東日本大震災の現場からどうぶつ達と生きのびるために…

From the Site of the Great East Japan Earthquake, Surviving Together withAnimals…
石巻市 あべ動物病院 獣医師・阿部 容子

Yoko ABE, Veterinarian, Abe Animal Hospital, Ishinomaki City

Thank you for that kind introduction. I’m Yoko Abe.

earthquake, it would have been relatively easy for us
to recover one way or another. However, a short time

In Ishinomaki, even today there are many people,

after the earthquake, we were inundated by a gigantic

together with animals, still experiencing thetsunami that surged across the city in three successiveinconveniences of an irregular lifestyle in temporary

waves. If you look at this hall clock, you can see that it

housing. On behalf of these people, I would like tostopped at around the time the disaster struck. I saw

express my sincere gratitude for the various kinds ofthe same thing when I visited many schools to conduct

support that many of you have been providing.

hearing sessions with evacuees, and it stands out in mymemory. Most of the gymnasium clocks had stopped

In this talk, I will focus on how people survived

within a three-minute period.

together with animals during and after the earthquake
and tsunami disaster. (Please forgive me if my talkThis is Ishinomaki today. This is a residential district byoverlaps with that of Mr. Abe, the director of our animal

the coast called Minamihama. In this place, as you can

hospital). On March 11, 2011 at 2:46 pm, a massivesee, the sea rises to this point during the spring tides.

earthquake struck off the Pacific coast of Tohoku withDuring the tsunami, in the case of this condominium

a magnitude estimated at 9.0 on the Richter scale andbuilding, the water came up higher than the fourth

an intensity of 6 upper in Miyagi Prefecture measured

floor. Although the fence remains in place, the insideon the JMA scale. I live in the city of Ishinomaki on theof the building has been emptied out. The photo shows

Sanriku coast, which is in an earthquake-prone zone.

that the tsunami reached this height. Here is a scene

Four years ago, we experienced three earthquakes in afrom the town of Onagawa. Actually, the area at thesingle day with intensities of 6 lower to 6 upper. At thatfront was a parking lot, and there were shops on thistime, almost nothing fell over and the local buildings

side. But the entire area subsided considerably from thesuffered almost no visible damage because the groundearthquake and it is now underwater at high tide.

in this area is hard. The March 11, 2011 earthquake isalso said to have had an intensity of 6 upper, but when

I am a dog-training instructor. From my professionalthat earthquake struck, after being shaken up and down

viewpoint, I’d like to tell you what I think are the mostand rolled about for around three minutes, I remember

important things to do when an earthquake strikes. If

being gripped by a fear that this was the end of theyou experience a strong earth tremor, you should takeworld. At our home, the cupboards and bookshelves

the following actions. First of all, open the front door tolooked like they had been dropped from the sky. So

check the outside situation. This also prevents the door

although the earthquake’s measured intensity was 6

from becoming jammed such that it can’t be opened.

upper, this time it produced a fierce and destructive

However, as you do this, be sure that your dog doesn’shaking that I had never experienced before.

t rush out of the door in a panic and disappear. There
were many cases of this happening during last year’

Even so, I believe if we had only had to deal with the210

りぶ・らぶ・あにまるず 神戸アニマルケア国際会議 2012s earthquake. Because both owners and dogs wereupset, even when the owners called after their dogs,

house. For instance, you can tie a lead to the handle

the animals didn’t come back. Later, when the tsunami

of a pet carry crate and practice putting your pet into

approached the owners had to evacuate without their

the crate. By developing this habit, and letting thepets. There are many witnesses to stories of this kind.

animal stay there, it can become familiar with staying
in the crate. I have come to feel that it is necessary to

As for the cats, in many cases, they went into

consciously develop this as a habit.

wardrobes, into closets or up into high-up places suchas rooms upstairs to hide inside futons. So, as was

The Great East Japan Earthquake was a terrifying

mentioned before, some cats were washed away by thedisaster, but in one sense, the time at which it occurred,tsunami, while others went into hiding and survived.

2:46 pm, was relatively fortuitous. I think that, although

For instance, one cat climbed up the pillar of a housealmost all of the lifelines came to a rapid stop, thethat had been gutted by the tsunami and survived in thequake and tsunami arrived while the day was still brightcorner of the house. When the owner went back to theso owners had time to save or search for their pets

house nine days after the earthquake, he found the cat

before it became dark. If the earthquake had occurredand brought it to the animal hospital, wondering what it

at night, I believe many more people would have been

had been eating during those nine days. From examples

injured and killed. In conditions of total darkness,such as these, we can see there are major differences inowners would have been unable to reach their pets or

how individual animals react to earthquakes.

their crates. In that sense, the timing of the earthquake
was fortunate. I think it was a single gift from God to

There was also a case in which an owner and their dog

help people maintain the light of life in this bitterly

were separated because the dog ran off in a panic anddisastrous situation.

went missing. Nevertheless the owner and dog were
eventually reunited – but six months later. That was theAnother thing is to make an effort to put your pet into

longest separation followed by a reunion that I heard

its carry crate when it is sleeping at night, making sure

about. I heard a lot of similar happy stories. In any case,of course that the crate is in a safe place. You cannot

I urge you all to try to train your pets so that they willkeep the crate in any location because, for example,

come to you happily any time you call them. Practice

books can tumble out of bookcases and cupboards canthis on a regular basis. For example, in daily life,

fall over. A television set can also fly across the roomowners should call their pets by their names and whenunless it is securely attached to the wall. Everythinga pet looks at its owner, the latter should praise thesways from side to side, so I suggest putting the crate

former, saying “good boy/girl!” Or when you are readybetween a sofa and a wall that has nothing against it,

to feed your pet, tell them “come” and then give themand nothing above that might fall down. I urge you totheir meal. Performing such seemingly trivial routines

do this as a security measure on a daily basis. That’s myon a regular basis can pay big dividends during times

feeling based on my personal earthquake experience.

of disaster.
Prepare a sub-lead tied to the crate and establish a
Another thing you can do is to put your pet on a lead

relationship with your pet so that you can communicate

immediately whenever an earthquake strikes in orderwith each other on a regular basis. I’m sure that many

to prevent the pet from running away and to allow you

people know how to use the words “sit”, “lay down”,

to evacuate together with the pet if need be. I supposeand “wait” for training. But there is much more tothat dog and cat owners usually only keep pet leads incommunicating with dogs than that. Our family has one

one place, such as by the front door, because the lead islarge dog. When I try to coax it into the carry crate,

mainly used for taking pets out for walks. But following

since the crate is not in the living room (but in thelast year’s big earthquake, I now believe it is essential

room next door), it is dangerous for the dog. While I’m

to keep leads on hand in several locations around themoving the dog so many things can fall down. So, in the

2nd Live Love Animals International Conference on Animal Care in Kobe 2012211

event of an emergency, we hide under a table and tell

One more important thing is to get your pet used tothe dog to “lay down” and “wait. We try to take care ofbeing held. It is important that the owners hold theireach other. I would like owners to use the words “sit”, “liepets regularly so that the pet is able to accept being

down” and “wait” with their dogs as often as possible onheld.

a regular basis.
This woman is a midwife. She actually ran away fromIn the case of an approaching tsunami, it is important to

the tsunami carrying her pet dog, called Milk, in a sling.

remember that the only course of action is to run away

The situation at that time was as shown in this video.

– but not merely ‘run away’. You should run intensely(Video begins)and quickly. When an owner runs with their pet dog
alongside, they need to make the lead short and run

When this woman and her dog were at the entrance

intensely. Or they could use a sling to carry their pet.

of their home, a black wave came up from below. They

Several kinds of sling are available. Please be sure tobegan escape, together with their neighbors, but ause something that fits you well and allows you to carrysecond one-meter-high wave also approached. They

your pet while keeping your hands free as you run. You

were caught in this wave and swept away. Fortunately

never know what might happen, so it is best to keep

they hit a tree, which is where they remained for theboth hands free and tie the pet to you using a sling.

next 40 minutes. The woman said she thought they
were going to die there. She gave up many times, but

However, in the case that you are evacuating with a cat,the dog also tried very hard to keep above the water,

if you try to hold the animal as you run, an accident

and after 40 minutes the two of them were saved

may easily occur. It is better to give cats some kind of

together. It was thanks to the sling that they were able

training on a regular basis so that if disaster does striketo remain together throughout that time.

you can quickly put them into a soft carry case.

(Video ends)

Another thing you can do is to train your pet so that,

When she was rescued after 40 minutes, she foundas its owner, you can touch it on any part of its body.

that she had broken a leg. She hadn’t noticed this at

We know of many cases where, when the owner andall while she was in the water. And one of the dog’s

pet were escaping from the approaching tsunami, whileeyes had turned white due to the stress of the ordeal.

carrying the dog and trying to run, the owner wasThis midwife recommended people to use a sling forknocked down by the tsunami and dropped the dog.

carrying human babies, but the device works well for

Yet the animal was saved because the owner grabbed

carrying pets too. It is easy for owners to prepare a

hold of the dog’s ears or tail. I therefore recommend

pet sheet and a little food in case of an evacuation, so

owners and dogs to train together so that the ownerplease choose one that fits you and try it out.

can touch any part of the dog’s body. I have clients who
are grateful that they did this. When a dog is saved

This lady also told me that a square of wrapping clothfrom a disaster in that way, the animal is likely to beis equally convenient to use if you don’t have a real

traumatized but both the owner and the dog have beensling handy. People can even hold human babies likethrough an awful time. However, things need not be

this using a wrapping cloth. I suggest you give it a try.

quite as bad as that. Dogs have a strong sense that

Later, I will give a demonstration on how to use it. So I

they must stay close to their owner even if gripped byrecommend taking a wrapping cloth with you when you

the ears or tail. So it is important to train them so that

evacuate. When a person evacuates accompanied by a

you the owner can touch every part of their body. I felt

pet animal, they may find that many other people don’this strongly as a result of my experiences with thet like animal hair. If the owner has a wrapping cloth,

earthquake.

they can cover the animal with the cloth to prevent hairfrom being shed. A wrapping cloth can also be used in212

りぶ・らぶ・あにまるず 神戸アニマルケア国際会議 2012

many other ways. For example, it can be used to coverIn that sense alone, a wrapping cloth of some kind thata crate, or to hold a cat or dog that has become afraid

can also provide some warmth.

of earthquakes after a number of tremors. It can givethem a feeling of safety.

This person evacuated taking only their pet with them.
They had lost everything from their previous life. TheirThis is a picture of Dr. Asako demonstrating how toclothes and footwear are all relief supplies, delivered

use a wrapping cloth with our family dog Omake.

as a package, so the evacuees had no choice. They had

As you can see, both of Dr. Asako’s hands are free.

to wear what they were given and many even had toWhen people have two free hands, they can do almost

wear odd socks on their feet. It was a situation in whichanything. When you are evacuating from a tsunami

people lost a measure of human dignity. So, this animalor any other kind of danger, you may find you need tothat has evacuated together with its owner represents

save another animal. So always be sure to keep boththe totality of daily life for that person. Such pets offer

hands free.

their owners mental and psychological sustenance.

Dr. Uchida developed a bag especially for emergency

Within the evacuation centers, crates were necessaryuse. Just don’t forget to add a wrapping cloth to it. The

for the animals, but the evacuees had to wait until

important thing is to become accustomed to bringing

animal welfare organizations or other providers

this around with you. For instance, use a portable dishdelivered the actual crates. In the meantime, at thefor your pets several times in normal life. Let your pet

Yamato Daiichi Junior High School Evacuation Center,

practice with it and get used to it.

people made their own crates using the boxes in whichblankets were delivered to the center from the Aichi

There are many cats and dogs that will not eat if

Prefecture Red Cross. As shown here, they made roofs

their dish is different. Yet owners try to make use ofand entrances that could be closed. These people

emergency-use dishes to feed their pets. If you really

are wonderful, aren’t they? In order to help rescued

want to be prepared, you will need to take them out

animals survive, they made the best possible use offrom your emergency kit and use them occasionally

their inventiveness and maintained their everyday life.

in ordinary life. Animals feel stressed in emergency

The people of Ishinomaki have so much warmth. We

situations, and especially if their ordinary surroundings

saw many cases like this in which people and animals

are replaced by something new. So it is important for

were living together just after the earthquake disaster.

them to have things they are accustomed to using.
This is a 19-year-old cat. At this age, cats tend to slow
The things you need to take with you when evacuating

down. The owners desperately evacuated from their

are the most basic items. Fortunately, in Ishinomaki,

home carrying the cat and little more than the clothes

accompanied evacuations were mostly permitted. Inthey were wearing. At the evacuation center, the ownersome cases owners and their pets were placed in theobserved good manners, attached a lead to the catsame room. In other cases the pets were placed in(actually, they used an ordinary piece of string), anddifferent rooms. In Ishinomaki, there were two places

took it out for walks. When they went out, the children

where accompanied evacuation was not allowed. In

went out as well. The animal was gentle, so everybody

Onagawa Town, all the evacuees were housed in a

loved the cat, calling it “o-riko-san”, meaning “clever”.

gymnasium hall and animals were not allowed inside.

The cat became good friends with everyone at the

The weather on that day was very snowy and the owner

evacuation center. I have experienced how great theof two Chihuahuas was not allowed to bring them

power of animals can be on many occasions whileinside. So the owner remained outside all night holding

making my rounds at evacuation centers.

the dogs but despite her efforts the Chihuahuas bothfroze to death. I heard a number of such sad incidents.

This is a science laboratory. Actually I think science

2nd Live Love Animals International Conference on Animal Care in Kobe 2012213

labs or domestic science classrooms make excellent

One thing that is vital to animal accompanied

accommodation facilities for animal accompanied

evacuation is crate training. So please do give your pets

evacuation. This is because these classrooms are quite

some crate training. Many owners leave their pets tolarge and have tables installed so that students canroam freely at home whereas their real responsibility

study as a team. So when evacuees, accompanied byis to provide them with a place where they can feelcats, stay in such places they can camp between thesafe and comfortable. Whenever an owner goes out ortables and obtain a degree of privacy. Allowing themgoes to sleep at night, they are responsible for securing

and their pets to stay in these rooms can help reduce

their pet’s safety. Even when the owner and pet are

the stress of being evacuated for both parties.

able to evacuate together, if the evacuation carries
on for an extended period, the owner will still have to

Now I will talk a bit about evacuation centers. Let’soccasionally leave the pet alone. They may have to go

watch this short video.

out to work, pick up rations, or carry out some duty at(Video begins)

the center on a rota system etc. Some owners put theirpets into crates and cover the crates with cloth on such

I think it was about 40 minutes between the earthquake

occasions, and this works well. When pets have been

and the arrival of the tsunami. But I actually felt thetrained to tolerate this treatment they can coexist withtsunami came all too quickly before I could do muchpeople as members of society.

to prepare for it. By the time I returned to my normal
senses I was high on a hillside holding my pet dog, andAnother necessity is toilet training. It is very importantthe only other thing I had in my hands was my pet’that pets be able to go to the toilet when called to do so.

s walking bag, containing its dog patient registration

For example, in the case of guide dogs, they are trainedcard, pet sheets and lead. Then I began to worry what

to excrete on a count of “one-two, one-two”. I wish

would happen if the evacuation center refused toowners would train their pets so that they can control

accept my pet. I passed some time with my pet in our

toilet behavior in this way. Around many evacuation

car. Then, when we got to the evacuation center, thecenters the areas were covered with sludge and rubble.

staff asked my husband, “How many are there in yourPeople and their animals could not go outside at all,family?” My husband answered, “Our family consists of

let alone for walks. Under such conditions, it is much

six people and one dog.” I was saved by these words,

better if pets are trained so that they can go to the

because my family considered Kotaro to be a family

toilet when called to do so on a regular basis.

member.
(Video ends)

Also, more important than anything else is an animal’s sociality. Animal socialization education is extremely

I heard that Kotaro became something of a celebrity

important. In order to train them to get on well withat the evacuation center. In Minamisanriku, evacuees

everybody, I hope owners will make sufficient training

used a local gymnasium as their center. A single tatami

efforts. That way their pets can live a rich life as a dog

mat space (180 x 90cm) was allocated for every twoor a cat.

people. Kotaro and his owner had attended dog trainingclasses and, under pressure, Kotaro behaved very nicely

These are our family dogs. At the evacuation center,even though the environment was poor. The owner

there were lots of cardboard boxes containing rationed

had never expected it to be so beneficial, but the dog’s

goods. Since we were not expecting the animal crates

training did actually help on the circumstances. Kotaro

to be supplied for a while we coaxed the dogs to sleep

really was well behaved. He lived as the celebrity

temporarily inside cardboard boxes so they could be

animal of the evacuation center, and now he lives in a

warm and feel safe. I recommend you to get your dog

temporary house.

or cat used to sleeping in a cardboard box just for fun
on a regular basis. Cardboard is also useful for making214

りぶ・らぶ・あにまるず 神戸アニマルケア国際会議 2012

barrier partitions between people who are crowded

in temporary housing, I thought it would be good fortogether within evacuation centers. As Mr. Abe said

people to work at doing something with animals.

earlier, these are things that you should prepare for inadvance. However, you should also carry out flea andPonta is the dog that actually kicked off our temporarytick prevention on a regular basis.

housing support activities. After his evacuation, Ponta
barked and barked, which was a big nuisance to the

At the evacuation center many owners allowed theirother people around. So his owner kept him tiedcats to come under their blankets. This helped keep

up outside the gymnasium, moved into temporary

both cats and their owners warm but if the cats had notaccommodation and commuted back and forth toreceived flea or tick prevention measures such pests

feed and walk him. Ponta was not neutered, so I

would have become pervasive and spread to all the

took him under my care and gave him crate training.

animals throughout the evacuation center.

Following this, Ponta was able to go back and live inthe temporary housing together with his family. Soon

There were animals that lived outside the evacuation

afterwards however, I received a phone call from Ponta’

center because they were suffering from stress causeds owner who said, “I’m sorry, but if Ponta’s crate is putby the unfamiliar environment. Dogs that showed

into our room there is not enough sleeping space forproblematic behavior, such as barking, yelling, biting,our two sons. So I’d like to return the crate to you.”etc., were forced to live in cars due to their owners’

However, Ponta absolutely needed his crate in orderconcerns. When I saw such things I felt strongly thatto feel calm and secure, so we tried to come up with aowners should be making more of an effort to train

good solution. As I had heard that Ponta used to hide

their pets to avoid problematic behavior.

under his owner’s bed, we decided to try to use thatspace as a crate instead. The owner designed and built

Currently, we are making visits to temporary housing

this improvised crate himself and even put a lock onunits where people are living with animals as ait. He promised me he would put Ponta into the crate

support activity. We give an ‘Ann Project’ sticker to thewhenever the family went out. So now, this is how

households and the occupants stick it on their entrance

Ponta is living.

or postbox. Otherwise, since many of these houses
are arranged in numerous non-distinct rows that look

This woman is a group leader at the temporary housing

essentially the same, we would become confused as toplace in Hibiki Industrial Complex, and here she iswhich houses kept pets. So we distribute the stickers tomaking the rounds of the houses with us. I am planningthe households we have already interviewed and which

to hold a meeting of group leaders when the weather

have accepted our support. We ask them to stick it atgets warmer, and when we do so, I also want to invite

their entrance. This makes it very easy for us when we

people who are not living with animals to join in too.

come to visit them again on our periodic rounds.

I would hope that both those living with animals andthose who do not can exchange their opinions andWe continue to hold hearings with those people living

thoughts in order to find common ground. If they canwith pets in temporary housing and it does seem to be

do this, they can spend the rest of their temporaryan endless activity. Now we have decided to appoint a

housing period as a good community.

group leader for each temporary housing district, who
is tasked with finding out when animals are brought

Here, having dogs around has actually led to theinto or removed from their temporary housing area

establishment of a new community. We put up someand to inform us accordingly. This person, owner of afences for families using aid money we had received. I

dog named Ponta, lost his job. So I asked him to work

also held dog behavior classes when the residents can

as a group leader to which he replied, “leave it to me!”spare the time. We are now receiving a lot of support

Everybody needs something to do. And while livingfrom people across Japan and this support is being

2nd Live Love Animals International Conference on Animal Care in Kobe 2012215

delivered properly like this so as to help animals inthrough salty water so it was filthy. Although the dirt

the disaster area. Within the temporary housing units,

was so bad, the owner did shampoo the dog with theneeds change with the seasons. In the latter half of last

foam soap we provided. As you might expect the animal

year, many dogs developed dermatitis around their

did become a lot cleaner. Taking a bath gives people aneck area. This was because the owners who had agreat feeling, and the same was true for this dog. So I

particularly hard time escaping the tsunami did nottook this photo.

notice their dogs collars had been damaged by sea
salt until it was too late. There was an urgent need toNow, this is the last part of my talk.

shampoo these dogs. I give classes at Tohoku Aiken
College, and the teachers of the trimmer course there(Video begins)

gave us their cooperation and agreed to join us making“I was inside the house. By the time I began to realize

our rounds. They came on the fourth Sunday of every

that something strange was happening, a huge tsunami

month to shampoo the dogs at the temporary housing

arrived. My neighbors were being washed away andunits. Thanks to their cooperation, the animals in

nearby houses were being pushed together. Then the

Ishinomaki are enjoying their lives and surviving well.

water swept me away too and I lost my grasp on my
dog’s lead. But a nail on a piece of building material

When the disaster happened, the lives of these animals

caught my clothes, and so I avoided being dragged too

underwent drastic changes. First they were hit by

far in the rubble. My husband dragged himself up onto

the disaster itself and had to evacuate and live at ansome higher ground and freed me from the nail, andevacuation center (or in a car or a relative’s house),

we drifted over to a hotel and evacuated there. I almost

and after that they were moved to temporary housing.

gave up hope of seeing Maru again.”

It is very important to raise animals that feel safe,
secure and comfortable as long as they are together“Early the next morning, we saw a black dog with a leadwith their owners no matter what circumstances

attached. Could that be Maru? I couldn’t believe it, butthey encounter. In this context, training pets by using

when I went over to get a close look, it was Maru. Our

positive reinforcement techniques - praising them fordog was covered all over with mud but was otherwise

responding correctly, etc. - is an essential way to build

uninjured. I was so happy to see him. We didn’t havetrust. Thanks to this method, even in times of disaster,

anything to eat, and we didn’t have any dog food, ofowners and pets have a greater sense of fellowship andcourse. But we searched around and managed to pickso these dogs and cats feel much safer. I believe thatup various items of food to eat. My husband, Maru andanimals raised in this way can themselves help reduce

I shared these undamaged food items in their unopened

people’s stress. In times of disaster even those people

packages, such as potato chips and packed rice, without

who have been separated from their own pets, or thoseheating anything up.”

who don’t usually have animals as family members, canbe healed as part of a new community.

“When owners and their pets are staying in an
evacuation center or living temporarily in other people’s

Also, thanks to the animals, a new spirit of friendshiphomes, the degree of training the pets have been given- in which people regain their daily routines andhas a big effect on how much care the owners need to

become community leaders - has spread throughout

take to make sure other people are not inconvenienced.

the evacuation centers. In that sense, the presence of

It also has an effect on the way other people react.

animals is indispensible to community life. This is the

From my own experience at evacuation centers, I could

Golden Retriever that was being shampooed in thesee acutely that pets do need to be trained properly inprevious photograph. We found this dog when we were

the interests of themselves and their owners.”

making our rounds of the temporary housing. The dog
had made a narrow escape from the tsunami by wading216

りぶ・らぶ・あにまるず 神戸アニマルケア国際会議 2012

(Video ends)

As you can see from these stories, training pets is really
important at any time. In my training classes, I always
tell my attendees that realizing a dog’s happiness will
improve the animal’s standing. They will be loved byeverybody they meet which is the real meaning ofsocializing animals. Moreover, I always tell people thatthey shouldn’t choose the breed of dog they want basedon self-righteous thinking. And neither should theyraise them in a self-satisfied way. What is important is
to build a relationship of mutual trust between ownerand dog. So let’s all try to build the kind of relationshipin which both owner and dog takes care of the other. I
have heard from so many people who all say how useful
it was that they had trained their dogs, particularly
after the disaster. It always gives me great pleasure tohear such stories.
In the wake of the earthquake and tsunami disasters, I
feel most strongly that it is very important to raise pets
not only as members of a family but also as membersof society. I would like to say to pet owners that, if you
ever have to go to an evacuation center, the issue is
not whether your animal is admitted or not. Your being
refused is not the issue. First and foremost, it is about
what the owner can do and about owner confidence.
Owners must be confident that their animal can copewith an evacuation. I say, do what is necessary to havethat confidence and spend your time with your animal
profitably.
Ponta was the first dog we handled in the course of our
temporary housing support activities. In Ishinomaki,
people and animals survived the disaster together andthey are still surviving together. I must use the present
progressive tense here. So I think our activities arelikely to continue for a long time to come yet, but wewill continue to provide support to people and animals
living in temporary housing.
Ponta says, “Thank you for listening. I am grateful to bealive.”

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りぶ・らぶ・あにまるず 神戸アニマルケア国際会議 2012

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2nd Live Love Animals International Conference on Animal Care in Kobe 2012221

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りぶ・らぶ・あにまるず 神戸アニマルケア国際会議 2012

神戸市に引き取られる動物達の現状と課題
Situation Report and Challenges relating to Animals in the Care of Kobe City
神戸市動物管理センター 主査／獣医師・湯木 麻里

Mari YUKI, Assistant Manager, Kobe Animal Control Center

Hello everybody. I have a slight cold so forgive me if

Earthquake struck, and also about the system the city

my voice is a bit raspy today. I know some of you have

has developed since then. However, the reality of thetraveled a long way to be with us today and I would likecurrent situation is that we face severe problems on

to welcome you to Kobe.

a daily basis. Some of the stories I have to relate arerather sad, but most of all I would like all of us to thinkWe’ve been hearing about the temporary housing

together about the issues of how we can best take carebuilt in the wake of last year’s earthquake in Tohoku.

of animals.

Actually, here on Kobe Port Island, there are also a lotof temporary housing units. Let me begin by saying

E ve r y l o c a l a u t h o r i t y t h r o u g h o u t t h e c o u n t r ya few words about what happened after the [1995

responsible for animal welfare and control

Kobe] earthquake. I am a government veterinarian, so

administration operates an animal shelter like ourcapturing dogs is part of my job. When I was working

center. In simple terms, there are four reasons why

at a [Kobe] public health center in Chuo Ward, I wasdogs and cats are brought to these centers. Firstly, if

involved in tackling the problem of feral dogs on Portfor one reason or another, owners are unable to takeisland for four years during which time I captured morecare of their animals, these animals may be brought

than one hundred dogs. What’s the connection between

to the center. Secondly, dogs or cats that get lost

the temporary housing and feral dogs? Well, some

may be picked up and brought to the center. Thirdly,

people left their dogs behind when they moved out ofand fourthly, the same is true for abandoned dogs or

the temporary housing and into public housing. These

cats, and for stray or feral animals respectively. Dogs

abandoned dogs bred, their numbers expanded andand cats in all these categories are brought to local

they gradually formed a feral population such that they

government shelters across the country on a daily

were running wild all over Port Island.

basis.

In Ishinomaki [Tohoku], I am sure people are still

The numbers brought to our center in Kobe from all

having a very hard time. But I also anticipate thatfour categories in 2010 was 2,647. Next, to make aanother problem will arise when the time comes forbrutal point, the number we were able to return to their

them to move out of temporary housing and into public

owners was 39, comprising 37 dogs and two cats. The

housing. That was a problem we didn’t handle very

number of dogs handed over to new owners was 69.

well in Kobe, and I still feel bitter about it. So I hope theIn this respect, Kobe is less advanced that many otherproblem I’m talking about will be addressed in Tohoku.

places in Japan. Up to now we have not been able toEven today, there are some feral dogs roaming aroundhand cats over to new owners because our facilities are

Port Island. You may even run into them if you go out

outdated. But we have now finally obtained a budget tojogging.

upgrade our facilities, so from next year we are going
to begin re-homing cats and are planning to put a major

Today, I’d like to talk mainly about the current situation

effort into this. However, in the current situation, more

in Kobe, 17 years after the Great Hanshin-Awaji (Kobe)

2nd Live Love Animals International Conference on Animal Care in Kobe 2012223

than 96% of the dogs and cats brought to the center arecases in recent years where the underlying reason is a

killed. That is the reality.

divorce or family break-up. I have personally witnessedsome dreadful situations where a separating husband

Our center is carrying out an animal transfer project

and wife have tried to force responsibility for taking

together with the Japan Animal Welfare Society (JAWS),

care of the family dog onto each other.

so volunteers from JAWS come to our center on a daily
basis. We give each volunteer an initial orientation

The third reason (and this has been increasing greatly

before they start work. In the course of this orientation,over the past 2 or 3 years) is that owners are bringing

we show them the tough reality of what goes on atalong elderly dogs. In particular, we get large numbers

the center and ask them to accept this reality but toof Japanese dogs between 13 and 18 years of age. I’m

consider together with the center’s staff what can be

sure you can guess the reasons. When dogs grow old,done to improve things. It is a very sad reality andthey may become bedridden or demented. Their owners

we all wish to change it. But in order to change it, we

try hard to take care of them until they die but thehave to think together. Unless each one of you thinks

work can be exhausting. For many people it becomes

hard about what you can do about it, the underlying

impossible to continue and in the end they simply

situation will not change. So I’d like to ask you here andgive up. Of course, we try to persuade owners to keep

now to accept this reality.

their pet until the end, as it will only be a few moremonths. But often the owners cannot accept this sort of

Now in order for us to do so, we can probably benefit

recommendation.

from some tips as thinking aids. So I will explain thecurrent situation using data, etc., and break our activities

I expect that the opinions of today’s audience will bedown into three categories. Firstly, we take in dogs andsplit on this issue. But when I consider that an owner nocats from owners no longer able to take care of theirlonger has the same feelings for their dog even though

animals. Secondly, we hold lost dogs and cats and try

they are living together, I imagine that there can be noto return them to their owners. And thirdly, we try tohappiness in the arrangement for either side. And intransfer animals in our keeping to new owners. Now I

such a case, as a government veterinarian, I tell them, “I

am going to talk about each of these three categories inunderstand and I will end your dog’s life. I will put him/turn.

her to sleep using drugs so that it won’t suffer. But inreturn, I ask you not to keep any more animals. And if

What are the reasons why people bring pets to local

your feelings allow, please pay a visit to the memorial

government facilities? For 2010, the top three reasonsat our center.” Even if we accuse such owners of being

were as follows. The biggest reason was due tobad people, the situation won’t change. I also think thatowner sickness, hospitalization or death. This was theif we accuse owners in this way, the accusation will

overwhelming reason in cases involving older owners. I

not touch their hearts, so I believe that in the end it ishave been working at the shelter for five years, and thisbetter to talk to them in a calm manner.

has been the top reason each year.
Here you can see the age distribution of the dogs

224

The second biggest reason is when people move

handed over to the shelter. Below that are some 2009

house. Perhaps in the old days this mainly happened

national survey results conducted by the Japan Pet

in relation to job relocations. Most owners who talk

Food Association into the ratios of dogs and cats reared

to us seem to be unhappy that they have to move.

in Japan. When we compare the survey results with the

For example, they have to leave their present homeages of the dogs handed over to the shelter there is abecause they cannot afford it financially, or because

clear correlation. Dogs over 13 years of age account(related to the first reason above) they are going to be

for 23.3% of the dogs handed over to the shelter but

institutionalized. In addition, there have been many

only 9.7% of dogs kept as pets in ordinary households.

りぶ・らぶ・あにまるず 神戸アニマルケア国際会議 2012

This suggests that a lot of dogs are brought to the

The next subject I want to mention is dog transfer.

center because they are elderly. We can also see that

In Kobe City, we have four dog categories apart fromthe owners of both dogs and cats are becoming morethose returned to their owners. We regard dogs inelderly. Moreover, the illness, hospitalization and death

all categories as potential candidates for transfer.

of owners is also very much the result of old age.

We select which individual dogs should be put up fortransfer based on Kobe’s selection standard. Dogs that

The next slide shows the situation when we take in lost

clear the standard become transfer candidates andor abandoned dogs and cats. First, let me talk about the

we look for owners to take them. Each local authority’dogs. In 2010, we took in 230 lost or abandoned dogs.

s selection standard differs, and Kobe’s dog transfer

The animal control authorities captured 57% of them

program is carried out according to a rather strict

and members of the public brought in the remaining

standard.

43%. These were mostly dogs originally kept by people(but which eventually proved too much trouble for the

Accordingly, among the 354 adult dogs kept at theowner to handle) or dogs picked up by police for whichshelter, only 37 passed the standard to become transfer

the owner didn’t come forward to claim them (so wecandidates, while among 91 puppies, 38 became

had to take them).

transfer candidates. In the current situation, thesefigures are not high at all. In 2009 we transferred 30

The animal control authorities don’t capture cats so,dogs to new owners and in 2010, 37 dogs. However,of the cats coming to the shelter, 100% are brought inthere are limits to what we can do considering ourby members of the public. A total of 1,815 cats wereavailable resources, manpower and materials.

brought to us in 2010, and I think this figure is quite
high compared with corresponding figures from otherWe absolutely don’t want to hold more animals thanlocal authorities. The next speaker Ms. Katori will be

we can handle. We prefer to remain strictly within thetalking about this subject, so I won’t go into any detailmaximum capacity we are able to keep based on ourabout it now.

own resources. So we need to find some other means toincrease the numbers of animals we transfer. I will talk

So how many of the dogs we take in are returned toabout this point a little later.

their owners? We can clearly identify the feral dogs
because they are captured using capture boxes. So first

So what are the reasons why many dogs fail to passof all we can omit these animals from the total. This

the selection standard? I will try to explain this byleaves a total of 159 dogs, of which 37 were returned

separating the dogs into adults and puppies. In theto their owners, giving a return ratio of 23%. I very

case of adult dogs, the biggest reason for failing themuch want to raise this ratio, and I think this should beselection is age. By age, I mean that we can only

a major theme of our operating strategy.

transfer dogs aged under 7 years old. You may find thissurprising, but we automatically exclude all dogs older

I’m sure you all know very well that the current

than 7 as elderly or senior dogs. You may be wonderingsituation for cats is even more miserable than that for

why we do this, and I can give a straightforward reply.

dogs. About 90% of the cats we take in are kittens born

The fact is that nobody wants these dogs. When we line

to strays, so let’s omit these animals from the total. Of

up three dachshunds respectively aged 1 year, 3 years

the remaining 245 cats, only two were returned to theirand 7 years old, prospective owners invariably choose

owners. That’s a return ratio of less than 0.8%. I believe

the 1 year-old dog first. This is clearly the case.

this is basically the same situation as most other local
authorities are reporting. So we must think hard about

We would like to increase the transfer of senior dogs

what we can do to improve it.

to new owners. Maybe in the case of dogs aged over
10 years old this is a little difficult, but there are many

2nd Live Love Animals International Conference on Animal Care in Kobe 2012225

good and healthy dogs aged between 7 and 9. In thedown to zero. In order to do this, “entry” measures ofcurrent situation, although we wish to transfer suchsome kind are obviously needed.

dogs, very few people are prepared to adopt them, so
we have to give up. When animals become seniors, theySo, from the data you have just seen, you should have aneed more treatment on the rearing management front.

general idea of where we are.

Since we can’t manage senior dogs in the same way as

From now, I’d like you to join us in thinking about what

we do youngsters, when I am asked if we can care forcan be done in facing such a severe reality. As a premisesenior dogs or not, I have to reply that it is impossible

for consideration, I want to emphasize that we shouldn’t

given our present facilities and resources. We have

simply blame owners or tell them “you are a bad owner

had to give up trying to do so. However, we do want tofor not taking care of your pet until the end”. Neither

try to transfer more older dogs to new owners and areshould we criticize local authorities for not taking overthinking about what we will need in order to realize

the responsibility to care for abandoned pets. The

this.

problems can’t be solved in that way. As I wrote in myabstract, we have to consider how to establish a system

Another reason why some adult dogs fail the selection

whereby owners can carry out their responsibilities andis due to their character or temperament. For adultone under which society takes on the responsibility fordogs, we disqualify those with little or no tolerance,

carrying out what individuals cannot do. The situation

those not used to being around people, and those thatis at last reaching the point where people interested inare aggressive due to a feral existence, etc.

the issue can have a serious discussion and talk about
specifics for achieving these things.

Regarding puppies, whether or not they pass theselection comes down to character or temperament.

On the subject of taking over pet care duties from the

From our experience, puppies born to feral dogs canowners, the key word is “old age” for both animals andusually be transferred if we receive them while younger

people. When people and their animals grow old, howthan 6 weeks of age. If they are older than 6 weeks

can they continue to live together? And if things getthey have usually learned to fear people. They tend toto the point where they can no longer live together,hug against the wall when people approach them. I don’what sort of system can society establish to handlet think it is impossible to transfer them but, to succeed,

the situation? It all comes down to this. When we takewe need to give them training and treatment thata senior dog, we talk about various things with theenables their social nature to develop. Again, we don’owner. As we talk, two things often emerge. One is thatt have enough resources under our current situation tothese old dogs are often kept outside. Owners often

do this.

say things like: “I took the dog in when it was a stray,”or “I was asked to take a puppy born at a friend’s place

Next, let me talk about the problem of over-capacity.

which I agreed to but involuntarily,” etc. Many owners

It is very hard for me that we have to destroy puppies

use such stories as excuses for giving up their older

due to over-capacity. If, for example, a dog has nodogs. What comes into view when such excuses aretolerance for people or its character prevents it fromgiven, and what should the situation be? I’d like to offer

finding a home, we can give up and, to a certain extent,

this question for your consideration.

muster enough resolve to destroy it. But when we have226

to destroy puppies merely because our facilities are fullA third reason why owners give up keeping theirand we can’t provide them with appropriate rearing

animals is because they were providing “easy” rearing

management, this continuing situation quite frankly

or “mismatched” rearing. To take an extreme case,tires me out emotionally. For me to keep working in mysuppose an 80-year-old owner brings us a two-year-old

present position I need to get the over-capacity level

Labrador and asks us to take it because they are unable

りぶ・らぶ・あにまるず 神戸アニマルケア国際会議 2012

to give the dog sufficient exercise, I hope you can see

device, microchips are not perfect.

that this sort of excuse just won’t do. The point is how
to prevent such “easy” rearing or “mismatched” rearing.

It is often said that we should provide long-term

The owners don’t necessarily have bad intentions,

keeping of stray animals at shelters. This may be thethey just don’t know what to do. That is why we, ascase, but to keep animals for periods up to 5 years does

veterinarians and professionals involved with animals,

not resolve the problem of returning animals to theirmust keep thinking about how to deliver accurate andowners. One thing people should realize is that a shelter

appropriate information to people.

is not a home. Dogs and cats living in kennels are undera great deal of stress. However much volunteers devote

Next, I’d like to say a few words about returningthemselves to caring for the animals, it is a sad fact thatanimals to their owners. One thing clearly needed isthe animals face considerable stress as a result of living

to be able to confirm an animal’s identity. I always tell

day after day in a shelter.

people that if their animal has an identification tag,then it can be easily returned to its owner. I have had

So in this sense, I have my doubts about the wisdom

to repeat this until I am blue in the face. In the firstof long-term keeping in shelters. I also have toplace, if an animal has an identification tag, it will notquestion owners who don’t look for their missing pet

be brought to us at all. When it is picked up, it can be

immediately. If it is simply a matter that they don’returned directly to its owner. So we have to tell pett know how to look for their missing pet, then theowners to think about what their pet may go through if

authorities need to get such information to pet owners.

the worst happens. To start with we need some system

I am doubtful about the effectiveness of long-term

and to link it to wearing an identification tag, and also

keeping from the standpoint of returning lost animals

to registration, licensing as well as anti-rabies serum

to their owners.

injection tags for dogs.
Next, I would like to talk about transferring animals
Another thing we need to do is to take measures toto new owners. I consider this to be at the heart ofdiscourage pet abandonment. It seems that Japanesethe matter. It is one of the keywords, one of the key

people in general don’t have very strong feelings ofundertakings or measures for changing the current

guilt at the idea of abandoning an animal. So what cansituation as I have been describing it so far.

we do to change this? Should we perhaps apply theprovisions of the Animal Protection Law more strictly?

It is not too much to say that how we reg ard

From the standpoint of a responsible public official,transferring animals determines whether the

I would like the government to establish a system torelationships formed between people and animals will

make it possible to apply the law strictly. Currently,

go well or not. We must make an effort to shut down

the people in charge of administrating the system,

the current negative cycle. If we continue to practicemyself included, do not have the tools to combat animala system of transfer in which we simply ask the next

abandonment. So we can’t fight against it.

person to visit the Center to kindly take any cat or dog
that has come in, just so that we don’t have to destroy

We also need to encourage the microchipping of pets.

it, then the negative cycle will not be shut down. The

A considerable number of dogs don’t wear collars

negative cycle in this case means that some of the cats

after they go missing. Actually, only about 75% of theand dogs may come back to shelters again at a later

stray dogs picked up are wearing a collar. The otherdate. Unless we shut down this negative cycle, the

25% are collarless. Some small dog owners who keep

current situation cannot be changed.

their animals inside think collars are cruel. So it is very
important for dogs to be implanted with a microchip in

The purpose of transferring animals is particularlycase they go missing, even though, like any mechanicalimportant for the authorities carrying it out. In order

2nd Live Love Animals International Conference on Animal Care in Kobe 2012227

to close the negative cycle, we need to nurture “good”

little ashamed of the actual figures. But still, you canowners and increase a general awareness for how to

see that the 93.5% figure among dogs we transfer tokeep animals through the presence of such “good”

new owners is quite high in comparison with the figure

owners in society. If we can do this society will improvefor those obtained in other ways. There is no accurate

and the number of animals brought to shelters will

data, but the overall ratio of dogs vaccinated against

decline. I don’t think we will see a real improvement inrabies is estimated to be less than 40%.

the situation until we establish such a cycle. What weneed to prioritize most of all is the matching of animals

As for licensed and stray dogs, 88.5% of the dogs

to owners. On a daily basis, I see mismatches between

transferred from our center wear either a license tag ordogs and owners that make for unhappiness on botha stray dog tag. According to a 2010 survey by the petsides. So, at our center, we try to persuade the people

insurance company Anicom, 37.3% of ordinary dogs

visiting us in order to obtain a dog, not to choose thein Japan wear one or other of these tags. So compared

dog they like instantly if it will not really suit them, butwith the national average, a much higher ratio of theto take a different dog instead, etc. The most importantdogs we transfer are wearing tags. As for spaying andthing is the matching of owners and dogs. Owners

neutering, the 2008 rate among our dogs stood atshould only live with an animals that suits them. We try

100%, which made us very happy. The rate has dropped

to emphasize this point.

a little subsequently but it remains much higher than in
2007. At present, we transfer puppies to new owners

The next issue is that of elderly animals and theand provide guidance so the owners know they should

capacity of the shelter. As I mentioned earlier, I reallyarrange for such surgery to be carried out. I thinkwant to be able to transfer senior dogs to new owners,

we must continue to aim at this goal in our transfer

even though there are problems. For instance, how canactivities.

we follow up the health management of senior dogs?
And as their remaining lifetime is not likely to be very

Earlier I said we want to try to change the social

long, what kind of follow-up should we undertake withmindset and culture. Now we have quite good data. I

regard to their new owners? When I think about thesehave compared the age-specific ratios of the people

things, it seems that we have some high hurdles to

we transferred dogs to during the period between

clear. But I would still like to tackle this task, and I also

April 2007 and December 2008 with the data fromwant to eliminate the shelter capacity problem.

2010. In the first case, the overwhelming majority of
new owners were in their 50s, while in 2010, the 20s

Finally, I want to change our current social and civil

to 40s age group accounted for approximately half ofmindset so that the general public will consider animal

the total. Younger people are now positively thinking

shelters as places for obtaining pets. I want to it tothat if they wish to keep a dog they can find one at a

become common for ordinary people to say, “We want a

center like ours. More of them are now thinking that it

dog or cat so let’s visit the local center to pick one out.”

is better to obtain a dog from a facility like ours than

We are going to tackle this issue with the determinationfrom a pet shop. The mass media have made a huge

to change the prevailing culture in Japan, and I’mcontribution to establishing this trend. The media aresure that a very positive flow will be established whenconveying to the reality of this matter. All of you here

centers can fulfill this function.

today are also letting people know during the course ofyour own activities. This data is proof that the effects ofAfter transferring dogs to their new owners we conduct

these efforts are starting to materialize. I am optimistic

surveys to check up on them. Considering that we dothat the civil culture can be changed because younger

offer explanations and guidance to the new owners

people are taking an interest in this subject.

about keeping dogs, you might think that those taking
their animal for rabies shots should be 100%, so I’m a

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りぶ・らぶ・あにまるず 神戸アニマルケア国際会議 2012

Another issue concerns the question of whether weshould transfer animals to people aged over 70 or not.

As a person in charge of a local authority animal center,

Previously, we had been doing this on a small scale. But

I wish the government to follow a clear and solid course

at present we are only transferring animals to people

on this issue. At present, each local authority has its

aged up to 69 years old. We have set that age limit

own ideas. Despite the fact that we are all working

in consideration of current circumstances. I wonder

under the same legislative framework and dealing withwhat you think about this? Japan is becoming an aging

the same kind of work, there are some gaps between

society and the number of fit and dynamic elderly

how different local authorities operate. Accordingly,

people is increasing. The issue concerns how should we

I would like the central government to take a lead inconsider transferring dogs from our center to people

showing a clear direction so that as a nation we can all

aged 70 and over. What can we do to realize this,move in the same direction.

and how can we make a system that will facilitate theprocess? I want to proceed with this but I am hesitantNow, what about resources? What is the situation withbecause I am not sure if we can provide adequate

respect to human resources, money and facilities?

follow-up if we implement such transfers. So I would

Animal management presents a difficult issue and thelike to ask you all, what do you think about transferring

situation is a fluid one but this doesn’t necessarily

dogs from centers like ours to new owners aged overmean that we are short on all of the abovementioned

70?

resources. Particularly with regard to human resources,
I believe we have all the people we need. In the specific

The point is that owners should keep their pets

case of Kobe, many things were damaged or destroyed

properly until the end, and that society should only takeby the 1995 earthquake, and in the wake of thatover this responsibility when individuals are no longer

disaster people thought that they had to save animals

able to do that. We need a system to ensure that this isand so animal shelters were constructed. People

what happens. Today, I am not going to talk about howgathered together, considered the situation and took

to create that system in concrete terms, but I would

action, and in this way the situation we have today

like us all to think about it. I do have my own thoughts

developed out of the post-earthquake situation. Knots

as someone involved in animal administration, and I

also started its activities at the time of the earthquake,

am sure you have your own thoughts too. It is very

and now Knots is able to hold a large conference andimportant that we discuss together the kind of systemprovide a forum by which many people can gather and

we would all like to see, the way it should operate, etc.,

think about animal issues. I believe this to be one ofand then build it together after reaching a consensus.

Kobe’s intangible assets, and so we have no need to

So I don’t want to tell you today that we should do it inworry about a lack of human resources.

this way or that way.
What about money? This remains a major problem.
However, there are a few points we have to consider

And I don’t have any good ideas about how to solve it.

in order to create such a system. Naturally, we need

But there are so many of us gathered here today, so if

to develop a legislative framework. As for “entry”

anybody has any good ideas about money, please feelmeasures, unless proper legislation is developed tofree to share them with us. We vets are very poor on

prevent incapable individuals from keeping animals,

financial matters, so we have to pick the brains of othersuch as by better regulating pet shops, etc., it will

people with more talent in that direction.

remain very difficult to control the process by whichmore animals come to be abandoned. Naturally, it isWhat, too, about facilities? We certainly need facilities

necessary to develop the legislation, including specificand a framework that can serve as a base for ourrevisions within the Act on Welfare and Management ofactivities. So we have to establish these things. Another

Animals.

thing we need to do is to share ideas and to create abalance between animal welfare and society. We can’2nd Live Love Animals International Conference on Animal Care in Kobe 2012229

t overlook this point. “Loving” animals isn’t good or

Earthquake 17 years ago. The public and private sectors

bad in itself; it is a manifestation of our inner freedom.

worked together during the earthquake recovery

Everyone has their own way of loving animals, and evenperiod, and then, realizing that it was a way of working

while we all keep saying we love animals, we often findthat made good sense, both sides began doing things

it rather difficult to work together for them. I believe wejointly on a permanent basis. This led to the current

should try to entrench the concept of “animal welfare”,

transfer project. When we began working together, we

which has a well-defined scientific basis, among thediscovered that it was highly effective. I am sure thatJapanese public. Also, those of us who are involved

if we all keep holding hands with other people, we willwith animal welfare must try to find a balance between

certainly connect with something positive. Kobe has

our activities and society. What I mean by this is that

ample human resources. What we need next is money.

people must always come first. When a situation occurs

How to raise it is another theme we should be looking

in which we are faced with a choice of saving peopleat.

or saving animals, we must save people first. That is amatter of course.

Yet another thing we need are facilities that can serve
as a base and as a framework for our activities. I believe

So, this balance with society is a point that those of us

that if people can see us as a resource for obtaining

who are involved with animals cannot overlook. We

a wide variety of information when they visit, or as

have to adopt a correct attitude and share the resulting

a good place for consultations, then people will visit

philosophy. I think that the current situation has

whenever they need to ask something if they are having

reached a point where we can do this. So I would like toa problem with dogs or cats. So if the center can besuggest that we take this opportunity to think together

changed in that direction, society can be changed too.

and act together.

I think it may initially be impossible to set up suitablefacilities, but a framework can be established. I have

What the panel members and lecturers from Western

perhaps another 20 years of working in a government

countries all mention is the importance of theoffice to look forward to, and I hope that such aadministration’s role. I’m sure many people think thatframework can be established before my time ends.

government offices are bureaucratic and confusing,but once a stable policy has been decided, theOur job is a pretty tough one. We get complaints fromadministrative institutions have enormous power tocitizens, we catch dogs and cats, and of course we havepush things forward. I myself am sometimes amazedto perform euthanasia and destroy animals. As a personat this power. In Kobe City, although people like to say

working amid such circumstances, I have been given athat the government is a hive of sectionalism, since it

forum where I can engage with my dreams by talking

is a single city, it is possible for all the various sections

with you here today. Thanks to Knots, we can get

to be linked horizontally, depending on how one goes

together with all our peers and talk about our dreams

about it. For example, I think we can link animal welfare

for the future and find other people who can sharewith human welfare, and we must all do what we canthem. I often feel discouraged working on my own as

together with other people.

a person in charge at a government office. But at thesame time, I am appreciative that we have now reached230

As I mentioned earlier, I feel this can be realized ina situation unimaginable just ten years ago. When I first

Kobe City. Our center is carrying out a transfer project

saw a shelter in England, I was much impressed thattogether with the Japan Animal Welfare Society’s

such a thing could be possible, and now ten years latervolunteer group CC Kuro. It is a public-private sector

I can see that the same sort of thing has been realized

joint project and it was realized by taking advantage

in Japan too. So it is very important for us to talk aboutof the opportunity provided by the animal shelter

our dreams with each other, exchange ideas and shareestablishment efforts made following the Kobe

our thoughts. I really appreciate having the opportunity

りぶ・らぶ・あにまるず 神戸アニマルケア国際会議 2012to think about such matters and to share my dreams
with all of you here today.

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