ARK Tails

Here is a report on the adoption fair at Green Dog on Sunday, April 20th.



The dogs Kenta, Ryoma, Kiku, Fizz, Sherbet, and the cat Plum attended the fair. Matey could not go because a stool test revealed he had a parasite. What bad luck – Matey, since you can’t come, you should reflect on how to improve your everyday behavior!



Ryoma is calm and friendly to both humans and dogs. He is nice to puppies, too. He had been confined in a small place for four years since he was a puppy, but it’s hard to believe he had such a sad upbringing, given his sociable nature. He is amiable and lively, and I can confidently recommend him to families with little kids, or those who will be owning a dog for the first time.



Old Kenta is as cuddly and friendly as a young dog or puppy, and he’s great at soliciting treats. Let me say one thing. He ate all the dog food in the car while heading for Green Dog, and he kept asking people at the adoption fair for treats, as if he had not been fed that day!

“Take it easy, Miss!”



Kiku-chan was born to a stray mother, and the mother’s lessons that humans are dangerous and it’s best to stay away from them still stick in her mind. However, it looks like she started to feel that humans might be more trustworthy than she used to think. At the adoption fair, Kiku-chan summoned her courage and crawled toward people. Wriggling her body with her hips up and tail and ears down, she even showed her belly while edging up to people for a cuddle. Although she was still a little afraid, she looked like she was having a good time.



“No, I can’t do this….”
Even though Plum was completely relaxed and gobbled down her food from day 1 at ARK, she was tense on adoption fair day. Joining an adoption fair gives the animals a big chance, but maybe it’s too stressful for cats.



Covering the cage with a cloth made her feel a little better.



Sherbet was able to do his business on a pet sheet. He made the most of the opportunity and demonstrated in front of everyone that he is potty trained.



Ryoma cut in front of people who were looking for potential dogs or cats in the profile file. “You don’t need to look at that. Take me!”



Fizz was tired of playing a lot, so he went over and leaned on Old Kenta for a nap. After playing and eating a lot of treats, he was happy and so was his belly!



Sherbet is also tired of playing a lot with people. Puppies with their “batteries run out” are so cute!



We couldn’t find any adopters that day, but there was a great turnout. Many people made donations and gave us food, and a lot of ARK goods were sold. There were also many people who were looking for potential dogs or cats. Some people brought their adopted pets to show us how happy they are now. There were also those who were interested in ARK in general and wondered what they could do to help us.

I reaffirmed that ARK’s activities are dependent on your help and support. With your goodwill, we will keep working to achieve our plan (not “dream!”) that one day, there will be no animals whose lives are made miserable because of humans’ selfishness, and that one day there will be no need for shelters like ARK!

We are so grateful for the help of all those who continue to support us!


☆☆☆Special Thanks☆☆☆
Our gratitude goes to those of you who sent warm messages, food, and rice to Mufasa. Until the day he finds an adopter, we will take best possible care of him, and try to reduce his stress and pay attention to his health.

“Surviving the Heartbreak of Choosing Death for Your Pet”
by Linda Mary Peterson
Publisher: Greentree Publishing
Translated into Japanese by Hitomi Ohta
Japanese Publisher: Julian Ltd.



When a certain dog that had earlier been adopted from ARK fell into a critical condition, I went to the animal hospital to see the dog. At that time, the owner asked me, “I believe you are an experienced owner. What would you do in this case?” I answered, “There’s no such thing as the ‘same case’. This dog doesn’t belong to me, or to ARK. I think you should make the decision by yourself, because you may regret it if you don’t.”

I’ve dealt with many dogs and cats that have been put to sleep, but each case is different. Each animal had its own background and personality, and there were various hows and whys. All the staff members at ARK think together about what is best for the animal, and make the decisions that have to be made.

In my personal experience, I helped my dog who couldn’t eat by himself to stay alive by putting medicine blended with honey in his mouth. All because my family couldn’t make up our mind and couldn’t put him to sleep.

Of course, even though I’ve seen this many times, I’m not confident that I’d be able to make the decision without any hesitation if it were my own dog that I’d been living with in the critical condition.

I’m sure, I would be depressed, feel desperate, blame myself, vent my frustration on others, cry, regret and waver and waver...I would not be able to accept reality.


That’s why I read this book.

This book is about the situation in the U.S. so not everything in it applies to Japan, but nonetheless, we should be prepared for the farewell that will come we don’t know when. This is one of our duties as a pet owner.

I’ve talked with my husband about things as specific as, “If malignant tumor were found, what should we do?” and “If we did decide to put our dog to sleep, how long should we wait?”

We talk about this issue in our usual calm way to try to prepare ourselves to face the fact that our dog will not live forever. This will also prevent us from panicking when the time does come, forestall any relationship difficulties between my husband and I, and help to avoid causing our children any undue stress.

This issue is really painful just to think about, but we can’t avoid it. If we pet owners didn’t think about this, it would be an abdication of our responsibility.


“Euthanasia”.
This word is still a kind of taboo in Japan.
We sometimes suggest euthanasia to people who ask ARK to take a dog or cat in. It is also tough for us to discuss euthanasia with someone who has come to us as their last resort. Even for people, it causes great stress when the environment an elderly person is in changes suddenly. It’s the same for animals. They don’t understand our language, and that’s why some can’t understand the situation and end up getting sick due to stress. We owners have a responsibility towards our animals. You cannot put him to sleep because it’s too tough for you? Please think about his feelings. Should he suddenly be separated from his owner, forced to live with his loneliness and anxiety? Or die an agonizing death with unknown animals in a gas chamber at local government “health” center (hokenjyo)? If you avoid facing up to the issue of euthanasia, the animal that you’ve been living together with could die a tragic death. Please, owners, don’t abandon your responsibility. It’s hard to talk to people who are not calm enough to listen, and most of the time, they don’t understand even when the staff member politely explains the issue. It’s a big burden for us.

At shelters like ARK, we sometimes have aggressive dogs and dogs who can’t communicate with people well (such as former stray dogs). This happens a lot, but it’s still tough to handle. It is also tough for us to find a new family for a dog who has at one time bitten someone. Even if a new owner is found, the dog may bite somebody else at his new home. Can a dog live in peace at someone’s home if communication with people is stressful for him? But on the other hand, is it really any kind of happiness to live at ARK?

So with respect to euthanasia, we can’t find an answer even if we think about it all the time and discuss it endlessly. But we can’t avoid this issue either as long as we have animals.

Mufasa is an 8-year-old German Shepherd.
He came to ARK because his owner went bankrupt.

His weight at the time of his rescue was 46kg. However, in less than two months it has dropped to around 30 kg. The cause of his weight loss is not exactly clear, but we believe it has to do with stress. Moo (as we call him for short) is a sensitive and delicate boy, who is hypersensitive to his environment and so is always in a state of excitement. He is constantly exposed to the barking of the other dogs. If I could understand what the dogs were saying, I think it would be too painful for me to continue working at ARK. Some may be saying, “Who are you? Go away!”, “I’m so lonely”, or “Let me out!”. Others may be saying, “Please come here!”, “I sense danger.”, or “I’m scared.” Moo is probably listening to these cries from morning to night while he deals with the distress of being separated from his owner.



Moo is a very loyal boy and responds well to commands. The only thing he lacks is a leader he can rely on. Without a strong figure that he can trust, his anxiety builds up and takes a toll on his nerves and health.

We have been trying different things with his diet in the hope that Moo will retain some weight, but because the problem isn’t the lack of calories in his diet, he still hasn’t been able to put on weight.



Walking strong Moo was a two-person job in the beginning. He would become very excited whenever he saw another dog. However, he has settled into his routine now and doesn’t get as worked up, so even I can walk him by myself now (although it still requires concentration). It probably also has to do with him losing 15kg and not having as much energy as before.

Stress can also lead to other health issues. Moo is a large breed dog who is already 8 years old, and may not live a long life. It is incredibly sad for him to be living his golden years at ARK with all the anxiety he deals with. I want him to grow old with the warmth and comfort of a loving family.

Which is more important: the length of one’s life or the quality? What about the right of a dog to live out his or her life in comfort?



We are going to find you the perfect foster parents, Moo. Just wait a little longer at ARK. We can do it!

※A little request from Moo
We are currently feeding Moo a diet of INNOVA EVO and white rice. It is a brand of food we don’t get very often through donations, so the staff have been purchasing it out of their own money. If you have a bag sitting at home because your pup didn’t like it, or if anyone could contribute in any way, it would be greatly appreciated. We give white rice to other dogs that are having tummy troubles as well. We realize this is a lot to ask for, but we truly appreciate your understanding and your contributions.

I’m Matey. And I’m still at ARK! Bummer...

The guys who’re gonna attend the adoption fair at GREEN DOG on April 20th have been decided, so I’m going tell you who they are. You think someone will finally show an interest in me?



The brown puppy on the left there is Kiku.
Kiku’s the pup of a stray dog. She’s really nervous and afraid of stuff. But thanks to the socialization training we get from Tsuda-sensei, she’s learned to trust people a lot more.

In the middle is Kenta.
He always chills out in the office to greet the visitors that come by. He’s an old dude, but hey, spring is coming, and the ARK staff thinks he needs some fresh air, so he’s going to Kobe for the adoption fair too.

Last, the salt and pepper guy on the right, his name is Ryoma.
I feel a little bad for him, because he grew up kept inside a teensy enclosure with four of his siblings. So when ARK took him in, he was so afraid he couldn’t go for walks at all, and when he did start learning to walk, he would kind of go in circles and couldn’t walk straight. But now it looks like he loves going on walks and is really learning how to walk straight alongside the person walking him.



We’ve got one cat going too, Plum.
One of our own staff members found Plum in front of a train station and rescued her. She’s already an adult, but loves people and comes right up to them. I can’t believe people just dump animals like this cat, so friendly and cuddly. Well, I heard that Bloom, the male cat rescued with Plum, had been neutered at least.



Plum: My tail is so big! But don’t worry, that doesn’t mean I’m angry or anything.



And of course, I, Matey the Mighty will be going too!
Anyone wanting to see my specialty, the vertical jump, come meet me at GREEN DOG, okay?
Until then, I’ll be at ARK...

Ga-ko was being raised by a homeless person, but when that person was admitted into a facility, Ga-ko had to be taken in by ARK. Tetta, Neita (who participated in the Green Dog adoption fair), and Nana-chan all came from the same place.

The other day, the overseer of a certain park contacted us to say they’d be able to let Ga-ko live there, so two of our staff took Ga-ko on over. At this park, there is a pond where three domestic ducks and one wild duck live.



The moment we let Ga-ko loose in the pond, the other ducks began a concentrated attack against her. Some people taking care of the ducks told us that when a new duck enters the pond, there’s a sort of compulsory baptism ritual that must occur. (Looking closely, we could see that the ducks that were already friends had bald spots on the back of their heads.) We were told that in the meantime, we might as well leave Ga-ko and let her get used to things. It seems that even the world of ducks can be pretty complicated.

But Ga-ko, who has sort of gotten used to people, rather than swimming around in the pond, would try to get around the fence and head out of the pond towards the area where pedestrians and bicyclists were passing by. So we were really worried that before getting accustomed to her new life with the other ducks, she would get into an accident, or leave the park completely. She might be attacked by a dog being taken for a walk, get hit by a passing car or bicycle, or run into some cruel person who thinks it’s fun to tease helpless animals.

So the staff who had gone to the park debated and debated what to do with Ga-ko. In the end, they decided to bring her back to ARK. It’s a real shame, despite the best intentions of the managers of the park. They told us that they’d be happy to have us come again in the future with another animal that might be able to live in the park.




We hope to find a place for Ga-ko to live where she’s the only animal around, or if there are other ducks, somewhere that she can’t escape from. All of us are complete beginners when it comes to raising a duck. Ideally, we’ll find a duck lover with lots of experience to take in Ga-ko!


☆☆☆News☆☆☆
Totoro was rehomed!
The adopter is someone who came to the Green Dog adoption fair.
Totoro, good thing you came to adoption fair, wasn’t it!? Good luck with your new life!



Friday, April 25

Ga-ko died.
When one of our staff went over to the stream where Ga-ko always plays, they found her huddling in a cluster of bushes, covered in blood. She was on the verge of death. And after the staff member took Ga-ko into her arms, Ga-ko took her last breath.
We’re not sure, but we think perhaps there was an encounter with a fox or a weasel, or a stray animal of some sort. Since the days have been getting longer and we wanted Ga-ko to get time to play outside as much as possible, we had been letting her stay in the stream until evening. And since we didn’t hear anything unusual, or notice any of the dogs barking at anything, nobody realized what had happened.
It’s a sad, sad thing. Not seeing her swimming in the stream any more, not hearing her voice from the terrace she liked to sit at...everyone is feeling really blue.