Klaus (auf Deutsch) was born an unnamed Akita pup on October 11, 1997 in Sandy, Oregon.
I met his breeder at a Regional Running meet at Blue Lake Park near Portland (auf Deutsch).

The story behind his name comes from a family tragedy some two years before his birth. I lost my brother
Ken (auf Deutsch) in a mountain climbing accident on beautiful Mt. Hood (auf Deutsch) in Oregon
(auf Deutsch) late September of 1995. During the search for Ken rescue dogs were called in for assistance.
One of the German Shepherd (auf Deutsch) search dogs was named 'Klaus'. To honor the memory of my
brother I decided to name the first dog I had as a pet, 'Klaus'. That's why my Japanese Akita has the
strong male German name of Klaus.

You can visit Search 1 K-9's site here.

The Akita (auf Deutsch) is a canine breed designated as a national monument in Japan (auf Deutsch).
They were bred for hunting in northern Japan and known for a wonderful combination of dignity with
good nature, alert courage and docility. They thrive on human companionship! Akitas are known to
be very quiet dogs, only barking "when there is something to bark about". I like that!

I also have Klaus set up on Dogster.com.

Click on Klaus' Pup Photo to Visit His Album

Klaus was with me to visit my brother's last known campsite on the side of Mt. Hood several times
and is a great companion! Looking at his picture you may understand why I immediately fell in love with him.
He's my favorite 'unwilling' wrestling partner and is always happy to see me return home after being away
(even for 5 minutes).

I've added this favorite photo from 1999 with Klaus at my brother Ken's campsite on Mt Hood to
commemorate over 10 years since September 25, 1995... We still miss you Ken!

Klaus is now living with me in Bad Krozingen (auf Deutsch), Germany and enjoying all the walks
and people we meet as we "spazieren" through town!

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