The Beginnings of HANA
In 2011, Lindsay Tompkins established a rudimentary blog to begin gathering information about the Hokkaido Ken. The original purpose of this blog was to store information in English for later publication, as very little was known about the Hokkaido outside of Japan at the time. Even Europe was only a few years ahead of of the US in regards to knowledge of what it was like to live with the breed. At the time this blog started, there were maybe 4 Hokkaido total living in North America.
In early 2013, efforts to establish a true breed club in the US kicked off with the first wave of new imports to the states and Canada, seeing the arrival of Oni, Meitou, Yezo, Genko, Katana and a little white female in Canada. Thus, the “HANA project” was born. It consisted of a small but growing pool of fanciers, geared towards breed preservation and establishing the breed in North America. Key figures involved in the breed club’s infancy included Lindsay Tompkins, Brad Anderson, Shigeru Kato, Chrys Cleary, Angela An, and other several Hokka owners around the globe.
The next few years saw the arrival of several more Japanese and European imports, first generation American-bred Hokkaido litters, as well as new emerging health studies for the breed. Thanks to the effort of everyone involved, the HANA project has grown substantially and a strong American gene pool for the Hokkaido breed is underway.
HANA Today
Today, the Hokkaido Association of North America serves as the national parent club for the Hokkaido. As parent club to the breed, HANA represents AKC Hokkaido breeders and owners across America and around the world. We are dedicated to promoting, preserving, and protecting this wonderful breed and its owners for future generations.
HANA promotes sound and responsible breeding practices dedicated to the improvement and advancement of the Hokkaido breed. We advocate the highest ethical standards among breeders, owners, and fanciers; and encourage good sportsmanship and cooperation among its membership. The club supports breed education and educational events for judges, fanciers, and the general public.
HANA encourages the promotion of the abilities of the Hokkaido through participation at specialty shows, obedience trials, working trials, and performance events throughout the country. Our HANA-implemented Conformation Championship and Total Dog awards programs serve to celebrate the true versatility of this amazing breed. We also are in the process of applying for a license to conduct AKC sanctioned competitive events including conformation, obedience, rally, and agility.
HANA supports and funds scientific research to improve the health of the Hokkaido for future generations. For more information, feel free to visit our blog or contact us.