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2007.01.31 Wed

Thunder’s Special Skill

There are probably a lot of you who already know about this fella. Some time ago, on a TV show called “Spaceship Earth”, Thunder was introduced as “the dog who appeared at ARK like a bolt of lightning”. Back then, it took Ms. Oliver (ARK’s founder) plus a male staffer just to take Thunder for a walk.
But compared to the wild guy he was then, he’s incredibly sociable and people-friendly now. Of course, if he wants to, he can still show his powerful animal side.
However, he’s got much better at behaving properly on his own, and has become great at walking one-on-one!



Recently, he’s mastered certain tricks and skills, like this one: the high five. If you say “touch”, and stick out the palm of your hand, Thunder’s front leg will come up to meet it. It’s really heartwarming to see his earnest face as he gives you a high five.



This is Thunder doing his best to high five, in order to get a reward.
Roommate Jessie peers in from the side. “Whatcha doin’ there, buddy?”
A lot of dogs watch what other dogs do to get treats, and mimic them so they can get treats too. (Jessie can’t high five yet, though...)



Thunder is definitely a dog with lots of energy. The way he shows people his love, his attachment to food, the way he gets excited during his walks – everything he does is 120%! He’s that type of dog, so we hope his foster parents will also be very active and able to give him enough exercise. Thunder can’t be described using the words “little” or “quiet”, but that’s all part of his charm. I’ll soon be writing about Thunder some more.

“Hey, I can’t wait like this any more - do you think you can come pick me up soon?”

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2007.01.30 Tue

The adoption fair is tomorrow!

Tomorrow, January 31st, in Kobe’s Green Dog Square, we’ll hold one of our adoption fairs. This fair features Antoinette, the dog who appeared at last November’s adoption fair in “Tenzai! Shimura Animal Park”, and who developed a strong bond with Becky.
Antoinette is a little shy around people at first, but really she absolutely loves playing with anyone. If you throw a ball, she’ll eagerly go and fetch it for you. She’s really fast if you try to race with her. An-chan’s special talent is her vertical jump – you’ve gotta see that one with your own eyes. Living with this dog will surely make your life a lot happier. And she’ll devote her life to you!



Now, unexpectedly, we can bring Whiskas along to the fair too! Today I had an outing with Whiskas. He’s been recovering from a skin disease caused by a type of mite, and today was his check-up. The results came back negative...hooray! So watch out, here he comes.



In preparation for tomorrow, Whiskas gets a shampooing from our trimmer. That’s right, we’ve got our own trimmer permanently on staff at ARK.

For more details about the adoption fair, please take a look at our News & Events page: http://www.arkbark.net/
Here’s to Antoinette and Whiskas – may they find the owners they’ve been waiting for!!

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2007.01.29 Mon

Easy there, Gorgie

I’m always smiling because I really like people. I’m always looking for a sign that someone’s coming near. When I see someone, I start barking to say “come here” and bang my paws against the fence! Therefore, when people do approach me, I can’t help smiling, I’m so happy! However, making a racket and jumping up on people is not polite, so it’s a bit of a disadvantage when ARK recommends me to potential owners. The nice people at ARK are trying to train me right now, by ignoring me and walking away when I jump, and giving me a treat when I am calm and sitting nicely in my doghouse. ARK is also training me to stop pulling on my leash when I take a walk.



During a walk, if Gorgie pulls the lead, the person walking him stops and freezes.

(Hey! Atomi is watching you. “Good luck, Gorgie-kun!”)



“Huh? Why aren’t you going forward?”

It’s easy to see that that’s what Gorgie’s thinking. When he stops and looks back like this, or when the lead slackens, he gets praise or a treat and the walk continues. He has to learn he can’t walk forward unless the lead is loose. Gorgie seems to understand that people will stop when he pulls the lead, but it may take time for him to fully understand that we’ll let him keep walking as long as he doesn’t pull.



I will try hard to be good because then someone can take me home. I will be so happy if I can have my own family to give me attention and love every day. If I’m good, I won’t have to be alone anymore.
(Gorgie, don’t worry...you’re a great dog already, we’ll rehome you for sure...)

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2007.01.28 Sun

Pro-Wrestling

I’ve been fostering this boy, Whiskas.
He fell asleep after a big “wrestling festival” with my dogs.



This is what they did! Whiskas, a puny 20 pounds, was trying to fight Koruri, who weighs in at 65 pounds.
Koruri kept hitting Whiskas with her fancy footwork and her paw-punch-special, but Whiskas never gave up! Way to go, Whis! (Actually, I did hear a couple of yelps).



One of my dogs, Rega, the youngest boy, had been watching their fight. He’s a bit timid and didn’t seem quite ready to accept this little newcomer. Rega had been avoiding Whiskas and pretending not to see him. He would sniff him, but only from a safe distance. In fact, he really wanted to join in the fight, but he just circled around them, only messing with Koruri. Such a coward.
So while Rega was contemplating what to do, the fight escalated until a certain someone had finally had enough.
Arf！（Shut up! Enough, boys!!）
That was Michiru, the youngest of my female dogs. She had been sleeping nearby.



Her bark silenced them in a flash. Well done, Michiru. You guys got carried away.
But, oops, looks like we’ve made Rega a little depressed.

Whiskas, if you can survive here, you can be adopted by anybody, anywhere, even if the new family already has a dog or naughty kids.

Do you wanna live with the adorable Whiskas? If so, come down to ARK right away!

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2007.01.27 Sat

A Temporary Stay for Whiskas

Sometimes when there is no space at ARK, or when a badly socialized dog needs rehabilitation, I may keep a dog temporarily at my house. Right now I have Whiskas, a boy of less than one year old (roughly). When he first came to ARK, I thought he was a good, obedient boy, but lately I’ve been catching glimpses of his mischievous side; acting aggressively towards people, or playing too roughly with other dogs and getting into fights... If he continues to stay in an enclosure with other dogs his age, his personality might get worse, but it's not too late for me to teach him the rules, so he has come to my house for training.



My family is made up of a six-year-old female black lab, Michiru; a two-year-old female mixed breed, Koruri; and a roughly two or three-year-old male Weimeraner, Rega. Oops, I forgot an important family member - my husband! He’s the guy in charge of taking care of and training the dogs while I’m at ARK. Our dogs are all either from ARK or were abandoned. Thanks to my gang, many dogs have been socialized, or gotten over their fear, and have been able to go on to wonderful adoptive homes.
Whiskas, this group is going to cure you of your insolence. Prepare yourself!



The big black lump on the left is Koruri. When I first brought Whiskas home, he was so startled by Koruri's rough welcome that he cowered under the table, but after a day and a half, exactly 36 hours, he couldn't stand it any longer and started responding to Koruri's various invitations to play. I just watched.



Sorry for the slightly vulgar picture! This is Whiskas being docile even with Koruri straddling him.
Koruri communicates the superiority of her position to Whiskas through her attitude, even when playing. She shows this cheeky new guy his place by sitting on him, or putting her paw or chin on his shoulder. At first, Whiskas was a bit wary of it all, but after two days, he just accepted it passively. They say it takes a dog 48 hours to understand a new environment, and Whiskas was a textbook case.
I guess that's proof that he's a sweetie at heart. He’s certainly heading in the right direction.

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2007.01.26 Fri

Tarquin: Part 2

Whenever I’m with Tarquin in the doghouse, he sticks by me very affectionately. He must feel lonely, but there are a lot more like him at ARK, all needing care and attention, so I can’t devote all my time to him. Plus, I have so much to do every day. Sorry, Tarquin



He’s always peering out from the doghouse, and he seldom looks calm and comfortable. Tarquin even howls out when people and dogs go by. I wish I could provide him with a more comfortable environment to live in, but it’s not easy.

Young, energetic Tarquin also demonstrates a daring attack called “The Knockdown Triangle Kick.” It’s really something to behold! I’ll report on this special technique soon.



“No, please! Couldn’t you keep it a secret?”

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2007.01.25 Thu

Look at me!

“Look at me!” That’s my name. I’m a manly-looking Akita, but actually, if you don’t mind, I’m a girl. My weight is private! Oh, all right then, I’ll tell you as long as you promise to keep it a secret. (Whispers) 25 kg. The ARK staff has nicknamed me “Atomi”.



I might not look that smart, but I am really. I am doing a brilliant job with my training at ARK. I learned very quickly to stop pulling on my leash when I go for a walk and I always remember the commands I’m taught. You can tell by my behavior that I’m thinking about how to get a treat out of you and how to get your attention.



Atomi appears to be about 2 years old and she really likes toys. She likes to pull and play tug but will stop and “drop it” when ARK staff tells her to. She learned this fast too. Once she starts playing, she is strong and can get a little rough, so she needs a strong handler who knows how to be in command.



One problem she has had recently is biting. When someone enters her enclosure, she tends to get excited and bite at the person’s clothing. Of course she’s not angry -- she just wants to play! The ARK staff is following a trainer’s recommendations and she is learning and getting better about this.
This dog has a tendency to get frustrated when she doesn’t get enough exercise and is full of pent-up energy, but the ARK staff thinks that if she finds an owner who can be a firm leader and give her enough exercise, the problem will resolve itself. Atomi’s a smart girl – she told you that already didn’t she?



If you listen carefully when you come to ARK, you’ll hear a dog calling from her enclosure in a loud, forlorn voice: “Look at meeee!”

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2007.01.24 Wed

Tarquin part 1

Tarquin is a black-lab boy. When he came to ARK, it was painful to watch him because he had such a sad look on his face all the time. He looked confused, wondering, “Why did they leave me? …I miss home… I am so scared…” No wonder. Tarquin did not have a clue as to why he was no longer with his family, whom he had trusted completely.



Maybe because he feels abandoned and lonely, Tarquin gives me an extremely warm welcome every time I visit his dog house. He is such an agile boy! His body is like a spring -- he jumps so high that I worry his head-butting might give me a bloody nose! Tarquin has been undergoing therapy to break the jumping habit and to calm down, since he may be scaring away potential adopters.



Although there are a few more things to set straight, smart Tarquin is learning fast. Look, he can wait for food patiently! And he is very obedient for people too. I will be uploading more pictures of Tarquin enjoying his walks.

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2007.01.23 Tue

On a walk with Noah...

Noah’s a 6-year-old, cuddly-as-a-muffin male dog. I’d say he’s about as big as a smaller sized Golden Retriever. He’s been here at ARK for over two years, but he still hasn’t met his special someone.
At first, Noah was unwilling to go for walks with people he didn’t know, simply out of shyness, but now he happily goes with first-time volunteers.






Here’s Noah on a walk. He couldn’t care less about the other dogs going by.
At ARK, there are lots of dogs full with stress that has built up over time. They may be stressed for various reasons, including separation from the owners they loved, coming from an abusive background, or not being well-socialized. As a result, there are quite a few dogs who bark at other dogs, or get excited or aggressive upon seeing other dogs.
But I guess Noah’s just a pacifist at heart! Forever a happy-go-lucky guy.



Before, Noah was always pulling on his leash really hard, making it difficult to take him on a walk. But now, he’s as calm as you see in the picture and it’s a cinch for him to trot along properly beside whoever is walking him.
Because he’s having so much fun, he walks almost as if he’s skipping, all the while looking up at my face.
It’s always a real a pleasure to walk with Noah, just to see the happiness on his face.

One small problem Noah has is his excitement when visitors come by. He’s so thrilled to see someone that he jumps up on them a bit. With a dog as big as Noah, this can be a little dangerous. There’s even been an incident in which a volunteer was hurt.
Now Noah is getting training to overcome this jumping habit. Just as he quit pulling on the leash, we have a feeling he’ll be quick to catch on with the jumping too. Let’s just hope an owner comes by to scoop up this great dog soon!

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2007.01.22 Mon

The Day Rocko Set Off on Her Rehoming Trip

In our first true entry, let's start with the story of
how we found a foster home for Rocko!
Look at Rocko's beautiful, smiling face!
It's days like this that are the real payoff for our staff, who work tirelessly day after day.
She was re-homed a few years back, but unfortunately, she was returned to us once again.
She is approximately eight years old.
However, foster parents usually come to us looking for a puppy or young dog.
Realistically speaking, an 8-year-old dog like Rocko, or a dog over ten years old, is difficult to re-home.
For foster parents choose a pet that is quite advanced in years makes as really happy!
But actually, we weren't so surprised becouse she's such arelaxed dog and so easy to care for that we were always recommending her to potential owners.



Rocko's roommate Zora is also seing off Rocko.
“Rocko, congratulations! I, too, hope a familly all of my own soon.!”



A perplexed Rocko is places into the cage her foster parents have prepared.



Rocko in the cage.
She looks worried.
She just doesn't know why she is being put in a cage.
It's okay, Rocko, you are preparing to embark on a wonderful journey so you can be happy!
Good luck, Rocko!
May you have a long and happy life!

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2007.01.22 Mon

The blog begins!

The animals at ARK were not taken in with the intention of
keeping them here for the rest of their lives.
Instead, they are here temporarily, awaiting new owners
who will give them the best lives they could possibly get.
But in Japan, when people decide to get a pet, the usual
thing is just go to a pet shop and buy a puppy or kitten.
Like in the West, people who go to a rescue organization
and adopt an older animal are still in the minority.

I want to find a new owner just one day sooner!
I want to raise public awareness just a little more!
I want to a give just one more animal a chance!

With these wishes, my blog begins.