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2007.03.27 Tue

Tokyo ARK Cat/Dog Adoption Event

Notice of the Tokyo ARK Adoption Event

Have any of you living in the Kanto area given up trying to adopt a pet because the ARK shelter is in Osaka? Since Tokyo ARK started up 1 year and 10 months ago, approximately 70 dogs and cats have been adopted by people in the Kanto area.

The animals were so lucky to be given a second chance by the wonderful families who adopted them, and are now living truly happy lives.

This time will be the first “indoor” adoption event for Tokyo ARK. We hope you will come and see the lively dogs who are looking for new homes.

Date: April 1 (Sunday)
Time: 12:00-16:00 (the dogs will take a break from 14:00-14:30)
Place: ＤogＬifeＤesign
5-24-5 Komazawa, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo
http://doglifedesign.com/access/

Here are the dogs that will be at the event.




Kotetsu
Male, 3-4 months old, Mix

Kotetsu is full of life and is a little mischievous, but he really loves people and other dogs!
He already weighs 7kg, and his feet are pretty big! We think he’ll be a fairly large to medium-sized dog.




Bell
Male, 6 years old, Shih Tzu

Bell is very gentle and loves to be held and cuddled. He can be a little selfish so he doesn’t like to be left on his own, but he will be a great companion to his new family!




Guri & Fizz
Male & Female, about 2 months old, Mix

Guri and Fizz are best buddies (they are also brother and sister).
They are still small so they have a lot to learn. We hope somebody
will make them a part of their family and raise them with a lot of love!





There will also be pictures and profiles of many other dogs that are under the care of ARK in Osaka and Tokyo.
We look forward to seeing many people at the event!

For more information, please contact:
Tel & Fax: [phone]
Mobile: [phone]
E-mail: [e-mail]

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2007.03.25 Sun

Thunder’s Just a Big Softie

Thunder has a stern face and body, yet he really loves people and getting fawned on! When he sits next to you, he presses his body up against you, and immediately shows you his belly, waiting to be petted like a spoiled child. His manners are very proper, such that if someone stands in front of his doghouse, he sits properly. However, please don’t give him snacks, or reach out your hand. He might get the wrong idea and nip at you! But this is pretty much the same for all dogs, isn’t it? Pretty obvious.
(Jesse, you are too laid-back! All your fans nationwide can see your big yawn!)




There it is! This is his “Stroke me, stroke me” attack!




Next up is his “Brush me pleeeease” attack. Yeah, yeah. But I can’t pay attention just to you. Finished!




“Hey, wait a minute! Why are you stopping? My butt is still itchy, and you missed a few loose hairs!” Excuse me, but instead of always asking me for stuff, have you ever thought of occasionally doing something nice in return?



“Look, I’m doing the high-five. What do you think of this?”

OK, I’m sorry…




Good News!

“Sweet” has been chosen by foster parents! Right now she’s still at ARK, but after she gets rehomed, we will deliver a detailed report. To everyone who has been concerned for Sweet, those who have supported her, and those whose thoughts have been communicated to her, we thank you for all your support!

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2007.03.20 Tue

Maro – The Cat Under the Eaves

Maro is a roommate of Kai and Kui. The three of them live together. Kai and Kui are good friends, but Maro does not get along well with them at all, so Maro and the other two live separately – completely separately. Well, maybe that’s not quite right. I did see Kui the other day in Maro’s territory eating Maro's food! Poor Maro was watching Kui ruefully. What? Should I have cut in??




Whenever someone enters the room, Maro comes up to cuddle up very sweetly.




Is it because she feels so lonely all the time? Or is she just trying to coax some food from me?
(No, I’m not saying this because she’s a little overweight.)




Maro has been living in the small, 2 by 2 meter space under the eaves. Having confirmed that Kai and Kui are not watching, she comes up to me for some stroking. When I stroke her body, I feel that I know why Rie Miyazawa filled with emotion and cried when recording for Yume No Tobira on TV.

Having read this far, who wouldn't be tempted to adopt Maro and give her a nice big space of her own?

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2007.03.14 Wed

Introducing...the T-Touch!

In the free moments between work, we often hold study sessions here at ARK in an attempt to further our understanding of animals, improve their quality of life, and boost their chances of finding new homes. We’re always extremely grateful when volunteers, like vets and animal trainers, take the time to teach us. Here at ARK we’re dedicated to taking what we learn and using it to make our animals all a whole lot happier.




Domestic dog trainer, Ms. Tsuda, is one such volunteer. Once every few weeks, she gives us workshops free of charge. Ms. Tsuda is the owner of KEN KEN CLUB, a dog training school based in Nishinomiya city. She is also the adoptive mother of some of ARK’s previous residents. Currently, she is teaching us about “positive-based training” – a method of dog training made famous by renowned animal-handler Terry Ryan – and ethology, the science of understanding animal behavior.




Most recently, Ms. Tsuda taught us about something called the “T-Touch”. The T-Touch was created by Linda Tellington and combines bodywork and a number of exercises to reduce stress, improve health, and promote a better balance between mind and body.




The ARK staff attending the T-Touch workshop were all ears. In just a few minutes a day, the possibility of reducing pet stress and correcting troublesome behavior is simply too good to pass up. Not only that, but it’s a technique that can be practiced in a spare moment between work, your daily walks or even when you’re just spending some quiet time with your pet.

There are a lot of scared animals out there, but we’ll take care of that!




Lizzie here, who gets nervous easily, gives an exercise called the ‘confidence course’ a try. Apparently, dogs don’t really understand how big or small their own bodies are. In this exercise, dogs can become more conscious of their bodies through a series of obstacles that promote calmness and confidence when completed. Dogs whose minds and bodies aren’t properly balanced often stumble about or bump into the obstacles. For Lizzie though, it was no sweat. All clear! Some dogs who are especially nervous and still not used to the obstacles, often try to leave to the confidence course like, “You want me to walk on that!?”




Old-timer Punch-kun here gave it a shot as well. We were worried about whether he’d be able to walk through it properly, but he finished with flying colors!

Later, when we tried the T-Touch on Tarquin, he closed his eyes and starting dozing off – completely at ease. The T-Touch is amazing! Tarquin is a dog with some delicate points, so we’re looking forward to using T-Touch a little bit each day to help him relax.

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2007.03.07 Wed

Hey, I'm Pesuke.

I’m really proud of my big body and my luxuriant, two-tone fur!
I’m a mutt, but they say that I have some Old English Sheepdog in me.




I love to play with people and go for walks!




This is my best trick! If you put a piece of food on my muzzle, I’ll wait until you say “OK!” before I catch it in my mouth!




Look at my brilliant jump!
I may be big but don’t you think I’m nimble?




I’ve already been living at ARK for 3 years. All the staff and volunteers are really nice to me and there are lots of fun things to do. But, I’m really lonely sleeping by myself at night. I wonder if a nice family will adopt me soon…

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2007.03.04 Sun

We love prescription food! Kai & Kui

Hi, there. I’m Kai.




And I’m Kui.

When I started working at ARK, these cats were very cautious. If I tried to touch them or be their friend, they would punch me with their paws. Now, they come to me, purring and kissing me to say hi.

These two cats tend to get struvite crystals, which cause bladder stones to form. They eat only c/d food (prescription food formulated for struvite-related Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease) or ph controlled food. Urinary tract disease is very common in cats, so many of our ARK cats eat c/d food. But not to worry: as long as they eat this, they won’t get bladder stones, so it’s not tough to keep them in tip-top health.




They always enjoy this kind of food.

I’ve heard a lot of cat owners wonder about cat food because cats are famously picky eaters and they have appetite swings.
But Kai and Kui have been eating this for a looooong time and have never gotten tired of it. Most of the cats that eat c/d food at ARK are the same. Why the heck do they enjoy it so much?
Look, you guys finished it already! And you’ve got a pot belly!




“What? You got a problem?




No, no problem...
I was just thinking if I got a cat, it would be easier to raise one that eats c/d food.
Sorry for bothering you.