*TONGA

About *TONGA

This young guy is super fun and a total looker. He's an athlete for sure….. he just may not know the rules of the game….. but he's super up to learn! He is really friendly and eager to play, but also just loves getting attention (treats are good too) and knowing what was going on. He seems to be an Akita mix and definitely has that Akita attentiveness. He's a nice mid size (much smaller than a standard Akita) and has a medium level of fluff. He will need regular brushing to maintain that fluff, and regular exercise to manage his play level. In return, he will be your absolute bestie forever! You will never have a better bestie than him! You also will have a dog photo for any occasion at the ready on your camera roll cuz you're gonna take so many pictures of this heartbreaker. Tonga will need some basic training and a nice consistent walk/ exercise/play routine.

From Tonga's Day Hike Foster on 9/15/25

Tonga was great today. Like Stacie said, he's a little wild at first but calms down. He seemed to enjoy the car ride. He loved all the scents on the hike and loved leaving his own scent in return! We saw a deer and he didn't freak out. We walked past several other dogs and he was slightly reactive to the first but then was much calmer as we passed the others later in the hike. He was easy on leash. These are the best of the pictures that I got.

from hike in Oct 2025

Holy smokes, what a fantastic dog! Tonga is a great little buddy. Get him out of the shelter and he shines. He sniffs and pulls and pees on everything (`I'm peeing in nature, y'all!`), but once he realizes that this is a walk that will last more than 20 minutes, he hits a dignified stride. Tonga is incredibly smart, and I suspect he knows more words than the average 5 year old. He pulled a lot, especially early on, but he is an obedient dog and eventually mellowed out. He is a playgroup all star, and this showed throughout the 2-hour plus walk. He was not reactive to other dogs, was chill with people, and didn't lunge at cyclists (like a certain lady I know). I decided to trust him to enter Romancing the Bean for a coffee, and I held onto the traffic loop to be safe (`You are peeing in this cafe over my dead body!`). No issues at all. He seems to understand that good boys do not urinate inside and he is most definitely a good boy.

11/26/25 075800- Kelly took Tonga out on a walk. -SR

Organization