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Michelle Gori is the breeder behind the Sierra Ohkami Shikoku. Read about the kennel’s beginnings, the champions, the puppies, and much more!
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Michelle Gori
1. I live in Northern California and have owned Nihon Ken (Japanese Dogs) for 24 years, starting with the Shiba Inu. I’ve been an exhibitor for 12 years and a preservation breeder for about five years. My kennel name is Sierra Ohkami. (Ohkami means “wolf”
in Japanese.)
2. I feel the breeds are in good condition overall. Breeders are doing a wonderful job with health testing and analyzing pedigrees in their pairings. Some of our heights are a bit inconsistent, but in my opinion, with a small population and breed community as the breed grows, our height consistencies will improve.
3. I think the dog community overall has been very supportive in the breed, from the clubs, judges, other exhibitors, and even the professional handlers. Almost every judge I bring my dogs in front of has expressed how excited they were to finally meet one. The judges show up with the Breed Standard printed out and are even more excited when I provide them with an even more educational tri-fold. Many ask comparative questions between the Shikoku and the more well-known Shiba, so my past years help to give an
in-depth perspective. The other exhibitors have been welcoming, not only in the show ring but at other events as well. Some of my biggest supporters have been the professional handlers I know.
They are generally curious about new breeds coming into AKC, and after seeing me showing particular dogs repeatedly, and how friendly and approachable they are, many are comfortable cuddling with them ringside. We’ve had a nice number of shows, with some clubs in the area holding their very first. I know that unless these clubs get an entry of at least 30 dogs, holding an Open Show can equate to a loss for them. So, I always personally thank the club members for hosting an Open Show for our rare breeds.
4. For a long time, I think our breed has been held back from moving forward to full recognition based on misconceptions from some involved in the breed. They’ve fallen for the “I don’t want AKC to ruin the breed” myth. These are well-intentioned individuals, but they are not experienced in exhibiting or breeding. Understandably, they are afraid of an incorrect dog being campaigned and put up by judges showing favoritism to professional handlers, with breeders then using that dog in many breeding programs only because it’s No. 1 in the ranking. In that equation, more responsibility is on the breeders, not AKC. First, it’s the BREEDER who campaigns an incorrect dog, the pro handler who steps in the ring with an incorrect dog, the judge who puts up an incorrect dog, and lastly, the ignorant BREEDERS who use that incorrect dog only because it’s No. 1. In that equation, the BREEDERS have the majority of the impact on the breed, not AKC. I had this discussion with a well-respected icon in the dog world. He validated my perception and added, “The last time I checked, AKC has never produced a litter to this day.” To me, that says it all. Recently, just in the past year, the parent club has been renamed, reorganized, registered with AKC as the official parent club, and has made some great strides in moving the breed forward. I’m excited to see the advances being made, and hopefully, I will be able to make contributions to the effort.
I think one major challenge over the past few years is the market. This has been affecting fully accepted breeds and our rare breeds even more. I know many breeders who are skipping breedings, lowering prices, or getting out of dogs completely. In my opinion, we are losing much of the public to designer breeds and trendy “insta-famous” mutts. These types of mixed dogs are being purchased to replace many of our purebreds. The rarity of the breed brings challenges that many are unaware exist and this equates to fewer breeders involved and less clientele.
I haven’t experienced many challenges in exhibiting, but perhaps only the assumption of the breed because it’s Japanese. Other exhibitors may expect it to be reactive like the Akita or persnickety like a Shiba. I recall, at a show when I first began showing, one of my girls on the day after I’d just bought her a new nylon lead. Well, little did I know, it was not stitched completely. I walked into one of the buildings where they were all showing Frenchies, gave my girl a gentle pull, and the lead just popped right off her neck. I’ve never seen that many people scramble so quickly to pick up their dogs! My girl just stood there, looking up into my face with her adoring expression, paying no interest in the other dogs. So, I do what I can to break that stereotype. I’ve been doing Therapy Dog volunteer work for the past 10 years with both of my breeds and I’m about to certify my fourth. In fact, one of my girls was the first Shikoku to become a Certified Therapy Dog in the US. To me, this shows the public what wonderful family dogs they can be.
5. I think there are pros and cons with social media. It’s wonderful for networking with other breeders around the world and providing breed education for newcomers. However, it can attract negativity and back-biting from some. I’ve chosen to remove myself from the group pages and interact directly with a handful of longtime breeders. As far as education, I focus more personally with that as well. I work closely with my clients. I do an annual AKC Meet the Breed event in San Diego and with our local club that I founded (Shikoku Fanciers of Northern California LLC) this past year. We hosted an educational booth over three weekends at Cherry Blossom Festivals in San Francisco and Cupertino.
6. The community and purchasing trends impact the litters we can produce and the number of dogs in our programs, and therefore, advancing our lines. It would be nice if some of the organizations could educate the public on how to reputably get a dog. Instead of the sappy, sad dog rescue commercials, how about teaching the public the differences between a puppy mill, a backyard breeders, and a reputable breeder. Wouldn’t that decrease the number of dogs in shelters? I would love to see small breakaway segments highlighting this during one of the televised dog shows.
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