Elsewhere in the world, the American Akita was first introduced to the UK in 1937, he was a Canadian import, owned by a Mrs. Jenson, the descendants of Mrs. Jenson live on today breeding American Akitas, the most widely known of them is Mr. Joseph Felton, a widely known and award-winning Akita breeder, however the breed was not widely known until the early 1980s. The breed was introduced in Australia in 1982 with an American Import and to New Zealand in 1986 with an import from the UK.