October is a big month for people interested in animals in this country. The International Association of Human-Animal Interaction Organizations, IAHAIO will hold its 11th international conference for the first time in Asia. The venue is Tokyo, Japan. The theme for the triennial conference this time is "People and Animals: Partnership in Harmony". It will be held at the Keio Plaza Hotel in Tokyo from the 5th of October to the 8th.

The goals of the conference are as follows;

1. To report on research in the area of human-animal interaction, including animals as therapeutic interventions, social and educational supports.
2. To provide a forum for international networking amongst practitioners and researchers in the various fields of human-animal interaction.
3. o awaken awareness in Asia of the rising interest worldwide in the field of human-animal interactions and to encourage the development of programs in this geographic region.

Japan has constantly been a leading force in the human-animal interrelations area amongst Asian countries and IAHAIO 2007 gives proof to this fact having collected over 800 domestic participants.

This will be the largest triennial conference in the entire history of IAHAIO in terms of the number of participants.

In addition to individual presentations of selected papers submitted by researchers from multivarious fields such as animal assisted therapy and animals in education, there are numerous workshops, held as a part of the conference.

These workshops range from such topics as animal in the law, public and private sector cooperation in animal control to service dog issues, and the relationship between animal abuse and violence towards people.

The Japanese Organizing committee is hoping that the success of this international meeting will further boost the enthusiasm and morale of interested parties in the country. Hopefully activities in the human-animal interactions area will be taken to a higher level on the domestic scene in the near future!

In the West we often hear about the "man in the moon", but in Japan the shadows and patterns on the face of the moon have long been seen as "rabbits on the moon". These rabbits on the moon, usually two, are supposedly pounding glutinous rice to make rice cakes.

The moon itself is a very important theme during the autumn season in Japan. There are two "moon viewing nights" during September and October when people set up special offerings to the moon. The offering consist of a bundle of susuki (silver grass) and a plate of dango, or round rice cakes. In fact these rice cakes are called tsukimi - dango, or "moon viewing rice cakes". And here we come back to those "moon rabbits". The rabbits in the moon are making these moon viewing rice cakes for the moon viewing festivities. When you find rabbit motifs on pottery, fans etc. in Japan oftentimes there will be rabbits, silver grass, and the moon.

During the autumn season, everywhere you go in Japan, you will find the rabbits, silver grass, and moon theme depicted over and over again. Legend says that rabbits gather on a hilltop under the full moon and dance around together. There is a very old children's song called "Rabbit Dance" that every kindergartener knows depicting this scene. If you visit Japan in the autumn and see rabbits everywhere this is the reason why. The autumn moon and rabbits are inseparable.

But the rabbits themselves are also a very popular theme for Japanese artists and designers. There are several popular folktales where a rabbit is the main character. One of these is KachiKachi Yama (Mount kachikachi) about a rabbit that takes revenge on an evil badger after he kills a kind old woman. The tale is somewhat violent for the rabbit as a means of revenge first sets fire to a pile of firewood that the badger is carrying on his back down the mountain. The rabbit then pretends to be the healer and offers the badger a pot full of hot mustard as an ointment for his burns! Finally the rabbit invites the badger out for a fishing trip and offers him a boat made of dried mud. Needless to say, the badger drowns as his boat goes under once on the water, clever, but ruthless, is our bunny. The other famous tale is that of the white Rabbit of Inaba. In this story the white rabbit wanting to cross over a body of water fools the sharks into believing that he is counting the members of their clan for their sake. The sharks all line up obediently all the way from one shore to the other and enables the rabbit to reach his destination. Hopping off the last shark the white rabbit makes a snide remark about how easily fools can be used to one's advantage. But alas the last shark manages to get a hold of the rabbit's fur and tears it off. As the rabbit writhes in pain along comes Prince Okuni a famous figure in Japanese myth and takes pity on the creature.

He instructs the rabbit to bathe and then roll around on a pile of cattails.

The white rabbit does as told and lo and behold his fluffy fur is back to normal again! The rabbit thanks Prince Okuni and swears never to lie to or take advantage of others again ------ that's where our tale ends but knowing the white rabbit for what he is it is easy to imagine him revealing "crossed fingers" as the Prince walks away or for him to whisper "---- or not!" under his breath.

In any event the rabbit is quite a popular character in Japan. If and when you are in Japan take a look at the traditional stationary, dishes, what - have - you and see how many rabbits you encounter!

Summertime is a good season for relaxation and enjoyment. In Japan, there are many regional festivals held during the month of August adding to the gaiety of the season.

However, for our companion animals, especially our dogs, summer can be "one hell of a season"! Japan is world reknowned for its fireworks. The size, scope, and magnificence of Japanese fireworks is certainly more than anything that can be seen elsewhere around the world.

Many Japanese masters in this area are called upon to help with their skills in important events throughout the world. For tourists and local citizens looking for a grand way to pass their summer evenings, "Hanabi Taikai" (Fireworks Shows) are just the thing. But for sound sensitive canines the horrors of such evenings are quite beyond our imagination.

There are many countries around the world where large events are marked by the display of large fireworks, but the 4th of July and Bonfire Night, for example are both a day in the year that dog owners must worry over. While American dog owners rack their brains over how to safely spend the 4th of July with their timid friend, Japanese dog owners must worry throughout the summer. Since fireworks is the "heart of summer" in Japan, many famous parks and fair grounds will schedule gala displays, twice a month, 3 times a month, or even every weekend during the months of August and, sometimes, July. In addition to the large "booms!" small communities and local clubs may sponsor any number of "mini-booms!" during the summer months. As a result, depending on where they live, the poor canines with sensitive ears and delicate emotions may find life quite noisy and stressful during the otherwise sunny and carefree summer months.

The sounds of fireworks can travel very far and upset sound sensitive dogs over a large radius. Every year animal control officers warn people about the dangers of dogs jumping fences and enclosures in panic during firework events, and every year many dogs do just that and end up in public animal control shelters.

One might also add that many parts of Japan experience frequent thunderstorms on summer evenings, which for the dogs is another addition to the list of "scary booms ". Yes, summertime in Japan is certainly a very stressful season for the sensitive canine and his/her owner!

As if that were not enough, there are some brainless owners who choose to visit the large booming events with their poor dogs.

Both men and women, but especially young girls, like to wear a special cotton kimono called the Yukata to attend recreational events in the summer. The yukata, a traditional Japanese summer costume, is lightweight and very colorful. Entrepreneurs have put dog yukata's on the market (mostly for miniature breeds) and all of a sudden it's "me and my Chihuahua decked up in our colorful yukatas and enjoying the local fireworks" - time ----a bit overwhelming even if the dog is not too sound sensitive.

Yes, summer vacation can definitely be a "season of horrors" for many dogs. We must once again call out to all Japanese dog owners to be carefull ---- very, very careful.

According to the latest statistics from the Japanese Pet Food Institute there are now 12milion 80 thousand companion dogs in the country, and 12 million 450 thousand companion cats, as of October 2006.

The real estate business is now actively expanding their "pro-pet" stance. Of all the newly built condominiums up for sale in the Tokyo metropolitan area in 2006, 74.5% allow owners to live with companion animals. This amounts to approximately 550 thousand individual apartments. This is a large increase from the previous year. In figures, a 10% increase from 2005. This means that a large majority of new condominiums being sold in the Tokyo metropolitan area are now catering to the needs of pet owners. The ever increasing trend is expected to continue for some time. Looking back to 1998, the percentage was a mere 1.1%, or 709 individual apartments. The 50% mark was achieved around 2004 and since then the increase has continued. Another new trend in this particular sector of real estate business is the increase in "pet-amenities" or facilities for the animals, that are being built into the apartments. Some condominiums boast a grooming room where owners can bring their dogs. Others have a washing facility near the entrance where dog owners may wash off muddy paws after their daily walk.

Furthermore there are condominiums that have an exclusive dog run for the owners and dogs living in the building. Currently approximately 60% of the total number of individual apartments that allow pets come with some sort of "special facility" for the pets.

It is great to see so much enthusiasm, but on the other hand one cannot help but worry about some of the issues that may arise in the not-too-distant future. Problems of noise, smell, and other nuisances have arisen in many apartments that have allowed pets in the past causing emotional conflict between inhabitants. Some condominiums have solved the issue by establishing "pet owner committees" which in turn are given the task of establishing rules concerning the keeping of pets. Increased social acceptance of pets is indeed a very welcome change. However the increase in the presence of animals will inevitably cause more issues to arise. We must always keep this in mind and not be overly optimistic. It is especially important under this welcome trend for pet owners to reconfirm, and in some cases redefine, the scope of their responsibilities.

It has been 5 years since the first law giving access rights to service dog users was enacted in Japan. In 2002 a law concerning service dogs for people with disabilities was passed giving these dogs and their owners the right to use public transportation, to enter public facilities as well as those privately owned facilities that are accessible to the general public. The actual contents of the law were introduced in this column earlier.

Now that 5 years have passed it seems appropriate to investigate how things are moving along.

What is the efficacy of this legal instrument? Have there been any major issues, flaws? What needs to be revised?

The current law gives the right of access to guide dogs, mobility service dogs, and hearing dogs. There are now approximately 1000 dog and user pairs that are active in the country Looking back on the 5 year period during which both dog and user have been placed under legitimate protection, there seems to be two predominant issues that need to be resolved.

The first issue is that pertaining to non - compliance. Though the law states, for example, that privately owned facilities must allow service dogs to enter if the facility is one that is open to the general public, there have been cases where hotels, shops etc. have refused to allow users to enter with their dogs. Unfortunately there is no provision in the law for penalizing non - compliance during such acts of refusal. As a result, these illegal actions go unpunished. The most that can be done is for the authorities to inform facility owners that they "are not allowed" to take such actions under the national law. Service dog users have stated that they are not looking for large fines and other penalties for these actions.
Instead, they say, they would like to see local authorities set up a specific person or office in charge of receiving reports of non - compliance and taking immediate action. Oftentimes when users are refused entry they are unsure of where or to whom they should complain. If that were made clearer, then the lack of a penalty clause should not be such a large drawback.

The second issue that must be addressed is that of private company offices and privately owned housing. Under the current law these two areas are not yet legally obligated to open their doors to service dogs. Though the law "encourages" the owners of these facilities to make efforts to allow service dogs to enter, this cannot be enforced. Hence owners, or employers in the private sector may ask an employee with a disability not to bring his/her dog into the office. Likewise an owner of an apartment building may state that he will not allow service dog users to rent his facility.

This is one area where a revision of the law is definitely called for. Though the year of the review stated in the initial law has come no action has yet been taken by the legislature as regards this specific issue. Let us hope that action will be taken in the not - too - distant future. It should make life so much easier and fairer for all service dog users in the country.

6 years ago the Tokyo metropolitan government conducted a survey on the costs of pet - keeping in Japan.

The initial cost is needless to say, the cost of buying the actual animal be it dog, cat, or some other species. Since pet shops rank as the number one source of pets in Japan, many people will most certainly be paying this money.

The Tokyo government survey stated that the average expenditure to acquire a pet dog was 124,441yen. This would amount to about 1300U.S. dollars. For cats this cost was 72,194yen, about 800U.S.dollars. Compared to other countries this initial cost is probably quite high when one takes into consideration the fact the survey was aimed at finding facts pertaining to the general pet - keeping public and not to a specific animal - oriented elitest group. Of course after this initial expenditure the owners are now obliged to support the newly acquired family member and this is where the "real" costs kick in.

According to the survey the average annual expenditure for veterinary bills, i.e. for vaccinations, health maintenance, treatment of illnesses etc, was approximately 50,000yen per animal, between 5 and 600U.S. dollars. To be more precise the average costs for dogs was 51,592yen and for cats 35,226yen.

In addition to veterinary care, special breeds of dogs require the skills of a professional groomer, the average here being approximately 5 to 6,000yen, about 60dollars, per grooming. If the dog is groomed every other month it would be 6 times this figure to calculate an annual expenditure. Infact, the average number of times that a dog is taken to the groomers was 7.2 times per year according to the said survey. The cost of spaying / neutering a pet would depend greatly on where it is done, both in terms of the veterinary facility chosen as well as the geographic location. But the survey reported an average cost of about 20 ~ 30,000yen for a small male dog and 30 ~ 40,000yen for a small female dog. For cats the cost reported was 10 ~ 20,000yen for males and 20 ~ 30,000yen for female.

Since the figures are 6 years old the costs today would probably be closer to the higher end of the spectrum.

In the survey the average cost of feeding a dog was about 5,000yen per month and for cats about 3 ~ 4,000yen per month. For dogs, though there would be a wide difference in this expenditure between the smaller sized dogs and the giant breeds.

The average cost of boarding a pet during vacation time, emergencies etc, was approximately 5,000yen per day for dogs and 3,000yen for cats. In the survey the average, number of boarding days used by pet owners was 3.8days per year.

When totaling all of these costs one is amazed at the amount of money a pet owner of even a single dog or cat must pay during the entire lifetime of that animal. And of course, the survey does not include the cost of other essential supplies such as collars, leashes, crates, cat litter etc. Nor does it include other services such as obedience classes, in - house pet sitting etc. The survey only gives the bare minimum that one must shoulder when deciding to share our lives with other critters.

Unfortunately not many owners actually do these calculations before acquiring a pet. No wonder many shelters and animal control officers must deal more often than not with the "give up" attitude.

The Japanese Pet Food Institute, an organization of 67 corporate members of the pet food industry just completed an internet survey of pet ownership in Japan.

The rate of dog ownership in Japan was 19.2% slightly below the figure, 19.4%, for 2005. The same trend was seen in cats as well. The rate here was 14.7%, again below the 14.9% for 2005. The total number of companion dogs in Japan for 2006 was a little over 12 million, and of cats 12.5 million.

The survey sample population was 4235 individuals between 16-69 years of age either living in multiple person households or singly.

Some of the interesting points appearing in the survey results were the increase in indoor dogs and cats, and the aging of the pet population.

Approximately 60% of the dogs were kept as indoor dogs, but when the target was narrowed down to purebred dogs the figure increased to 80%. 90% of purebred cats were also indoor cats, the overall percentage here being 80%.

Concerning dogs, approximately one half of the survey participants had older individuals over 7 years of age. The pet dog population is now aging along with the human population!

Another very promising trend was the increase in those owners who have a large interest in the health status of their pets.

When asked about the magnitude of their interest in their pet's health approximately 50% answered that the topic was of "major interest" to them. Adding the group with "Some interest " in the topic to this group, we can see that over 90% of dog and cat owners in Japan have an interest in the health of their pets.

Putting this together with the increase in the indoor keeping of pet dogs and cats, the overall impression is that standards of pet keeping in this country has been improving. This is an encouraging trend, but at the same time the Japanese people need to become more aware of some of the darker issues surrounding pets today. There are still many puppy mills throughout the country, to name just one of the problems that people must try to resolve. The registration of pet businesses under the animal welfare law will become mandatory as of June 1 of this year, and hopefully this new legal obligation will serve to improve the many "sub-standard " businesses operating in the animal world.

According to a survey conduced in 2000~2001 by the Japan Animal Hereditary Disease Network (JAHD). The prevalence of hip dysphasia, a hereditary disorder of the hip joints, in the Labrador Retriever was 46.7% in Japan. This percentage is the same as that which was seen in Sweden in 1976 immediately prior to the founding of the Open Registry system. The open registry enabled free access to information concerning genetic disorders carried by individual dogs thus promoting the breeding of healthy dogs.

Currently in Sweden dogs must be tested for genetic disorders in order to be registered for a legitimate pedigree. But Japan, unfortunately has fallen behind in this area and has much work yet to do in order to catch up with such an advanced system. In Japan people tend to associate genetic disorders in dogs with the concept of an "inferior specimen" whereas in reality many such dogs if not too seriously affected make good companion animals.

It is simply that they cannot be used for breeding. But this image has made breeders and pet businesses extremely reluctant to disclose information. And needless to say, this in turn has created more "bad breeding".

JAHD was founded in 2003 as a non-profit organization by several veterinarians conscious of this issue. Currently they run a voluntary screening and posting service where an interested owner/breeder may register with the network, have their dog tested, and if they so wish, have the results posted on the JAHD site. JAHD is still a very small, limited endeavor and the testing is done only for hip and elbow joints, and the patella (knees). But it is a solid start towards proper testing, information disclosure, and ethical breeding.

Breeding of dogs in Japan is still a very obscure business where the line between breeders and puppy mills is sometimes rather fuzzy. But with pet shops being at the top of the list for "sources of pet dogs" for the public, it is essential that organization like JAHD work towards educating both the professionals and the general public about what genetic disorders are and what they can do to undermine the welfare of unborn generations.

Very recently, the Japanese Coalition for Animal Welfare (JCAW) sponsored a symposium entitled "Do Good Pet Owners Abuse Their Animals?" This somewhat provocative title was an attempt at making pet owners throughout the country reflect upon some of the ways in which they may have been making life harder for their beloved pets. One of the main issues that came up was that of dog and cat obesity. Needless to say starving an animal is outright abuse and no one would dispute that fact.

However when it comes to over-feeding a pet animal, it is surprising to see so many "good" pet owners who allow their animals to enjoy excessive amounts of food. There is also the problem of people who are so "nice " to their animals that they would share their doughnuts and steak with them. It seems as though many people also find it rather "cute" or "charming" when their dog or cat is a little chubby. But as we all know obesity can cause a multitude of problems and thus in many ways, allowing, or even helping your dog or cat become overweight can indeed be considered a form of animal abuse. Japan is seeing an increase in the number of pampered indoor pets and obesity is now one of the main problems that veterinarians must deal with.

Another issue that was brought up during the symposium may be one that is unique to Japan. Japan probably has the largest number of dog owners who regularly "dress-up" their pooches. In pet stores throughout the country there are racks and racks of dresses, sweaters, coat, hats, etc. for dogs of all sizes. There are even Kimonos (traditional Japanese costume) and designer brand clothes. The bulk of the "clothes maniacs" seem to be the owners of smaller breeds. Walking through a fashionable neighborhood in Japan one is guaranteed to meet a sweatered miniature dachshund, a frilly toy poodle and a colorful Chihuahua. During the JCAW symposium experts such as veterinarians and animal welfare officers warned against excessive clothing for dogs.

"Animals have a protective layer of fur on their bodies. It is ludicrous to think that they need another layer of wool, silk, what have you, to protect themselves from the elements, except under very special circumstances" said one veterinarian. The experts pointed out that clothing can over-heat dogs, restrict their freedom of movement, and in general cause discomfort for many of them. Thus here again seemingly good owners may indeed be abusing their pets.

The issue of obesity, or the cute chubby pet, and that of dressing up your animals is directly related to the issue of owners emphasizing the "cute, cuddly" factor rather than focusing on the needs of their animals as living beings. Sharing a life together and sharing a life style are 2 different things.

"Every Sunday Max (dog) and I get dressed in our Polo sweaters and go out to the mall to get a bagel." Is that really "cool"? Many Japanese owners seem to think so. The subtitle for the JCAW symposium was "Is Your Life With Your Pet a Part of Your Fashion?"

2007 is the year of the wild boar according to the oriental zodiac.

Wild boars, or inoshishi as they are called in Japanese, have appeared in the news frequently during the last few years. The boars and the bears and the monkeys have been a major source of fear and apprehension for those people living in rural Japan adjacent to their habitats.

With the wild boars there are several issues involved. One is that they are one of the species that pose a threat to farmers simply because of the fact that they devour crops and destroy fields. However, unlike deer, birds and other species that do the same, the wild boars are also extremely strong and powerful creatures that can become quite vicious when confronted, butting and impaling opponents with their sharp tusks.

There have been several accidents in recent years where the boars have greviously injured their human neighbors.

But it is becoming increasingly difficult to avoid the boars, as they, like the bears, have begun to make frequent appearances in human communities. Needless to say, this is a result of human beings over-developing their communities and infringing upon the territory once belonging to the wild animals. As human communities expand and deforestation causes the mountains to become less and less plentiful as a food source, the wild animals are forced to turn to other sources such as garbage dumps in the human neighbor hood. However with the wild boars there is another aspect to this issue which differentiate them from the bears. And that is the age old problem of "feeders", those well -meaning people, the so-called "animal lovers" who actually feed these creatures. Young wild boars, the babies, have long been a popular animal character in Japan.

They have been nick-named uri-b? meaning "little melons" because they resemble the striped oblong melons that are grown in Japan. These babies attract admirers who cannot resist the temptation to throw them tidbits. Soon this develops into an all out feeding scheme where these people are placing mounds of stale bread and other table scraps by the road side.

This in turn tempts the boar community to make frequent trips into people -land and becomes the root cause for more "bloody " incidents.

With the coming of the year of the wild boar let us hope that people will take a more serious look at those animals and why we are in conflict with them.

As is the case in many professional fields that were historically run primarily by men, there is an increasing number of females entering the various animal professions in Japan.

Though there have been many women in the field of dog grooming, for example, dog training was once mainly a man's profession in Japan. But in recent years there seems to be more younger women than men entering the field.

However the dramatic change over from a male dominated to a female dominated field is represented by veterinary medicine. The educational institutions, i.e. vet schools are now beginning to see more women in their student population as compared to the men, but the statistics concerning fully licensed veterinarians is even more dramatic.

Of all licensed veterinarians, the population of those above 70years of age contains 0.2% women according to the licensing authority, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries. Of all licensed veterinarians in their 60's 1.5% are women. The percentage of women increases with each generation, 8.5% for the 50's, 18% for the 40's and 35% for the 30's. And finally for the population under 29 the number of women rises to 53.3% of the entire population. For the youngest generation of licensed veterinarians, this means that there are more women now than men. This is indeed a marked shift from the mere 0.2% of the oldest population.

There are probably several factors that have caused this shift. One of them is of course the world wide trend of women gaining access to more job areas, but another factor may be the "caring" that many women posses for the more vulnerable. This could be a great motivation factor for them to move into the veterinary profession. One other factor, which may be unique to Japan, is the recent rise of veterinary schools in general college ranking. This has put them into a higher category reachable only for those who put in above average work in high school. And since girls tend to do better in high school as compared to boys, the percentage of females in the high school population eligible to try out for vet schools is higher.

Of course these are not the only reasons, but the fact remains that Japan will very soon reach a point where there are more women in veterinary medicine than men. Will this change any aspect of the profession? It is too early to make any conclusive remarks... but perhaps. Let us keep our eyes open to see if any changes can be detected.

One of the largest newspapers in Japan, the Asahi, recently conducted a survey about the frequency of zoo visits by the adult population in Japan. The survey answered by over 2000 people was aimed mainly at finding out whether or not the general population found zoos an attractive source of entertainment.

The results however were very discouraging to those involved in running the zoological parks in this country. When asked whether they had visited a zoo in the past year 76% of the survey participants answered negatively. Japanese zoos have been suffering in recent years from a general decline in the number of visitors. Though there are some exceptions to this, such as the famous Asahiyama Zoo in Hokkaido that put a great deal of effort in renovating some of their displays to present a more natural picture of the animals, most zoos throughout the country are steadily losing their "customers" to more exciting facilities such as the Disney parks. So what is the problem? What do the people want? What will bring them back? A partial answer to this may be found in the "needs improvement" items that the survey participants have pointed out.

The major request that the survey participants made to the zoos was "enhancing the quality of life of the animals". Over 670 people pointed this out as the number one item that they would like to see zoos put their efforts into. For the animal welfare world this is very encouraging. The survey appears to make clear the fact that the adult population of this country is beginning to look at zoos in a more rational way.

Throughout the world today, people are reevaluate their views on zoological parks and their displays. Many zoos in the U.S., for example, are reconsidering the necessity of their elephant exhibits. Experts have voiced opinions about the near impossible task of keeping these large animals happy and healthy in a zoo environment. The Japanese population as well as the general populace in other countries are now beginning to ask themselves if what they are seeing is really "entertaining".

Where will zoos be 10 years from now?

3 full years have passed since the Law Concerning Assistance Dogs for People with Disabilities was passed.

Despite the fact that the said law was an epoch making one giving access rights to guide dogs, hearing dogs, and mobility service dogs and their users there are still many instances where the dogs and their partners are denied access.

The Japan Guide Dog Association conducted a survey in 2004 asking random members of the public about legal access rights for service dog users.

Of approximately 500 people, that replied, nearly half were unaware of the law passed to protect these rights. Under the current access law, public buildings, public transportation, and facilities open to the general public, such as stores and hotels may not deny access to guide dogs, hearing dogs, and mobility dogs. Recently 100 guide dog users were interviewed to assess the current situation. 52 stated that they had experienced denial of access at some time even after the passing of the aforementioned law. Of those facilities that denied entry, restaurants ranked the highest at 32, followed by taxis, hotels (mainly Japanese style inns), and privately owned hospitals, Furthermore the law does not yet obligate privately owned housing and places of work, i.e. private company offices, to accept service dogs. This means that people with disabilities are at times forced to choose between getting a service dog and staying with a job, or getting a service dog and staying in a private housing complex. Complaints have been made by service dog users about not being able to apply for certain jobs where company owners refuse to accept the dogs into their offices.

There have also been cases where users have been unable to rent private apartments because of their dogs. The Ministry of Health, Welfare, and Labor has stated that social education, to enhance public awareness of the issue should come before attempts to revise the law.

They feel that setting up windows where user complaints may be registered and creating manuals where by institutions can "Learn" how to accept service dog users is the first step to wards changing the situation. According to the Ministry, obligating private housing and private corporate offices to accept service dogs by revising the law is still a topic for "future" consideration".

However, user organizations have a different view of the current situation. They have collected 90,000 signatures to date, on a petition for a revision of the law.

The petition will be presented to the Diet in the very near future.

September 1 is designated as "disaster preparedness day" in Japan.

This was the day when the large and devastating Kanto Earthquake hit Tokyo and the surrounding areas during the reign of the Taisho Emperor. September 1, 1912 will always be remembered in this country, a reminder to all its citizens that a large natural disaster can hit any region at any time. On this day many local governments stage demonstrations of their rescue squads and many communities ask their residents to participate in drills. In recent years disaster preparedness for families with companion animals has become a very important issue for many local governments. With so many families living with dogs, cats, and other animals it is essential that communities know how to deal with them when calling on citizens to evacuate during an emergency.

In Tokyo, in Shinjuku Ward where the metropolitan government offices are located, the ward office collaborated with the local veterinary association to write up a brochure on "How to deal with pets when disaster strikes". The brochure contains information on things such as what to take for your animal when evacuating, the importance of a reliable ID etc.

The ward officials have sent out 6000 brochures to owners living within their jurisdiction. They have also obtained crates, collars and other animal related items to keep in storage at the various designated evacuation centers throughout the ward. Leaving with your companion animal is the basic premise for evacuation procedures now in a number of communities throughout the country.

Of the 23 wards that make up central Tokyo, the 3 wards of Shinjuku, Itabashi, and Nerima are already conducting drills with owners in the community participating with their pets. Sendai City, a major city in the northern part of Japan is doing likewise.

One aspect that needs to be looked at is the fact most drill participants are dogs. What about cats? Rabbits? Others? Compared to dogs these other animals are probably more sensitive to a change in their environment. Because they do not do well with disruptions in their daily life it may be that owners are more reluctant to bring them out to participate in a large event such as a drill. But if that is the case these animals and their owners are the ones that really "need more practice".
Community leaders will have to give this some thought and think of ways in which all members of the community become equally aware of their responsibility.

There was an editorial that appeared in an American paper about Barbaro, a horse. Not just a horse but the winner of the Kentucky Derby. This famous thoroughbred broke his hind leg this spring while running in the Preakness Stakes. Because of the high value of the horse the owners had decided to spend millions of dollars on veterinary care rather than to put him down as would have been the case for many other horses.

The editorial went on to state that the public showed an immense interest in the condition of Barbaro. There were countless gifts and letters sent to the horse to wish him well.

People were literally praying for his recovery. The editorial went on to say that it was extremely strange and even ironical that the masses should, all of a sudden, become interested in the well - being of a single race horse when before no one had shown much interest in the "hard world" of race horses, where the injured are put down routinely and where many of them end up worn out only to be used at the end as "industrial input".

It was interesting to note that there was a similar case in Japan recently. Similar in terms of high public interest, but in terms of the actual situation, completely the opposite.

The name of the Japanese thoroughbred is Haru - urara, her racing record, despicable, miserable, to say the least. Haru -urara was a perpetual loser, but kept running anyway happily.

People that frequented the races began to identify with her happy - go - lucky "so what?" attitude and the loser horse started to attract fans around the country. People would write letters stating how they were about to give up on life when they heard of the horse that ran endlessly in races that she was always sure to lose but never gave up, this gave them the motivation to start anew, to make something of their life again. (of course, whether or not Haru - urara asked to be placed in all those races, we will never know......)

And the interesting similarity between Haru - urara and Barbaro is that both were guaranteed a longer life than most race horses, by their owners. Haru - urara's owner decided to retire her and keep her, to live her life out in the pastures. And let it be mentioned that fans still visit her!

The moral of this story is.... if you are planning to have the entire world on your side, if you wish to have people really take up an interest in your well being there are only two ways in which to do this.

Either become a winner, big time, or really fall through to become a major loser. Anything inbetween no one really cares to think about.

Recently a certain movie become quite popular amongst the Japanese people. The movie "Kogitsune Helen" (Helen, the Fox cub) is the tale of a fox cub injured and rescued in the wilderness of Hokkaido, the northern most island of Japan. A veterinarian and a little boy are the main "guardians" of this small fox cub who ends up losing one front leg. The story focuses on how the fox, no longer able to function in the wild, comes to live with her human friends.

The heartwarming tale of friendship and bonding between the fox and the boy is the central theme of the movie. It is based on a true story and became a major tear-jerker for the moviegoers.

However lovely the tale seems to be one cannot overlook the issue of wild life rescue programs and euthanasia. Though there are many programs that continue to keep wild animals that cannot be returned to their proper habitat, there are those that state that such animals should be euthanised for their own benefit. The proponents of such programs insist that it would be impossible to maintain high standards of welfare, that wild animals cannot be kept happy under confinement and artificial care. This is an issue that is faced by parties involved in wildlife rescue and rehabilitation throughout the world. Should your keep those that cannot go back under the care of human hands? Or is that not an option? Or could it even be abuse? The movie about little Helen once again brings this debate out into the open. Or does it? The main concern for those with an interest in the welfare of animals is the fact that this debate was not of much interest to the Japanese media.

The "cute" factor, the emotional appeal, the "warm fuzzies" was all that the media ever focused upon when reporting on the popularity of the film. One would not deny that the bonding between animal and child was truly a heartfelt one. However a shingle-minded focusing on this particular aspect fails to make people look at, or even think about, the big picture?
Will the fox mature and live out her life happily with her humans? Or will there come a time when "choices" must be made about the difficulty of living with a full grown wild animal?

And furthermore is this how all "Helens" should be treated in the future? Or is this an exceptional case? The media and the movie makers have a social responsibility to make people aware of such questions. And - - - they have a responsibility over and above all else to "tell it right" for the sake of the animals.

In a recent survey it was revealed that 23.4% of Japanese families (defined as 2 or more people) have a pet dog. That is almost a fourth, i.e. every 4~5 families is now living with a companion dog in this country. When these families were divided according to the age of the head of the household, another interesting bit of information surfaced.

Where the head of the household fell into the 45~54 year old range, the percent of family pet (dog) ownership sprang up to a high of 29.2%, almost a third. For the age range of 56 and beyond the percentage was also high at 28.4%. The older the people the higher the tendency to keep a dog. Needless to say, since the survey ended with the "over 56" category we can never be sure what tendencies lie beyond that. One would guess that beyond a certain age ownership should drop dramatically as the human is no longer able to care for other creatures. It would probably be safer to say that "middle age " is where the percentage of dog -keeping reaches its peak.

This is supported by other data, especially those concerning single people and pet keeping.

In terms of dog ownership, it seems that single people (meaning single member households) in their fifties have shown the highest rate.

There are probably multiple reasons for this trend. For example a couple in their fifties would already have finished rearing their "human offspring" and may be ready to, or rather longing to nurture "someone else". The empty nest may be too lonely for them to bear and who better than a loving canine to fill the void?

Further more, in middle to old age people may have more time on their hands being retired, or at least, semi-retired from "toiling in the fields". This would give them the chance to become good pet owners, not to mention the stronger financial position they would be in as compared to the younger generation. Looking at the figures for dog ownership in younger households, twenties through the early thirties, the percentage is quite low, at less than 15 percent. It seems that time and money may be a decisive factor here too.

It would be interesting to compare such statistics with those of other countries to see if the trend is a universal one, or a distinctively Japanese phenomenon.

Japan is a country where hot springs abound. Many people travel to hot spring resorts to rid themselves of the stresses of daily living. Being a conglomerate of volcanic islands there are numerous spas throughout the country where people can go for relaxation.

Bathing is a form of relaxation and entertainment for the Japanese people. Because spending time at the hot springs is a very popular form of entertainment it is only natural that people begin to think of whether or not it can be enjoyable for their pets as well.

And indeed, this has been a new area of business for many people. Pet spas, or to be more precise "Dog Spas" is a new and growing business in Japan. Hotels and bath houses in hot spring resorts are now advertising bathing facilities for pet dogs Many owners travelling to such areas are now given the choice of bathing their dogs as well.

Though hot springs can be a healthy and relaxing experience for dogs as well as human beings there is a problem that many owners have been faced with.

Infection can be a big problem if there is a tub where numerous dogs bathe, and there are no rules regarding the availability of such facilities. Though it would not be fair to say that all such facilities are "dangerous", there have been numerous cases where dogs have come home with an infectious skin disease.

The situation here is not unlike what we would find in other dog facilities a good example being dog runs. Dog runs can be a wonderful place where pet dogs can have a great time exercising, socializing, playing etc. etc. But consider the issue of health. Are all dogs vaccinated? Are all dogs checked by vets and given a clean bill of health before coming into a dog run?

Putting behavior issues aside, because dog runs can also be a place where aggression can cause major accidents, problems of health such as infectious diseases can pose a great risk for all individual participants, especially if no one is willing to take the time to set forth conditions and monitoring facilities.

Needless to say, in an even more "intimate" situation where individual dogs may be literally using the same bath water as in a hot spring resort the risks of a single diseased animal spreading the illness to all those who follow can be very high indeed. Though simple common sense should lead any owner to consider such dangers to the well-being of their animal, it is remarkable how many of them will not think to ask about rules pertaining to the health conditions of dogs for the usage of these facilities before taking their own dogs in.

Hot springs for canines may be the hot thing in Japan but in terms of risk control things are not as "hot" as they should be.

It's one thing to enjoy a spa-holiday with your pet dog but it can be downright painful to come home and find that your canine friend has picked up an unhealthy souvenir.

Enjoying the companionship of pets after retirement seems to be an ideal for many middle-aged business people. A survey conducted by a trade organization has discovered that many Japanese people look forward to retiring with a companion animal. The survey targetted 300 businessmen in their fifties to assess their feelings toward pet-keeping in middle to old age.

The results showed that over 70 percent of these people felt that keeping a dog or a cat would enhance their post retirement lives. Of those already living with a companion animal, almost 75 percent stated that they would like to continue to live with a cat /dog after retiring from work. For those not currently pet owners, about 45% answered that they would like a pet post retirement.

The main reason for both groups in wanting to do so was the desire to make their post retirement lives "fulfilling and peaceful". A great many also stressed the therapeutical role that animals may play in their lives. Another reason quoted by many was the role that animals play in enhancing communication between spouses, as well as other members of the family Needless to say, the social facilitator role of animals in the human community seems to be understood both consciously and unconsciously by many people.

When current owners were asked what the benefits of living with a companion animal were, the main response was the enhancement of family life. "Family members become calmer",
"There is more interpersonal communication" were some of the reasons behind this enhancement. Many respondents also stated that companion animals made their daily lives "more fun" and also that they helped to "relieve stress".

Since Japan, as well as many other industrialized countries, are facing a future society with an increasing percentage of middle and old aged citizens their health and well-being becomes an extremely important issue for society as a whole. The existence of companion animals as social facilitators, stress relievers, and family supporters is something that we cannot overlook. Japan is no exception and we should continue to give credit to and "pay more attention to" our small friends.

When it comes to issues of jurisdiction, animal affairs are a complicated matter in Japan.

The Animal Welfare Law (officially the Animal Welfare and Control Law) belongs to the Ministry of the Environment along with laws pertaining to the protection of wild animals and their habitat, game and hunting laws, and laws governing the keeping of dangerous and specified species by individuals. However when wild animals are kept by zoos, then they are put under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Education and Science since zoos and museums are governed by the said ministry. School pets are also placed under this ministry as these animals "belong " to educational institutions. However in the case of animals being used for scientific experiments, there are certain aspects which fall under the Ministry of Health, Welfare, and Labor.

But laboratory animals are also mentioned in the Animal Welfare Law as well.

The reproduction and sales of such lab animals are separated from the pet industry and these businesses are under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries, Farm animals, needless to say are also the responsibility of this ministry, but riding establishments are also placed under the Animal Welfare Law. Animal quarantine is run by the Ministry of Agriculture Forestry, and Fisheries as well.

Pet dogs are protected by the Ministry of the Environment but registration requirements are written into the Rabies Control Law which belongs to the Ministry of Health, Welfare, and Labor.

But veterinarians are licensed by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries and the Japan Kennel Club is an organization that is also affiliated with this particular ministry, despite the fact that pet businesses are regulated by the Ministry of the Environment.

The national law giving access to service dogs belongs to the Ministry of Health, Welfare, and Labor, but the original law on the use of guide dogs (the very first service dog law in Japan) belongs to the Ministry of Land and Transport!

Furthermore, though the service dog law sets the ground rules for organizations training mobility dogs and hearing dogs, the guide dog organizations are designated by the National Council on Public Security.

So if something "bad " happens to an animal, who will blow the whistle? Depends ------on many factors.

But more often than not the best administrative decision by all those "in charge" seems to be to "pass the back".