getting to know our breed and support handling them in the ring when needed. I hope our grandson will be interested in handling someday!