This Appeal is a call for help from all friends of the Akita.  SA is a disease which has smitten many top kennels globally.  Dr Pfeiffer and her team are on the threshold of a major breakthrough in identifying and controlling this disease.  I will leave Lutz Lammers to say the rest to you.

2005-January-21

Dear Akita-friends,

The conservation of health of our Akita forced us over the past years to deal with the appearing diseases of this race. In the meeting of the WUAC there was accordance that skin diseases like Sebaceous adenitis are the main problem of the race.

The affliction of our darlings linked to this terrible disease over the past years drove us to a reinforced debate with this disease SA and furthermore to initiate with tough efforts an affordable project in cooperation with the JKC, WUAC and the University of Göttingen.

Mrs. Dr. Pfeiffer and her Team have been acting with this topic for more than a year now and - contrary to expectations - achieved hopeful results.

However, the continuation of this project is still without a definite result and therefore faced with ruin!!!

In 2004–October-21 the board meeting of the WUAC took place at the University of Göttingen. On the occasion of this workshop Mrs. Dr. Pfeiffer presented the achieved results.

Basically, the meeting had been supposed to deal with the question if the SA project will be continuing for at least one year and if the JKC assures the funding.

In this regard, I also want to express emphatically my gratitude to the Japan Kennel Club, who have so far borne the brunt of this funding. For this reason and additionally because of the contractual obligation the decision about the continuation of this project depends on the JKC alone.

This decision should have been made in Göttingen already. Admittedly, because of the absence of the chairman, this was not possible. But the promise had been made that this decision should be carried out before November 30^th 2004.

Today, on January 21^th2005, three months after the meeting in Göttingen, there has no answer been available about a decision from Tokyo. Even polite inquiries from different sides concerning the state of the decision making process have not been replied.

Indeed, the University of Göttingen agreed to continue research beyond the official expiration of the contract, but it is needless to say, that also there and in particular because of this the decision is expected desperately.

Finally, the further employment of assistants for this project and especially the further practical research of an SA-Marker depend on this decision.

The funding of the project for another year will result in an amount of 35,000 Euros. This amount cannot be raised by single Akita associations. This is why I had the following idea:

In order to provide a better perspective for the health of our Akita in breed, namely to achieve a concrete result concerning the arrangement and diffusion of the SA, we all have to take care that this important project can go on.

By this I would like to ask every one of you, if you could agree to collect money for the SA project. It is possible to get a separate account directly at Göttingen University.

Every dog-fancier, every association, every Akita-breeder and Akita-fancier can pay in this account. It would be amazing if the active breeders participated with an amount in relation to the numbers of puppies they breed and associations with a reasonable amount proportionally to it’s size. Of course, every Euro counts in order to get the mentioned total.

If we all pay the money directly to an account at Göttingen University 100% of these donations are dedicated to Mrs. Dr. Pfeiffer for the further funding of the SA project in the name of all donors.

I am thankful for any support and help. Admittedly, I am considering that we do have to act now, if we do not wish to depreciate the project. The abandonment would mean the abandonment of many Akita in the future and bereave us from the possibility to get rid of this disease from the breeding through the determination of possible genetic carriers. Everybody, who does love these special dogs, cannot seriously consider allowing this.

As soon as we have the clarification that JKC disclaim on acquired exploitation rights of the contractual obligation Göttingen/JKC we can publish the bank account number from Göttingen University for the SA project.

It seems that there is a possibility to get "quick" money from the USA to continue the SA research, but it would cover only ¼ of the total expenses.

I would be thankful for a short and quick answers.

With my kindest regards

Lutz Lammers

Honour-President of the Akita Club Germany

Please feel free to send the letter to Akita-lovers you know or to translate into other languages.

Top of page