Japanese and house pets.

[Arch]

Well i don't think I have ever started a personal thread before but I will proceed anyway.

I'm currently training to be a vet and obviously a animal lover aswell as a dog breeder. However I'm curious in if many Japanese have house pets ? In Europe it's normal to have the pet hamster, the family dog or cat. Is this the same in Japan ?

My Japanese friends all have pets, one even has hamsters, guinea pigs (is that how you spell it)cat, dog, so many !

I would appreciate a response, even though it is rather an unusual question.

[kenasto]

＞even though it is rather an unusual question.
It's not that unusual, not necessary to be so shy here. :-)

Don't know about the country side but in Tokyo small dogs seem to be quite popular among married couples. I haven't heard from anyone owning a cat and hardly see any in the streets. But there are some in the pet shops so I believe some people must have cats at home. Some or many landlords don't allow cats and dogs in their apartment buildings, same in the building where I live. About the other small animals, I am not sure, at least fishes seem to be common. But outside of the big cities everything might be different.

[bakaKanadajin]

Yep lots of small dogs. I saw one guy pulling his dog around on a little wee bicycle, the dog perched on this little wooden bike and he pulled it around with a string. Another guy just carried his around, I NEVER saw him walk it once the entire time I was there. He lived in my neighbourhood. Pets are seen as an accessory in some cases, not so much as a majestic 'part of the family' as with Western families. Among kids its more popular these days to have giant beetles instead.

[nanook]

Pet owners are, unfortunately, less educated in how to treat an animal as they are in Europe. A good place to start your research would be arkbark.net. You can wade through the archives of their newsletters and get a general overview.

Good luck

[Tadashi]

Well, if you don't have your own house usually you can't have a pet. Dogs and cats make noises, so they're not allowed. The walls in Japan are really thin, you can hear how your neighbor is snoring at night behind a wall.

There's more, you can't let your dog walk outside on its own. It will be caught immediately and most likely shot down. Or so I heard. The Japanese don't tolerate homeless dogs. I think it's good. In many countries homeless dogs gather in packs like wolves and attack people. There is not any here.

Cats on the other hand can do what they please. In my district (Nakano-ku) there's a lot of cats and they walk outside on their own. They meow at night a lot, it's really annoying.

It's all about noises, you can have a pet at your place as long as it's not making any noises.

[Arch]

Thanks for the feed back all. I know having a pet in a city flat in Tokyo probably isn't a great idea for many Japanese.

Nanook - Do you mean Japanese pet owners are less educated then in Europe ?

Of course this is a long, long way into the future and without many aspects considered, but there is a possibility I could open a vet or some dog training school in the future in Japan....

[nanook]

Nanook - Do you mean Japanese pet owners are less educated then in Europe ?...less educated in the field of how to buy their pet, how to keep and train their pet, what their pet's needs are, etc. The number of pets in Japan has increased dramatically over the past few years. To meet this demand, the number of "breeders" did so too. A large number of puppy mills were started by people, who are in that business just for the quick buck and have no interest in keeping their animals free of genetic diseases or even clean. The puppies will be taken away from their mothers at the age of around 6 or 7 weeks, in order to arrive at the pet shops at the "right" age of about 8 weeks. If the puppy (or kitten) is not sold from the pet shop by the age of about 13 or 14 weeks, it's value will drop to almost 0 and it will, therefore, be put asleep :-(

The owners usually buy their pets in pet shops (they usually don't know of breeders and rescue organizations) just by their looks, their color, whatever, sometimes just as a fashionable accessory, without knowing, what the needs of the breed will be over the life span of the animal. So it is not uncommon, that you might find a Siberian Husky, who has to stay in a cage inside an appartment in the summer heat or being chained up, having to do his business on a wee pad, while his owner is working long hours. Not having had the time to socialise with other animals, when it was a puppy, being mainly alone during the working hours of the owner and then having to be quiet, please, while the owner wants to sleep at night, gives the dog a very limited time to be itself. "Gimme five" is often the only thing, if any, that these dogs have ever learned. Some are not even house trained. Some of these dogs develop behaviour disorders. Some of the stories don't have a happy end.

Side story: I was at the vets. A dog was there, who recovered from a heart attack. The vet asked the owners, what kind of food they would give him and they said. "No way would we feed him cheap dog food, he does, of course, eat the same food as we do". In the "soy sauce driven" Japanese cuisine, that is way too much salt for a dogs little heart. So love is often there, but not the matching know-how.

But times seem to be changing a bit now, going into the right direction. "How to keep an animal" shows on TV are becoming more frequent, here and there some dog training centers, however crude, pop up and from my personal experience, I would say, that I see much fewer chain dogs than 20 years ago. In the area, where I live, some dog-runs have been installed and the more responsible dog owners would meet there, have their dogs play and socialise.

So to summarize, in terms of pet keeping, Japan is, to my opinion, about 50 years behind western Europe, slowly catching up. There is sure room for a young, enthusiastic vet (who masters the Japanese language) to come over and build something extraordinary.

Good luck

[Goldiegirl]

I saw a place where you can rent a dog. Interesting, and understandable. The dogs all looked happy, clean and well fed. They were all small breeds of dog. Anyway, I just read that some company is opening a "retirement home" for elderly dogs in Tokyo. It will have up to 20 "residents". I saw lots of dogs in Japan. I was most surprized at how many big dogs there were. I never saw so many St. Bernard dogs! :)

[undrentide]

To work as a vet in Japan, one needs to pass the national veterinary examination. If you graduate from a veterinary college or have veterinary license abroad, you are qualified to take this test.
Past examination (questions and answers) are available at MAFF (Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan) website.
http://www.maff.go.jp/www/counsil/counsil_cont/tikusan/juiji/shiken_qa.html

[Arch]

Thanks alot for the feed back all, you have been a great help !!!! Especially Nanook and undrentide

Certainly something to seriously consider in the future !

So many st.benard ? that's quite something, they're quite few st.benard in germany most a german shepards. I guess most popular dog in Japan will be the smaller dogs. I believe Japan has only one national dog and that is the Japanese terrier.

[undrentide]

So many st.benard ? that's quite something, they're quite few st.benard in germany most a german shepards. I guess most popular dog in Japan will be the smaller dogs. I believe Japan has only one national dog and that is the Japanese terrier.

I've never heard of "Japanese terrier"...
We do not have particular dog as the "national dog" but there are several native dogs such as Shiba, Tosa, AKita, etc.
http://www.bulldoginformation.com/japanese-dog-breeds.html

[Arch]

Uhmm, I see but I have heard of the Japanese terrier. I often go to many dog shows and I even go to the biggest in Europe and there is never a Japanese terrier.

According to Wikipedia, it exists.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_Terrier

I can't seem to find this type of dog with the link you have sent.

[undrentide]

Thank you for the information on Japanese Terrier.
I guess the reason it is not shown as one of the "Japanese breeds" is because it is originally from Europe (Netherlands or England) though it came a few centuries ago, and because it is not really common - in fact, it is extremely rare in Japan, according to the internet source. :)

[Chipi]

In the countryside it seemed to be more popular to have cats. Anyways, in all the houses I visited in the country, the pets were kept mainly outside (or in garage etc.), not inside the house.
In the cities then, dogs and other cute and small animals are definetly the "it" thing. I was, and am,worried about the knowledge of taking care of pets, and how easily pets are bought in Japan. Some people are shopping dogs and other animals like they were just shopping new shoes..Just like Nanook explained - based on their color and I suppose cuteness level?
I fear pets can be bought based on a sudden inspiration, and tossed away few weeks later.
I am also bit suspicious about the pets that are for sale. In the windows of pet shops (in too small cages) all the dogs seem to be supercute, like toys.. usually puppies are a bit more diverse, have their own unique features etc.In pet shops I have seen for example in Tokyo,all animals seem to be from a "puppy factory" that produces identical perfect puppies/kittens/etc.. what happens to the ones not matching the cuteness criteria?
I have also seen websites selling more exotic animals for pets, like flying squirrels and marmosets. Just a couple of clicks of a button and you could be the proud owner of a marmoset. How on earth would these pets be happy in the middle of busy cities, in small cages, and how can the owners know how to take proper care of them?
I agree with Nanook, that people do care and love for their pets, but don' t really understand what their pets need, that they are not similar to human beings and have their own special needs to keep them happy and healthy. In the countryside I think the animals are more happier and healthier, in the sence that they have more freedom and can therefore pursue their natural drives.
Are there some kind of organisations supporting animal rights, providing info for pet owners, saving puppies from the "cuteness-axe" etc..? I'd love to know, and join to help if/when I move to Japan again in the future.
I do understand the urge to have pets, and pamper them, but I definetly stress the fact that people should always think of what's the best for the animals first. For example I would absolutely love to have a dog (I had always always wanted to have one), but I simply don't have enough time and space to keep any animals truly happy at the moment. The dog just wouldn't be happy in a city apartment.

[Arch]

Thanks for your reply Chipi.

In truth about 90% owners of dogs in the world are like what you described. It's not their own fault, it's just they never learned. Your dog shouldn't eat the same food, but many people still do it.

I was wondering what it is like in the big cities ? Do you see people taking the dog on the street ? or is it a rare occurance ?

Here in Germany the dog is allowed to go just about in every shop. I guess it's likewise in Japan.

Thanks again.

[Goldiegirl]

Yes there are people walking their dogs in the big city. It is common. I saw a huge variety of dogs; many big, big dogs. My friends in Tokyo have 120 pound lab, and a yorkie. I was going to buy a swiss mountain or bernese mountain dog their as I couldn't find a breeder in the usa with puppies. I had no trouble finding those dogs for sale in Japan and they are HUGE dogs. I don't know if dogs were allowed in stores and shops; what I can say is I never saw any in them. :)

[nanook]

In my area (Nagoya), dogs are normally not allowed in shops or restaurants or the like. Neither can they go on public transport like buses, subways or trains etc unless they are small enough to be carried in a bag (sometimes you would be asked to buy a "hand baggage ticket", if you carry a small dog). For anything bigger than a Papillon or Chihuahua you need a car. AFAIK, only recently the law has changed, in so far as service dogs would now be allowed on public transport. On the internet or in book shops, you can find publications on hotels, restaurants or camp grounds, where dogs are "OK" or "welcome" (note the difference). It is definitely easier to have a dog in Europe.

Yes, owners walk their dogs here in Japan, too, a bit less intense on cold and reiny days though :-) Most dogs are the size of a Shiba Inu or smaller. Larger dogs like Labs are still common, really large dogs like Akitas, Dobermans or St Bernards are scarce in my city.

A very nice system is how we get our dog tags here. City hall would do a road show once every year. Mr. Taxman and a vet would come to a park or playground near your home. You get a post card early enough, so you know, when the "happening" will take place. So you can walk your dog on this special day to that park, pay your duties (around 3500 yen, if I recall correctly), get your dog tag and a rabies shot. No rabies shot, no dog tag. All dogs of the neighbourhood will have a riot on this day, meet their best freinds and enemies. And we, the owners, would love to have at least four eyes and six hands to keep a bit of order in that party :-)

[SushiShin]

yeah, ùuch of my nihonjin friend have pets at home, starting from hamsters,dogs,cats,rabbits etc... but not single one has any type of spider or lizard or snake or any other animal of that type, maybe their not the favourite of japanese? i don't know, you guys know more then i do, so what louds your anwser minnasan?