Reprieve For Death Row Dogs In Japan

[Swiss Girl]

http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/asiapac/s...04/s2877052.htm

Dog-lovers in Japan are dismayed because increasingly many pet puppies are being disposed of once they grow up, most ending up at the pound where more than 70 per cent are put down. The idea of adopting a dog from the pound has not caught on in Japan where many strays are seen as second-hand goods. Now a group has been formed in Japan to try to save dogs from death row.

Presenter: Mark Willacy

Speakers: Akinori Kume, dog welfare centre vet; Kensuke Kuramoto, dog trainer; Susan Mercer, founder of animal welfare group Heart; Mika Takahashi, dog owner

* Listen:

* Windows Media

WILLACY: Once upon a time, these dogs were pampered pooches - eating expensive pet food and being carried round inside handbags by adoring owners. Now they're behind bars in the pound where they seem to sense the fate that awaits them.

(Akinori Kume speaking)

"When an owner comes in to turn in their dog we try to talk them into changing their minds," says welfare centre vet Akinori Kume.

"If they can't keep the dog, we ask them to find a new owner," he says.

Japan is a country obsessed with canines - there are cafes for dogs, dog fashion shows, and designer clothing boutiques for dogs. This month a man was even sentenced to hang for killing a former Japanese deputy minister and his wife - blaming them for the death of his pet dog 30 years ago.

But some here treat dogs as disposable accessories - living, breathing commodities which can be tossed away when they go out of fashion.

(Kensuke Kuramoto speaking)

"Too many people are raising dogs in Japan, and people tend to view their lives too lightly," says Kensuke Kuramoto, who's a trainer at a school which deals with abused dogs.

"There are those who treat dogs as members of their family, but there are others who buy them for simple reasons like celebrating a daughter's birthday," he says.

Eventually, many of these dogs end up at the pound. In 2008 alone there were 120,000 pooches abandoned by their owners. In Britain less than 10 per cent of dogs in pounds are put down. In Japan that figure is more than 70 per cent. Susan Mercer is a Canadian who's set up Heart, an animal welfare group in Japan which tries to save dogs from death row.

MERCER: In Japan people don't like second-hand items so these dogs that are going into the centres are almost somehow considered damaged goods in a way.

WILLACY: There are nearly seven million dogs in Japan - that's more canines than kids under the age of six. And while many abandon these once-fashionable accessories when the novelty wears off, other Japanese remain dedicated to their dogs.

(Mika Takahashi speaking)

"I can't even think of abandoning them as being possible," says Mika Takahashi. "I have these two dogs because someone abandoned them. But dogs are living creatures. So it's like murder if you just throw them away," she says.

In a country where fashions change as fast as the weather, it will be difficult indeed to convince consumers to stop buying that doggie in the pet shop window and instead pick a pooch from the pound.

70% PTS, that is so sad

[darlingdog]

http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/asiapac/s...04/s2877052.htm

Dog-lovers in Japan are dismayed because increasingly many pet puppies are being disposed of once they grow up, most ending up at the pound where more than 70 per cent are put down. The idea of adopting a dog from the pound has not caught on in Japan where many strays are seen as second-hand goods. Now a group has been formed in Japan to try to save dogs from death row.

Presenter: Mark Willacy

Speakers: Akinori Kume, dog welfare centre vet; Kensuke Kuramoto, dog trainer; Susan Mercer, founder of animal welfare group Heart; Mika Takahashi, dog owner

* Listen:

* Windows Media

WILLACY: Once upon a time, these dogs were pampered pooches - eating expensive pet food and being carried round inside handbags by adoring owners. Now they're behind bars in the pound where they seem to sense the fate that awaits them.

(Akinori Kume speaking)

"When an owner comes in to turn in their dog we try to talk them into changing their minds," says welfare centre vet Akinori Kume.

"If they can't keep the dog, we ask them to find a new owner," he says.

Japan is a country obsessed with canines - there are cafes for dogs, dog fashion shows, and designer clothing boutiques for dogs. This month a man was even sentenced to hang for killing a former Japanese deputy minister and his wife - blaming them for the death of his pet dog 30 years ago.

But some here treat dogs as disposable accessories - living, breathing commodities which can be tossed away when they go out of fashion.

(Kensuke Kuramoto speaking)

"Too many people are raising dogs in Japan, and people tend to view their lives too lightly," says Kensuke Kuramoto, who's a trainer at a school which deals with abused dogs.

"There are those who treat dogs as members of their family, but there are others who buy them for simple reasons like celebrating a daughter's birthday," he says.

Eventually, many of these dogs end up at the pound. In 2008 alone there were 120,000 pooches abandoned by their owners. In Britain less than 10 per cent of dogs in pounds are put down. In Japan that figure is more than 70 per cent. Susan Mercer is a Canadian who's set up Heart, an animal welfare group in Japan which tries to save dogs from death row.

MERCER: In Japan people don't like second-hand items so these dogs that are going into the centres are almost somehow considered damaged goods in a way.

WILLACY: There are nearly seven million dogs in Japan - that's more canines than kids under the age of six. And while many abandon these once-fashionable accessories when the novelty wears off, other Japanese remain dedicated to their dogs.

(Mika Takahashi speaking)

"I can't even think of abandoning them as being possible," says Mika Takahashi. "I have these two dogs because someone abandoned them. But dogs are living creatures. So it's like murder if you just throw them away," she says.

In a country where fashions change as fast as the weather, it will be difficult indeed to convince consumers to stop buying that doggie in the pet shop window and instead pick a pooch from the pound.

70% PTS, that is so sad

We actually lived in Japan many years ago for a few years and while we were there a stray dog wandered into where we were working. He was terribly terribly thin so we took him in and eventually brought him back to Australia with us. I remember at the time asking if we should advertise the dog was found and let the local pound know about it and we were told that would be pointless as it was a " thrown away" dog.

Gun dog, hunting season was over and it was common for them to be " thrown away". THese dogs are often just a piece of hunting equipment .

Many people there look after their dogs like a family member but others do not. Much the same as here really.

You do have to remember that this is a completely different culture to ours and the thinking is different from us.I can totally believe that it is going to be very hard to change the thinking that pound dogs are second hand dogs. It saddens me they are having as big a problem as this. They are generally lovely people, I hope that something can be done to educate more on the responsibility of owning a pet and that it is for life.

There are many places in the USA that are reported to have 70% put down rate from what I read and I am sure we have the same problem here too in some shelters and pounds.

The one thing that concerned me the most from my observations whilst living in a semi-rural Japanese community were the amount of farm dogs who lived chained to their kennels. I used to get very upset seeing them out in the snow with only a small and often not very sturdy kennel for shelter.

I do not know what the answers are, it seems that every country, including ours, is struggling with people not taking responibility for their pets.

[tarope]

We do the same thing here, the only difference is we don't kill whales. :D :D

[Zhou Xuanyao]

Most of those problems are reflected here aswell. I hope they can work on improving peoples attitudes toward rescue dogs.

[Serket]

On my way to and from the station each day when living in Japan, I'd see golden retrievers, labs, St Bernards (i.e. medium and large/giant breed dogs) in crates too small to turn around in, with no bedding or toys, kept outside in the car ports of so many houses I'd go past It was heartbreaking - left outside in a crate all day (and possibly all night) in the freezing winter cold and heat of summer too. Never saw many of them walked, or interacted with, except for one St Bernard who was almost the size of his tiny little owner, and was allowed inside (saw him follow the owner inside one night coming home from a walk). I hope their lives were different to how it appeared to the observer walking past every day.

Dogs aren't generally kept inside unless toy breeds (and even then, mainly in crates), even despite the harsh weather, so the majority of dogs are outside in the snow chained up, with a kennel if they're lucky. Puppies are kept inside for a few weeks if lucky, then turfed outside to fend for themselves, even in the snow.

The attitude towards pets and the value given to their lives is very different to here in general, although there are exceptions, of course, but it generally seems that dogs fall into two main groups - cute and therefore seen as accessories, or working dogs - and both are often seen as disposable.

[Swiss Girl]

Is the rehoming rate in australia only 30% then? I thought it was much higher.

[shel]

Is the rehoming rate in australia only 30% then? I thought it was much higher.

Depends. Here's 'Australia's largest' shelter

Some are running closer to no kill. Totally depends.

[Swiss Girl]

so the PTS rate for 2009 is also 70%

why is our PTS rate so much higher than UK's, does anyone know?

[Alyosha]

so the PTS rate for 2009 is also 70%

why is our PTS rate so much higher than UK's, does anyone know?

The LDH home is the upper end of the spectrum in Australia. Other shelters are very different - the RSPCA and Govt shelter in Canberra have rehome rates of over 90% for dogs.

I don't know if a National average is available.

[Swiss Girl]

Thank you Alyosha, I may see if I can find the national average.