Thank you for visiting our website! We've been involved with showing, training, and breeding Shibas or Akitas since 1980, and are today still very strongly devoted to these wonderful breeds. Cathe has been the conformation instructor for the Greater Naples Dog Club for 10 years, has been a member of the Akita Club of America since 1980, served a two-year term on their Board of Directors as Recording Secretary and was the Awards Chairman from 1989 to 1999. She is also the founder of Florida's only Shiba club, the Gulfcoast Shiba Inu Club presently serving as President, is the Hall of Fame Director for ShibasUSA magazine, served on the National Shiba Club of America's Code of Ethics Committee, and is the NSCA's Futurity/Maturity Stakes committee chairperson. Maigan is a professional handler,Sharper Image, currently serving the Gulfcoast Shiba Inu Club as Secretary, has served on the Akita Club of America's Welcoming Committee, was chairman of their Junior Showmanship committee, and still holds the ACA's record for being the top junior in the country for 5 years running (with an Akita) winning Best Junior Handler at 5 straight Akita National Specialties. So you can see, we are very "doggy" around here!
Our goals are very basic; to honestly and openly represent the Shiba and Akita breeds to the public and occasionally having to offer what we feel are quality, well-socialized puppies who would make super additions to a new family. Quality puppies are those that are thoughtfully bred with sound temperaments and structures placed above all else. A beautiful dog is an impressive sight to behold, but what good is that dog to a family if he goes to bite them every time he feels like doing so? Or, how much pleasure is derived from a dog that has medical problems that could require a lot of care and financial attention? Of course, there are no absolute guarantees that a litter will be "trouble-free" even when both parents are physically and mentally sound. The breeding of two dogs involves a large number of genes which can combine in any random order -- so random that even two littermates will not look at all alike. But I think you'll agree that it's a lot safer to start out with dogs who themselves are healthy, thereby reducing your chances of any problems cropping up from the start.
So, at Gulf Wind we offer puppies which come from health-screened parents and we even take that one step further. Once born, we take great pride in socializing these pups to give them a head start on adjusting to this big world. They are raised in the center of our family home which not only provides them with daily handling but it also allows them to be subject to everyday sounds of life from early on. When they are old enough to venture off to their new homes they will leave with solid foundations based on strength of character.
We could go on and on about what we do here, but unless we have proof of our success, everything we have told you would just be empty words. So, about 40 weekends each year you will find us traveling throughout Florida and across the country proving that our dogs are structurally and mentally sound enough to win at dog shows. We feel that if a licensed AKC judge says that our dogs are the best in the ring then you will no longer have to take our word for it. So dog shows are an essential part of Gulf Wind - important because if one of our dogs doesn't "cut-it" in the show ring, then it won't "cut-it" in our breeding program!
Again, we thank you for inquiring with Gulf Wind. Should you be interested in obtaining more information as to upcoming litters or available puppies, please feel free to email us. Most of our puppies are reserved much in advance - even before a litter is even born, so we recommend leaving a deposit to "hold" your place in line. But whatever you do, please continue your search for information on the Shiba before making a decision that this is the breed for you. We hope the addition of a Shiba takes you on an adventure with your new puppy that is a long and happy one!
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