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AkanniA Yoruba word that means “When you and I meet, you’ll leave with a precious gift.”
It is a word I discovered in a book of African names when searching for a kennel name that was a short word that could work for both my hounds and for my photography and design business. |
Who is Akanni
My start in dogs (after the family dogs of a standard hunting Poodle and a mutt) was with a poorly bred Irish Wolfhound when I was 18 and a Smooth Collie (who lived to be 17!). I acquired my first Rhodesian Ridgeback in 1995 and Borzoi in 1996 - both were rescues who turned into amazing performance dogs. I got my first show dog of my own in 1998.
I am an AKC Breeder of Merit in both of my breeds and am a health testing fanatic. All of my dogs can be found with public results on OFA.org, and all my Rhodesian Ridgebacks are also publicly listed in Embark.
I’ve been participating in lure coursing since 1996, and have been a fully licensed judge for both ASFA and AKC lure coursing since 2000. In addition, I have participated in open field coursing since 1997/8 and have run my borzoi (and a deerhound) in CA, ID, WY, and NM – both with NACA and NOFCA.
I have been honored to judge National Specialty lure coursing event events for the following breeds (some multiple times): Afghans, Basenjis, Borzoi, Italian Greyhounds, Scottish Deerhounds; and have judged supported or specialty conformation sweepstakes for the following breeds (some multiple times): Afghans, Borzoi, Rhodesian Ridgebacks, Scottish Deerhounds and Whippets.
I’m currently a member of: Borzoi Club of America, Rhodesian Ridgeback Club of the United States, Midwest Borzoi Club, Rocky Mountain Coursing Club, Southwest Coursing Club, National Open Fiend Coursing Association, and the American Azawakh Association. I have been an officer or held board positions for: Utah Racing and Coursing Club, Michigan Gazehound Association, and currently serve on the board for the Midwest Borzoi Club. I also currently sit on the Health and Genetics committee for RRCUS at one point produced/edited/designed the club magazine. I also produced ASFA’s Lure Operator Guidelines handbook.
In 2002 I sold my first bred-by Ridgeback girl to Holly Goudy on a co-own. In 2010 Holly came fully on board as the “other half” of Akanni Kennels, and has put many titles on our RRs, including our first Dual Champion, first Lure Courser of Excellence and first to qualifier in the RRCUS National Specialty Endurance Trial. She has been a co-breeder on all Ridgeback litters since 2015.
As of 2021, Akanni has had 12 litters - four borzoi litters, and eight RR litters, with both a Rhodesian and a Borzoi litter planned or currently in the works in 2022.
We understand that having a happy, healthy pet is the most important thing to our puppy people, even if they want a show or performance dog, we are exceptionally careful about only breeding dogs of sound temperaments who also pass their health testing. We test both our breeding stock and our “pets” and we test for more than our parent clubs suggest. We generally repeat testing in our older dogs just to be sure they have not had any changes over the years.
I fully encourage my puppy people to engage in activities with their dogs, but I never pressure them to do so (we even offer cash incentives when titles and health testing are done!). I understand in my litters that the dogs who are our “keepers” are usually the only ones who earn titles, but even still, over the years my dogs have earned the following:
AKC CHs, UKC CHs, UKC Top Ten dogs, UKC RBIMBS, Int’l CHs, ASFA FCHs, ASFA LCMs, AKC DCs, AKC LCXs, GRCs, JORs, NAs, TKNs, JCs, SCs, MCs, and many CGCs, along with multiple dogs with points/placements in NACA and NOFCA, and many BOBs/BOSs out of the classes – including Group Placing from the classes - along with many specialty/supported entry WB and BOW wins.
IMPORTANT NOTE: I think it’s very important to be a mentor to anyone who’s willing to learn because the breed and the sports depend on it. Because of that reason, there are actually have a good number people in the private Akanni Facebook group that have gotten dogs from some breeders who aren’t necessarily there for them, so these folks have a place to ask questions and learn without feeling pressured for any reason.
-Amy Balthrop
I am an AKC Breeder of Merit in both of my breeds and am a health testing fanatic. All of my dogs can be found with public results on OFA.org, and all my Rhodesian Ridgebacks are also publicly listed in Embark.
I’ve been participating in lure coursing since 1996, and have been a fully licensed judge for both ASFA and AKC lure coursing since 2000. In addition, I have participated in open field coursing since 1997/8 and have run my borzoi (and a deerhound) in CA, ID, WY, and NM – both with NACA and NOFCA.
I have been honored to judge National Specialty lure coursing event events for the following breeds (some multiple times): Afghans, Basenjis, Borzoi, Italian Greyhounds, Scottish Deerhounds; and have judged supported or specialty conformation sweepstakes for the following breeds (some multiple times): Afghans, Borzoi, Rhodesian Ridgebacks, Scottish Deerhounds and Whippets.
I’m currently a member of: Borzoi Club of America, Rhodesian Ridgeback Club of the United States, Midwest Borzoi Club, Rocky Mountain Coursing Club, Southwest Coursing Club, National Open Fiend Coursing Association, and the American Azawakh Association. I have been an officer or held board positions for: Utah Racing and Coursing Club, Michigan Gazehound Association, and currently serve on the board for the Midwest Borzoi Club. I also currently sit on the Health and Genetics committee for RRCUS at one point produced/edited/designed the club magazine. I also produced ASFA’s Lure Operator Guidelines handbook.
In 2002 I sold my first bred-by Ridgeback girl to Holly Goudy on a co-own. In 2010 Holly came fully on board as the “other half” of Akanni Kennels, and has put many titles on our RRs, including our first Dual Champion, first Lure Courser of Excellence and first to qualifier in the RRCUS National Specialty Endurance Trial. She has been a co-breeder on all Ridgeback litters since 2015.
As of 2021, Akanni has had 12 litters - four borzoi litters, and eight RR litters, with both a Rhodesian and a Borzoi litter planned or currently in the works in 2022.
We understand that having a happy, healthy pet is the most important thing to our puppy people, even if they want a show or performance dog, we are exceptionally careful about only breeding dogs of sound temperaments who also pass their health testing. We test both our breeding stock and our “pets” and we test for more than our parent clubs suggest. We generally repeat testing in our older dogs just to be sure they have not had any changes over the years.
I fully encourage my puppy people to engage in activities with their dogs, but I never pressure them to do so (we even offer cash incentives when titles and health testing are done!). I understand in my litters that the dogs who are our “keepers” are usually the only ones who earn titles, but even still, over the years my dogs have earned the following:
AKC CHs, UKC CHs, UKC Top Ten dogs, UKC RBIMBS, Int’l CHs, ASFA FCHs, ASFA LCMs, AKC DCs, AKC LCXs, GRCs, JORs, NAs, TKNs, JCs, SCs, MCs, and many CGCs, along with multiple dogs with points/placements in NACA and NOFCA, and many BOBs/BOSs out of the classes – including Group Placing from the classes - along with many specialty/supported entry WB and BOW wins.
IMPORTANT NOTE: I think it’s very important to be a mentor to anyone who’s willing to learn because the breed and the sports depend on it. Because of that reason, there are actually have a good number people in the private Akanni Facebook group that have gotten dogs from some breeders who aren’t necessarily there for them, so these folks have a place to ask questions and learn without feeling pressured for any reason.
-Amy Balthrop