The first Akita was brought to the United States by Helen Keller in 1937, a puppy having been presented to her as a gift during a tour of Japan. Akitas were admitted into the show classifications of the American Kennel Club (AKC) in 1973.

Hellen Keller brought the first known Akita to the United States in 1937. More followed after World War II, when returning servicemen brought the dogs home with them. (Many Akitas didn't live through the war.) The American Kennel Club recognized the Akita in 1972.

The American Akita emerged after the end of the Second World War when US soldiers took Japanese Akitas back to the States with them, where an independent stand-alone breed was established.

The American Akita’s origins are, ironically, not in America, but in Japan. The modern-day American Akita is larger and differs slightly in physical appearance compared to the Japanese Akita, but they have a shared origin.. The Akita roots lie in 17th Century Japan, in the Akita Prefecture on the northern island of Honshu.