Tohoku Nozomi Kennel 東北望み荘
Meet the breeder
I'm Kathryn D., the breeder behind Tohoku Nozomi Kennel 東北望み荘 located in Atlanta, GA. Our purpose in working with Hokkaido-ken is to help this endangered breed continue in the future, & share a little known, significantly misunderstood piece of indigenous heritage from the Ainu people of Japan. Our focus is preservation, excellent temperament, health, & purpose bred functionality.
Q. & A. with Kathryn
What are the different breed coat colors in your program?
Our puppies include sesame, red, and black and tan. Colors will vary depending on the parent dogs.Where do your breeding dogs live?
They live in my home.
Getting a puppy from Kathryn
Kathryn has been certified by Good Dog’s screening team for responsible and trusted breeding practices. When you’re ready to reach out, feel free to ask any questions about the breed, their program, or specific puppies.
Together, you’ll choose the puppy that’s right for you, stay in touch with regular updates, and plan how to bring your new puppy home.
Price
Puppy prices include a $500 deposit and between $2,250 - $3,000 final payment, before taxes & fees.
“Includes non-refundable $500 deposit. Total price may vary on puppy prospects. All puppies will come with a health check, microchip, & first round of shots, at a minimum. A deposit is required to confirm interest in a pup that has been offered by the breeder. Upon payment the dog will be placed on hold & the balance of the purchase fee required by the time of pick up. Deposits will not be accepted before a pup has been offered to an applicant.”
Contract & health guarantee
Kathryn may provide a written contract or health guarantee when you purchase a puppy. This helps protect both you and your breeder, ensuring that you both have a clear understanding of the terms of your puppy purchase. If Kathryn offers a contract or guarantee, the details will be personalized by them. If you have any questions or want to know more, don’t hesitate to reach out to Kathryn directly.
Always communicate and pay on Good Dog.Learn more
What’s included
From Good Dog
- Lifetime support from Good Dog’s Care Team
- 10% lifetime discount on Figo pet insurance
- Puppy Training Program & private community
Enrichment & socialization
- Various sounds
- Car rides
- Surface & tactile stimulation
- Socialized with children
- Scent introduction
- Daily handling
- Socialized with other dogs
- Introduced to people of different ages and appearances
- Socialized with other animals
Puppy health practices
- Vet check
- First round of shots and deworming
- Vet records
- Microchip
Extras
- Blanket with mom & littermates’ scent
- Initial potty training
- Puppy starter kit
- Registration
Location & pick-up
You can drive or fly to pick up your puppy from Kathryn.
Breeder’s location
Meet in Atlanta, GA
Other pick-up locations
Meet at Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta Airport
More about Kathryn
Club memberships
Kathryn is a member of National Treasure Hokkaido Dog Conservation Society, Nihon Ken Honzonkai (NIPPO), Atlanta Kennel Club, United Kennel Club, American Kennel Club, and Hokkaido Association of North America.
Kathryn has been a member of Good Dog for about 4 years
Kathryn was screened for responsible practices and has been a member since 2021.
Kathryn is a trusted Good Dog breeder
Tohoku Nozomi Kennel 東北望み荘 meets or exceeds our community standards in these areas:
- Responsible breeding practices
- Health of breeding dogs and puppies
- Puppy environment and enrichment
- Buyer education and policies
Litter and program updates
Kathryn D.
Litter update on 23 Mar. •…We've finally got some updates for Tohoku Nozomi Kennel in 2025! First and foremost, we have added a new member to our kennel, Miss Mina! She is a lovely Brindle puppy who came home to us from Japan at the beginning of this month. She is working through some culture shock, and slowly coming out of her shell so we can integrate her into the Hokkaido pack. Second, please keep your fingers crossed. We just got Pokku and Waji bred this past week. Pokku's season was a little disjointed, hitting while I was in Japan, and it ran very slowly. At least we didn't miss it. If things go well, we may see puppies in mid to later May. If you are interested in a puppy from this match, please let me know, so I keep you in the loop as this hopeful event progresses. As for the boys, Kuro is doing quite well, and just turned 4. Waji turned 2 years old this January, and we have been getting his OFA health testing completed. He has already passed his Heart, Hips, and Elbow tests, and we are just waiting on his thyroid results. His eyes are not perfect, but unfortunately we cannot win them all. Anyway, our apologies for the lack of updates, but we finally had something to report, and it all came in all at once. Hopefully we will have more positive updates in the near future, but if you want to follow the regular adventures if the doggos, please follow us on Instagram and Facebook under our Kennel name!
Waji and Pokku's litter
Parent dogs
Mina, mom
Hokkaido
About Mina
Mina is a 6 month puppy who just came home with us from Hokkaido Japan. She is a beautiful brindle with wonderful patterning in a very thick coat. We are slowly getting her integrated with our pack as she relaxes and starts to come out of her shell, but this is a slow process so she isn't set up for failure. Her personality is aloof but gentle and she is handling the major transition fairly well. She does miss her old family though, which is of no surprise. It is hard to change everything in a puppy's life around 6 months old. They are already well on their way to figuring out who they are and understanding their world, when everything drastically changes. Unfortunately this must happen to comply with a current CDC import rule, requiring this minimum age, that does not take the mental and developmental health of puppies into account. But we are working on it with Mina! She will have a wonderful home with human and dog friends to support her. We just have to take things slow. Please follow her progress on my Social media accounts where I share photos and stories more often.
Kuro, dad
Hokkaido
About Kuro
Kuro is a Black and Tan and Brindle (also known as brindle pointed) male with a wonderful personality. He is both dog and human friendly with a lot of energy. He carries one gene for Collie Eye Anomaly and he has a heart murmur which is monitored by a veterinary cardiologist but at this time needs no medical or physical intervention. He has been tested for genetic heart conditions but is clear of all known genetic links to heart issues. Due to the lack of genetic link, his heart condition is considered non-hereditary at this time, and he will be considered as a sire, particularly due to his exceptional temperament and his lack of relation to most of the other Hokkaidoken in the US.
Uploaded health tests
Elbow Dysplasia Finals (OFA, BVA, SV, FCI), Cardiac Evaluation (rDVM, not registered with OFA), +1 more.
Pokku, mom
Hokkaido
About Pokku
Sesame Hokkaido with a great personality, but a bit of stranger danger due to coming home at the start of the Pandemic. She loves other dogs and her flirtpole the most.
Great health testing
OFA/CHIC DNA Repository, Collie Eye Anomaly (CEA), +6 more.
Parent health testing
Breeder-Reported Testing
Excellent level
Tohoku Nozomi Kennel 東北望み荘 reports to performing the health tests below on their breeding dogs. Ask your breeder about the tests performed on the parents of your litter. Learn more about health testing for Hokkaidos.
Hip Dysplasia
Hip testing reduces the chance of passing down hip dysplasia, which is primarily found in large breed dogs and can cause hip pain and the eventual loss of the function of the hip joint.
Elbow Dysplasia Finals (OFA, BVA, SV, FCI)
Elbow testing reduces the chance of passing down elbow dysplasia, which is primarily found in large breed dogs and can cause arthritis in the elbow joint and front leg lameness.
Eye Certification (CAER, registered with OFA)
Eye testing reduces the chance of passing down a wide range of hereditary eye illnesses including retinal dysplasia, lens luxation, and glaucoma, which can cause impared vision or blindness.
Cardiac Evaluation (registered with OFA)
Heart testing reduces the chance of passing down congenital heart disease, which can cause a range of symptoms ranging from trouble exercising to heart failure.
Thyroid (Autoimmune Thyroiditis, registered with OFA)
A breeder may perform additional tests on their dogs that do not fall into these general categories. These tests may be more uncommon or very specific to a particular breed.
Multiple Drug Sensitivity (MDR1), Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA), Generalized, Collie Eye Anomaly (CEA)
Genetic testing reduces the chance of passing down a wide variety of hereditary diseases of differing prevalence and severity such as Progressive Retinal Atrophy (an eye disease) and Von Willebrand's Disease (a blood disease).
