TikiHut Akita Rescue Association (TARA) is a 501(c)(3), non-profit, animal welfare and education organization located in the Northern California/San Francisco Bay Area, dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation and rehoming of orphaned Akitas.  

Our group is comprised of a handful of volunteers and foster homes. The members in our organization have come together because of the passion we share for the Akita breed. Our breed is respected and treated as royalty in their native Japan, but here in this country, so many of them sit alone in the local shelters, waiting to die. Each of our members (and their spouses and families), work tirelessly to save the many Akitas that end up in these shelters.

In addition to rehoming and rehabilitating these wonderful dogs, we also dedicate our efforts to educating the public about the breed, including but not limited to, the importance of spaying and neutering, proper nutrition, genetic issues plaguing our breed and behavior and training information.

Our volunteers all have full-time jobs and still find time to support the needs of our organization. But please be patient as we do what we can after hours and on weekends, to return phone calls and emails.

Each Akita we bring into our program undergoes a thorough health exam, is spayed or neutered, brought up to date medically, and is worked with for basic obedience and socialization. We crate train all our pups and put them through basic puppy classes. All our dogs are microchipped before they are adopted.

The Akitas we take in come from all walks of life. Some have been abused and neglected and some have come from well known breeders. It is a huge misconception that all dogs that come from rescue are all problem dogs. We have seen some of the most wonderfully tempered Akitas come out of these shelters, and we hope we can give many more a second chance at the life they never had.

In order to help us fund the work we do, we participate in various fundraisers throughout the year, and/or have merchandise on our website for sale to the public. We also are grateful for monetary contributions from the public. If you would like to help support our cause and are interested in making a donation, we would appreciate any amount you would like to send. We pay for all our foster dogs' expenses out of our own pockets, and until we raise enough funds to reimburse ourselves, we operate on a shoestring budget. The average cost to foster a dog for 4-5 months can be $500.00 or more. To spay or neuter an adult Akita can cost upwards of $150.00. The harsh reality is, that sometimes those costs are a determining factor in how many Akitas we can save.

Luckily those we can save, will find loving homes with families that will treat them like royalty! You can see some of the happy faces that are now in their new homes by clicking on the "New Beginnings" button.

If you are interested in volunteering or fostering, please email us at:  info@tikihutakitarescue.com

Thank you for visiting!
TARA