www.animalwalktokyo.com

So, today was the animal walk! The sun came out, as did many, many people, animals too, all to support JEARS! Thank you!!

I got to meet the organiser, Brandy and also another JEARS helper, Kumi!




So many animals were there with their owners. I wish I could have brought Elbi, but the journey would have been too long for him. And, I had no transport for Susie, so it was just me and my human friends.

Registration was ¥2000, all of which of course went to support the animals. The turnout was great! The facebook event had 25 confirmed, but there were most certainly more people than that!


We were each handed a map and a JEARS information leaflet and we were ready to go, after the fashion show, that was!



Given the heat, even at that early hour, it was difficult to dress the dogs in much more than the fur they already had, but there were a few clad especially for the occasion.




I think Brandy's dog was a favourite of mine, given the fact that he looked like a potential best friend for Elbi!

There was even some colour co ordination. This dog on the right, called Spike, had a gorgeous turquoise scarf on to represent the animal walk group's colour!


The dogs in the prams were adorable too, in a monster-y kind of way! Lol



One lady had designed her own T-shirt for her and her dachshund.





It just goes to show that people do care. She was also handing out flyers to help try and raise awareness amongst the Japanese people about animal shelters. So many animals are dying in Hokenjos, yet people still shop for pets like they do accessories.

Someone even brought their cat along!



All in all, the walk was a great success. We also got to meet a lady, who can help us with some more publicity. I will post the finished article here too once it is done!

It wasn't a long walk, but for some animals, it was hard work in the sun of early June.











Thanks to all those who took part! Thank you to Brandy for organising the event! I can't wait to do it again! We need more of these fun fundraising events, things that many people can enjoy, but that also give them the chance to support those in need!

Otsukaredesama to the animal walk group!

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Location:代々木公園、東京、日本。

Animal lovers? It's just a different mentality.

I feel like I can't say to much right now, but yet, there is a rant and a half brewing.

The good thing is that I write from almost-the-flip-side.

Setbacks, knockdowns,we all have them and the reason we have them is to see how we all bounce back from them.

Right now, I am perched down as I type, sat outside a kennel, where little Susie is sleeping/eating her new bone/ looking lovingly into my eyes.

She is just a lovely dog, and we have had a great few days with her.

Unfortunately, there have been other factors that have ruined our relaxed vibe here and also put her permanently outside in the kennel.

Animals are 'cared' for ever so differently here in Japan.

Even our neighbour is a prime example. They have a beautiful chocolate brown labrador, and as much as they might love her, she lives chained up, outside in a kennel. She might go inside when the father of the house comes home, until then, she barks at anything that moves, but more out of frustration, I think than anything else.

She is lovely, but, when I go to the side of the house for the recycling, I can see her big poo, piled just at the end of the area where the chain reaches.
The pet culture here is harsh and for some reason, I am only just waking up to it.

I have seen marmosets in the pet store before. And while this shocked me beyond sickness, I did my research and sadly found out that this was not illegal. And the day before yesterday, we saw some marmosets in cages here in Kasukabe. I am not sure what kind of shop it was but I would suspect that they are 'on display'. Sick.

A few weeks ago, we saw a man with a monkey on his shoulder just a-walkin' along. I did a few double takes, tempted to run over there and question the dude, but, the monkey seemed happy enough.

The idea of having a pet is to make the animal happy, and they, in turn, make you happy or am i missing something?

In Japan, animals are sold in small boxes from a far-too-early age. Some kittens and puppies can barely open their eyes, yet they are being sold for 100 000 plus (more often double) yen.

When they get to a certain age, where they aren't seen to be cute any more, (tender age of 3 months sometimes...) they aren't in the shops any more.

Speculation says that they are sent to hokenjos to be gassed.

Unwanted animals are gassed in Japan. Something like 500 000 animals are killed there each year. They don't all come from pet stores, they can simply be abandoned and, as you can imagine at this time, from the earthquake and tsunami.

And then, there are the cases of those not euthanised properly, not giving treatment when sick, so they just get sicker....

Right now, I feel disheartened. So many people are working towards doing the right thing for animals, yet others lack the heart even with their own animals.

It doesn't even take that much effort from the start. If only we can think first.

Maybe then a dog won't be abandoned in a ditch and left starving and shellshocked, but not from the earthquake and tsunami. How could you do that to your pet? Why have the pet in the first place? Let's just hope that the owner and animal actually aren't reunited...!





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