Welcome

The North American Shikoku Ken Club (NASC) is an organization dedicated to supporting the community of owners, breeders, and enthusiasts of one of Japan's national treasures: The Shikoku Ken. Whether you are already lucky enough to share your life with one of these incredible dogs or are just learning about the breed, we hope you will find our website informative.

Please check back regularly as we continue to add information and resources to our site. Have comments or suggestions? Please send us a note here and let us know your thoughts.

Again, welcome to The North American Shikoku Ken Club!

- The NASC Directors

About NASC

The NASC is an organization dedicated to the stewardship of the Shikoku Ken in North America. Achieved by fostering a community of educated and responsible breed enthusiasts. While the population of Shikoku Ken in North America is still relatively small compared to other less rare breeds, we have seen an exciting growth in numbers as popularity for the breed blossoms. Our primary goal now is to ensure that both ownership and breeding of the Shikoku Ken is handled responsibly.  We hope that the NASC will serve as an organization to build a community around the Shikoku Ken in North America and that future NASC community building events will include meetups for owners and people interested in meeting the breed, conformation shows, and working trials.  To see a list of upcoming Shikoku Ken related events, check out our events page.

 

The NASC is also intended to serve as a channel for communication among Shikoku Ken breeders. With a limited selection of unrelated Shikoku available for breeding, it is crucial that breeders are able to work together to promote a healthy and diverse gene pool in North America.  We believe that through a coordinated effort, breeders can responsibly and ethically produce a robust gene pool that will preserve the Shikoku Ken in North American for future generations.

Currently, the NASC trying to build a membership list; however, as the club and the breed grows, NASC members will enjoy access to our events, a newsletter, and various other benefits. If you are interested in joining NASC, coordinating an event, or contributing to the Shikoku community in some way, please contact us.

Current Club Goals

Import more unrelated dogs from Japan and other countries

As part of the NASC's goal to promote responsible and ethical practices among breeders, the club also works to aide potential breeders and owners in importing dogs from Japan. We also want to support relationships between North American Shikoku breeders and breeders in other countries to ensure consistency in the breed throughout the world. This preservation program is a new program for the NASC, and the details are still being worked out as it develops. The goal of this program is to bolster the gene pool in North America by collecting resources (potential homes, transportation assistance, finances, and breeder connections in Japan, etc.) and using them to target specific imports that will be the most beneficial to the limited gene pool. If you are interested in helping out with this effort in any way, please contact NASC's preservation effort coordinator at info@shikokuclub.com.

Enter Shikoku in a genetic diversity program

Greater diversity leads to a healthier population, and the NASC believes having access to a program like the one provided by UC Davis and Better Bred will provide breeders with more accurate information about their dogs’ actual relatedness instead of relying strictly on pedigrees to make breeding decisions.

Fund studies for specific genetic health issues

Although the Shikoku Ken is a robust breed with relatively few common health issues compared to other breeds, there are a few issues that have surfaced over the years. Some are easily detected and can be bred against through health testing with the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals, but others currently are not so easily detected. It is our hope to pinpoint these diseases with DNA testing and eventually breed out these issues from the Shikoku population all together.

Making sure no Shikoku ever ends up in a shelter

This goal is one we hope will never be necessary. It is the hope of everyone involved with the Shikoku Ken that they will never end up in animal shelters. Should it become necessary, NASC will take action to coordinate the rescue and placement of Shikoku Ken that are in need of new homes. If you know of a Shikoku in need of rescue, please contact us at info@shikokuclub.com.

Host official club conformation and sporting events

As the NASC grows we plan to organize and host club events to provide more opportunities for Shikoku owners to title their dogs in different kennel club recognized competitions.

Photo credit: Instagram @yumiandgenji

NASC Mission Statement

The North American Shikoku Club seeks to protect and preserve the Shikoku Ken by promoting ethical breeding practices and collaboration among breeders in North America; educating current and potential owners about the breed and its special needs; working tirelessly to keep Shikoku Ken out of rescues/shelters and in loving and knowledgeable homes, and by fostering a community of breed enthusiasts through coordination of communications and events for club members.