Her Story
Savannah, aka "Radiance" from Summit Akitas, Deep in the Heart of Texas.

We first became interested in Akitas through the Complete Idiot's Guide to Raising a Puppy by Liz Palika. It's a well-written book that's a great read. After comparing all of the breed's features, the Akita won.

We found Summit Akitas on the web by doing a search on "Akitas". 

Cecilia Ortiz, the breeder, mailed us a video tape and pictures of her litter. After observing the temperaments of the pups, and the behavior of the mother, we chose "Radiance"  - primarily for our perception of her "middle of the road" (not too aggressive, not too weak) temperament and beautiful red coat.

We filled out all the breeder's agreements, mailed the check and Cecilia shipped Radiance Counter to Counter from Universal City, Texas to Seattle Washington via American Airlines. Radiance behaved beautifully.

So what's with the name change, you ask? Well, we have two wonderful cats - one is named Seattle for her gray and white coat (it is gray here a lot!). And one we named Abilene for her brown and tan coat (which is a lot like Texas). 

To continue with the city theme we decided on Savannah - for Radiance had a reddish coat reminiscent of a field or plain, "Savannah" - and it's a city name, too - Savannah, Georgia!