ARK Tails

Lately ARK has had an unprecedented rush of cats. The ARK clinic is like a kitten mansion. For days we’ve not had time for our usual medical duties.

Every year around this time, we have a succession of consultations about accepting kittens. It’s impossible for us to take them all, so we give people advice instead, but there’s been a series of situations in which we were forced to accept the kittens. The cases that trouble us the most are when people say, “When I fed her, she stayed, and then she had kittens. I feel sorry for her, so please help.” If they really want to help those cats, they should make them local/commonly-owned cats and cooperate with others nearby to take care of them, or adopt them as their own and keep them inside. And of course get them spayed. If you can’t take that much responsibility, you shouldn’t feed them. Not getting them spayed and instead just giving them food will only result in unhappiness and unwanted kittens.


Of the many cases we see, there are some where we have no choice but to accept the kittens, and one of these is Buunyan. Buunyan was found tangled in the net in a tennis court. Her life was saved, but her hind leg was broken.


Because she was a growing kitten, we decided not to put on a cast, but to keep her in an enclosed space to reduce her movement and wait for her leg to heal; however, you can see the results in this photo. Ultimately, her leg was amputated. The broken leg became necrotic and had to be removed. Right now she still has stitches, but there’s no swelling or bleeding and her progress has been good.



Actually, at first we considered having Buunyan euthanized.

She was a seriously injured kitten who had tested positive for FIV, and for her broken leg to heal, she needed to rest in an enclosed space. She had to be placed in an environment where she couldn’t move for a month during a period that is normally one of physical and mental development for a cat. It was necessary for the treatment of her leg, but we feared it would interfere with the development of the rest of her body and her mind. We were also worried about whether she had the strength to withstand the treatment. The effects could have stayed with her even after she was fully grown, making her unappealing to adopters and potentially meaning she might have to stay at ARK for her whole life. Even if the treatment of her leg went well right now, her future cannot exactly be called bright, so we had to take the worst-case scenario into account while choosing our path.


When we decided to bet on the “luck” that this feline life carried, treatment began. For Buunyan, it was a matter of life and death. We had a flicker of regret when her leg became necrotic, thinking we had made the wrong decision and put her in a painful situation. But we chose to amputate it and bet on her making a good recovery. In kittens, FIV is transmitted from the mother, but sometimes they test negative later on, so we also took a chance with that.

With Midori, we decided not to amputate the leg. Both she and Buunyan had FIV. Now she’s living as a sponsored cat, but if possible we’d like her to be adopted.


Poor Buunyan lost a hind leg, but she seems to have a special power that other cats don’t have. She has awesome recuperative powers and an adorable, friendly nature. There are lots of other kittens, but everyone is attracted to Buunyan. We believe that with this special power, she can overcome her handicap and find an adopter very soon.

Here’s a report on the adoption fair held at Field Note on Sunday, May 25.
It was a very productive day, and we have lots of pictures to show you!



First, let’s take a look at Chibika, who’s still a little scared of people. Chibika has only ever known ARK, and the place she was born and raised, so she was pretty taken aback at being surrounded by so many people in an environment she didn’t know. But soon enough she relaxed and was sitting begging for treats from complete strangers! Chibika loves to be cuddled and she got lots of cuddles today.



Here’s Ume eating a piece of cheese from a girl’s hand. When we first got Ume, she wouldn’t eat anything and didn’t pee much. But little by little she began to eat regular dog food, and being surrounded by lots of people has helped her feel more at ease. It must be all the social training that allowed her to be so relaxed today!



Ume used to be so afraid of being touched by people that she would panic. Today she lapped up all the attention given to her by the children. Ume-chan, you’ve sure made a lot of progress!



After he was first rescued, Not Non didn’t liked being touched or cuddled. But these days, he’s turned into such a loving dog who likes people so much. By the way, his nickname is Notty. On this day, it seemed as though Notty was just a neighborhood dog who had come to play. At ARK he is always so sad that he howls for people to come and be with him. Today he didn’t howl at all and had a great time!



Hey, check it out! Notty even took a walk with a child!



As soon as Ruru entered the room she wanted to eat! She was glued to this spot, transfixed by the smell of hamburgers! (Yes, the hamburgers were delicious!) When she realized that other dogs were getting treats she couldn’t keep quiet. “Me too! Give me some, too” she kept saying. Ruru doesn’t understand the words “shy” and “nervous” because she is neither of them! Wherever she goes, Ruru has a great time. Ruru would make whoever adopts her so happy. There’s no question about that! (Am I bragging a little too much?)



Elizabeth Oliver gave a talk which was attended by many people. People listened very attentively about such things as shelters overseas. We also had a quiz competition for which Field Note provided the prizes. Thanks so much to Field Note!



One of the things we look forward to at adoption events is being reunited with animals who have been adopted. During Ms. Oliver’s talk, Puffin (right) and Bigley (left) sat calmly at the feet of their adoptive mother and father. Puffin is a shy dog but being together with Bigley, who is very outgoing, has allowed him to become less scared.



And here is Whiskas, who stayed at my place temporarily. He is much loved by his family, and really loves to be with the youngest child of the family. I could also see how much he’s loved by the mother and older daughter.



This is Binky. She’s the sister of Blake and Kanga. She was the first of the rescued siblings to be rehomed. She used to be really skinny with patchy fur but she’s now become strong with a shiny coat of black fur. I was told that she has good relationship with the two dogs that were already living with her adoptive family. The couple that adopted her seemed so happy to have her and told me lots of stories about how she behaves daily. I realized that my job is not only to make the animals happy but to make people as happy as well.

Listening to the families of rehomed animals, or receiving letters or e-mails from them makes me forget about the worries and hardships of my job and gives me energy. I have to be responsible for giving as many of the animals who come to ARK as possible the chance to be happy!



The biggest achievement today was the rehoming of Wakame-chan!
Her adoptive family had checked out Tara-chan and Katsuo-chan on our website, so they came to the adoption fair to meet Wakame-chan. The family lives close by so we were able to have an interview with them and a home check right there and then. We decided that day to rehome Wakame-chan!
It is very rare for us to rehome an animal on the day of an adoption fair. Due to the special atmosphere at such events, we usually only take appointments from people because adopting an animal is something that requires full dedication.
So, Wakame-chan, you were really lucky today! Congratulations! I remember how you just sat still so nicely between the legs of your new father.



Unfortunately we were unable to find homes for Ume, Notty, Chibika and Ruru, but it was a good opportunity for them to see another side of the world outside of ARK, as well as a chance for more socialization. Hopefully this will allow them to get one step closer to being rehomed!



All of us at ARK would like to thank Field Note for their wonderful support. We appreciate it so much!

The atmosphere of the store is really relaxing. The clothes, shoes and miscellaneous goods are of such quality that you would use them for a long time. (They have a lot of men’s and children’s goods too.) You can enjoy delicious bread in the café space while you gaze out at the wonderful garden.

To tell the truth, I (KK), enjoy participating in such events at Field Note because I like shopping there. Last time, I bought some herb seedlings and this time I bought a pair of shoes and a hat. (Smile) I hope you’ll all come and take a look sometime! ♪


FIELD NOTE
Tel: 0742-36-7227
Shijo-oji 2-2-77
Nara City, Nara Prefecture
Hours: 11:00-18:00
Closed: Mondays

This is Ruru. She was rescued along with 29 other dogs. Actually, she was rescued from the same place as Tetta. Due to the “certain plan concerning a certain park” that Tetta spoke of, the homeless people who were the owners of the dogs were uprooted and their dogs were on their way to the pound. However, with the selfless help of the caretakers of the park, ARK was able to rescue these dogs. The park is now the location of the Beach Volleyball World Tour.



Ruru is a very outgoing girl and is full of curiosity. She lives with two male dogs, Lucky and Lily, who were rescued with her. I always get just a tad frustrated when I watch this threesome interacting.

For example…



Here’s Ruru hogging all the toys in her kennel and standing guard so that Lily and Lucky can’t get to them.



Here’s Ruru deciding that the toy Lucky had been playing with was suddenly hers, even though she didn’t want to play with it before. “Back off! That’s mine!” she tells Lucky. And Lucky, being Lucky, quietly obeys.



When someone is playing with Lucky or Lily, Ruru chases the boys away, and the boys are quick to comply. Come ON, Lucky and Lily, you guys have to stand up for yourselves!!!

So there you have it, the bully and the bullied. If you boys don’t mind it, then that’s fine, but it is so irritating seeing you two being walked all over! You boys need to man it up a bit!



But that’s how Lucky and Lily are, mellow and sweet. They can take time to warm up to people, but they never try to dominate them, so they are easy to handle. I want to find them foster parents so they don’t have to be bullied by Ruru anymore! But seeing the three of them napping peacefully together makes me think there may be hope in this threesome after all.



Lily: “Either way is fine with me… goodnight!”


☆☆☆Notice☆☆☆

Zeros and Otto have found foster parents together! Mufasa has found foster parents as well!

25th (Sunday) is the adoption fair.
Ruru will be there! So will little Ume and I (K.K.), for Ume’s socialization!

I was taken to ARK when I was a little puppy.
That was eight years ago.
My owner’s business got into difficulties, and he had to let go of the house we lived in.



I was taken to ARK until he found a new home. I wasn’t sad at all at the time, because I believed in my owner and it was supposed to be just a short stay at ARK.
However, my owner never came to pick me up.
Work, the house…nothing went well for him.



He had to make a hard decision. There was no other choice.
He had to let me go.
My owner asked ARK staff to find a new home for me.



I can do lots of tricks!
Paw, Other paw, Lie down, Wait, Turn around, Jump…
Those eight years with my owner were happy for me, and I don’t want to forget all the things he taught me.



There are even other tricks I’ve learned at ARK. I’m eight, but I’m still young enough to learn new things!



I can’t forget the warm, happy days I spent with my family, so I also can’t pretend and say that living at ARK is not that bad.
I once was really happy. I’d love to live with my own family again, and lead a real dog’s life!

Kiku, Ume, Momo, and Sakura: these 4 sisters have been fostered out to ARK’s staff members on a rotating basis.



Now Ume chan is staying at my house.

At the house of one staff member who lives by herself with a dog and a rabbit, Ume got along great with the rabbit, but not with the dog. However, there has been no problem with my three big happy-go-lucky fellows. In fact, she’s been fitting in fine and doing really well with them. I’m wondering if she changes her attitude depending on who she’s with?

I heard that at the house of the other staff member who lives alone, she howled while the staff member was out of the house, but she didn’t howl at all when she was alone when we all went out without her.

It seems that she behaves a little differently in different places.



To be honest, when we fostered Kiku chan, we were under a bit of pressure and that made her timidity worse.

Fortunately, it didn’t affect her too much and since then she’s been fine – getting more and more friendly. Drawing on that experience, this time we are trying not to force Ume chan to do anything unless she seems to want to do it herself. Let me tell you a bit about Ume chan’s current life.

＜Day 1＞

・ Ume was brought into our living room in a crate. When our dogs tried to look inside the crate, she snarled, baring her teeth and curling her lip. She looked scared. Two hours later, when our dogs had calmed down, I opened the kennel door, but she didn’t come out. Whenever our dogs looked inside, she snarled again.



＜Day 2＞

・ She didn’t come out all night. I talked to her and fed her while she was in the crate. At first, she wouldn’t eat from my hands, but she started eating when I put the food on the floor. Then she ate from my hands, but didn’t eat a lot.
・ Suddenly she came of her crate and started walking around! She sniffed around, explored the room and went to the toilet spot to do a pee and a poo. She walked around a bit and then went back into her crate. A while later, she came out again, so I closed the crate door. It had taken 13 hours for her to come out of the crate after coming to my house.
・ I left Ume chan alone at home while I took all our dogs for a walk, but she didn’t howl or bark. When we came back, she was sound asleep on a rug.
・ At night, she let my husband stroke her. He did this by giving her some cheese and trying to touch her bit by bit. I think she secretly enjoyed it because when he stopped stroking her, she came over to him and seemed to want more.
・ She managed to finish whole her meal (only dry food) with our dogs.



＜Day 3＞

・ She slept with everybody (including me). When she woke up, she came over to me, wriggling her body and showing me her tummy to be stroked...
・ She finished whole her meal (only dry food) with our dogs.
・ I hadn’t planned to take her for a walk, but she came with us to the door and even let me put her collar on without any trouble. If she had hesitated, I would have let her stay home, but she was the first dog to go out when I opened the door. During the walk, she pulled on the leash when she was scared, or when we were in built-up areas or by a big roadside, but she didn’t pull when we were in places with plenty of greenery such as rice fields, and she even looked like she was enjoying herself... Her tail was either up or at least not completely down. She didn’t tuck her tail between her legs and never panicked.



＜Day four＞

・ Ume chan lay down beside me. When I stroked her, she looked happy and leaned against me even more. I touched her body slowly and gradually while she was lying there all relaxed. I rubbed her, thinking that one day maybe she’d let me cut her nails… I tried holding her while we were lying there and she didn’t seem to mind. She just kept sleeping, so I tried touching her all over, pretending I was sleeping too…
・ She sniffed at the window and tried to see what was going out outside, whimpering a little as if she wanted to go out.
・ Just like the previous day, I took her for a walk because she wanted to go. Again, she rushed out in front of the other dogs and pulled excitedly, but didn’t seem scared. In fact, she looked even more proud and regal than the previous day.
・ She didn’t bark even when the doorbell rang or when people came in and out, but when our dogs started barking, she joined in.

… So this is how it went. I was a bit surprised that we saw such great changes in her in just 4 days. It may be that she’s gotten more used to people and other dogs because she had already been to the homes of several staff members. Hmmm, I really hope we can find a good home for her. I think she can adjust easily as long as whoever is taking care of her lets her take her time and decide when she is ready. Once she thinks, “This person is safe” or “This place is not scary”, then she will become attached to you.



When I called her name, she came over to me to be stroked, wriggling her little body, even when she was busy playing with the other dogs.

She has never had any accidents when going to the toilet and always does it on a pet sheet. She’s never had any car sickness either.

Sakura, Momo, and Kiku have also, step by step, been learning social skills with foster staff members.

Anyhow, I’d like to find them new homes as soon as possible!

★They are coming to ARK with their foster staff members and spending their days at ARK so they can find someone who wants to adopt them. If you are interested in them, please come to meet them at ARK! We’ll be sure to make sure whichever of these lovely dogs you’re interested in is here if you call us before you come.