(JP)Abandoned pets a sign of the slump

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http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?nn20011113k1.htm

 

Abandoned pets a sign of the slump

Furry friends become latest victims of nation's

economic malaise

 

By KENZO MORIGUCHI

Staff writer

 

NOSE, Osaka Pref. -- The economic malaise is affecting

not only humans, but animals as well. Indirectly, pets

-- especially older ones -- have become casualties of

the protracted downturn, according to an Osaka

nonprofit organization.

 

Elizabeth Oliver and her staff at Animal Refuge

Kansai, an NPO based in this Osaka suburb, have been

seeing an increasing number of dogs and cats abandoned

and brought to them because their owners are suffering

economic hardships.

 

" The number of dogs and cats brought to our facility

for economic reasons has been on the rise, especially

in the last couple of years, " Oliver said, noting that

in the past year, these amounted to a third of the

total.

 

" Some of the reasons why their owners had to give up

their pets were the need to move house, bankruptcy,

divorce, death and hospitalization. "

 

The Briton founded ARK in 1990 to shelter abandoned or

ill-treated animals and find people to adopt them.

 

ARK first started with a few dozen animals, but now

shelters 200 dogs, 160 cats, a fox, a couple of pigs

and a raccoon dog.

 

While pet-abandonment is nothing new, Oliver said that

in recent months, the trend has been for pet owners to

suddenly abandon their beloved pets for economic

reasons.

 

In one case, the owner of two dogs and seven cats, all

well-cared for, left them in front of ARK's front

entrance one morning with a letter saying the person

had become unemployed and had to leave Osaka to find

work.

 

Ark took in 220 dogs last year and has accepted 177

dogs in the first 10 months of this year. Oliver

thinks the figure could be between 220 and 250 by

year's end.

 

Of the 220 ARK took in last year, 140 were adopted and

22 died. Rarely do former owners turn up to retrieve

their pets.

 

The arithmetic shows that ARK is seeing more and more

animals being left in their care. And those that are

not adopted but left at ARK are more likely to be

older dogs and cats.

 

" It is only natural that people want puppies, because

they are cute. Puppies and dogs that can be kept in

the house are usually adopted within a month from the

time they come here. As a result, only older dogs are

left and their number only goes up. That is a problem

for us, " Oliver said.

 

In her native England, there are a number of shelters

for pets to be adopted later and sanctuaries for older

pets to remain for life. But in Japan, ARK is the only

place where abandoned and ill-treated pets can hope

for accommodation and it is a cross between a shelter

and a sanctuary, she said.

 

Now Oliver's group is set to acquire a former company

dormitory in a neighboring municipality that would

serve specially as a sanctuary where older dogs and

cats can live comfortably under a roof for the rest of

their lives. This would also help free up some space

at ARK's existing facility.

 

" Thanks to advancements in medical science, pets now

live longer than they did 20 years ago. But as they

grow older, they get sick just like humans, " Oliver

said.

 

ARK is financed solely by donations from individuals,

but the dampened economic climate is also affecting

its revenue, she said. " We cannot accept all abandoned

pets. The government . . . should set up shelters for

such animals instead of just killing them within three

days of their capture. "

 

Oliver pointed out that the lack of knowledge about

pet care in Japan makes their lives miserable.

 

She recommended that dogs and cats be either castrated

or spayed so that unwanted puppies and kittens are not

born.

 

" About half of the 1 million dogs abandoned every year

(in Japan) are puppies, unwanted by owners who did not

have their pets castrated or sterilized. "

 

Oliver also urges Japanese consumers to be wary of pet

shops, maintaining that many of them keep and breed

pets under harsh conditions and that consumers are

often cheated with forged pedigrees.

 

" In addition, people should be aware of what is best

for them and their pets in terms of environment. Such

dogs as border collies or Australian sheep dogs are

not suited for an average Japanese owner because they

are born to run as much as 100 km a day, " she said.

 

ARK conducts a thorough interview with a possible pet

adopter and charges 15,000 yen per pet for a

sterilization operation and other vaccines because " if

they are offered free of charge, they may be abandoned

easily, " Oliver said.

 

ARK's Web site is www.arkbark.net

 

The Japan Times: Nov. 13, 2001

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