Sox: "Get me out of here!"
If any of you have checked out my other blog, “A Sox Life”, you will know that I had gotten a dog in December 2010. I have been an avid dog lover since I was young and had a dog for most of my life. I have spent years without a dog in Japan, but I always had one back home in Canada. It is a difficult but happy event to get a dog in Japanand I never regret getting a dog. Owning a dog, or a pet, in Japancan be a very complicated process. The actual process of getting a pet and keeping them in your house/apartment is simple enough but it’s difficult to be done officially.
2011 Hanami
The first hurdle one must jump is the need for a place that allows pets. For anyone looking for an active pet such as a cat or dog, you must find an apartment that allows pets. Before moving to the east side of Tokyo, my apartment didn’t really allow pets. The initial contract said pets were not allowed but after asking the company that leased the apartment to us, they said a small pet was okay. My dog, a Shiba, is a medium sized dog in Japan, yet he is on the small side of that scale. My old apartment was too small for a dog anyways so we found a place that did allow dogs, but my current apartment owner says that cats are not allowed. Small dogs are fine, and he said a Shiba was fine too. When getting a pet, you typically add an extra month or two worth of deposits. This is due to the increased costs of fixing the apartment due to having a pet. While it seems simple to find an apartment that allows pets, this is a very difficult thing to accomplish. In a completely unscientific method based on my memory, 98% of all apartments don’t allow pets. The ones that do typically allow only small pets, and if you have a big dog, you can almost forget about finding a place anywhere in Tokyo. It is almost necessary to own your own house. Even apartment owners are restricted by the building rules and they typically restrict the size of a pet.
The second hurdle is to find a pet. There are several places to get one. The typical pet shops are the easiest, albeit expensive, places. Personally, I refuse to purchase a pet from a pet shop due to the way they keep their pets. The small boxes with windows where customers constantly bang on the window and the poor state they keep their pets is saddening to me. I believe the major shops in Japan do a good job during the day but at night, who knows what they do. I have also seen some of the small shops that are terrible. When getting my dog, I looked at a website/NPO called Chiba-wan. They are a group of volunteers that adopt cats and dogs from shelters and bring them to twice monthly events. One event is geared towards small and medium sized dogs, and the other is for all sizes. It’s a very well run organization and a network of nice people. There are many other organizations but they are the only ones I know. Typically, it will cost about 40,000 yen to get a cat or dog from them. This is mostly in gifts and reimbursements. Sox was adopted by the volunteer and he had to be neutered. He also got an electronic chip inserted under his skin and the volunteer had to pay for food and such for the time he was with her. Typically a person who is adopting the cat or dog will give a “thank you” gift of money to compensate the volunteer for the surgeries and food as well as a few other supplies so they can use it for future rescued pets. Unfortunately the organization cannot rescue every pet as some are not capable of being adopted. Some are too old and some are not cute enough. Some are also too aggressive. It is unfortunate but it is the only way for them to operate as there aren’t enough volunteers for these unwanted pets. Some of the volunteers will rescue up to 5 pets on top of whatever pets they already have at home.
The only way to wash a dog... (Note: I didn't actually wash him here)
Once you adopt a pet, you have to register them. For me, I had to wait a month as a trial period. In this time, I can change my mind, but within a week, I knew he was going to be my dog forever. It took a long time to register him, but it’s a very simple process. Taking a few documents to the city hall and finding the appropriate window was simple. My city actually has a dog event where they vaccinate and register dogs all at once. It was pretty convenient to do it. After that time, he was mine and everything was fine. Of course that is just the beginning as with any other pet in any country, you need constant “maintenance”. Finding a vet, a pet store for food, and other things like that take time. In Tokyo, there are very few shops that sell pet items. I found many places had a pet corner but the variety of goods sold was for small pets such as a chihuahua. It took a month or two before I headed to another station and found a large pet store. They had everything I needed and pets were welcome inside the shop. Unfortunately I can’t bring my dog there as it’s a little far. Thankfully it is probably one of only a few places that have a wide variety of items.
An obedient dog
When owning a pet, you eventually have to leave your home and go somewhere else, be it for a vacation or to move. It can be difficult to find a way around if you don’t have a car. If you have a car, there is almost no limit in where you can go. Without a car you are limited to where you can walk. With my dog, that is roughly 5 km. It can get a bit difficult to go places and with him, it’s difficult to take him on a bicycle. Of course I can hold him but my cycling skills are no where near good enough to hold him in one arm and cycle at the same time. I could put him in the basket but then I have to worry about him jumping out. I’m also worried about him taking off as I ride the bicycle or him darting out in front of the bicycle and me hitting him if he runs alongside me. It’s a difficult challenge that is not easy for either of us. For those with a cat, it might be easier as using a hard cage isn’t too bad. The other option is to get a cage and carry him around. Unfortunately, it isn’t as easy as it sounds. Having a big cage is heavy and cumbersome. Sox is a little small but at just under 10kg, he isn’t light over long distances. I could always purchase a stroller for cats and dogs but they are very expensive. In reality there isn’t an easy way to travel with a pet if you don’t have a car. If you have a very small dog though, it can be much easier as you can just stuff them into a bag and you are done.
A mischievous look
For those looking for a less traditional pet, things can be much easier. Most apartment owners say no pets, but hiding a small pet is much easier than a cat or dog. Cats can scratch a lot of things, and dogs can be noisy. A small pet such as a gerbil or a small rabbit are much easier to maintain. While you still have to clean up after them, as long as you have a cage and a few other things to keep them happy, you don’t have to worry too much about them destroying your apartment. They don’t need to be walked everyday so the chances of the owner seeing your pet is also much lower. Snakes, bugs, and fish are very similar as well. As long as you can hide them in your apartment without the owner knowing, it isn’t difficult to keep one. In Japan, I’d say fish are the third most popular pet with gerbils/hamsters/mice also being up there. For many kids, they love to keep Hercules beetle or a giant horned beetle. They often have a huge fascination with them and you can often buy them at shops around Tokyo.
A mischievous look
As a dog lover, having a dog is a life changing event. It is almost always for the better. Having a pet in Japan made me wonder how different things would be compared to Canada. Aside from the need to find an owner who will allow us to have a dog, there really isn’t much trouble finding a place. The only other problem is manners. Carrying a dog to and from our apartment isn’t always easy and how to react when you meet other dog owners isn’t always set in stone. It’s pretty similar and a dog lover in Japan is almost the same as a dog lover in any other part of the world.
Pet Information:
Chiba-wan: http://route326.kir.jp/satooya_top.htm (Japanese Only)
Chiba-wan (Cats page): http://boshuu.chibawan.net/cat/tokyo/index.html (Japanese Only)
Chiba-wan (Dogs page [males]): http://boshuu.chibawan.net/dog/male/index.html (Japanese Only)
このblogは英語のblog。もし私の英語は難しい、日本語のquestionは大丈夫。
I’ve seen some cycling with their dogs on leash and I was like – wow! How did they co-ordinate with each other?
I would never do that. My dog just darts out from time to time and he likes to smell the roses, and pee on them too. (^^)
Hallo, Sox! はじめまして!
What’s the difference between a Shiba and an Akita? They look very similar to me, but I suspect a Shiba is a bit smaller? They both have very cute tails! ^^
Interesting that some apartments say dogs are OK, but cats not. I would’ve guessed it would be the other way around, but … cats scratch and cause more damage?
PS: That photo of Sox in the washing machine cracked me up.
You are right. The main difference is that an Akita is bigger than a Shiba. They are really similar from what I’ve read.
As for the cats, bingo on the scratching. I’m guessing the owner had problems before with someone with a cat.
That washing machine photo was fun. He hated it to bits though. ^^
Hey, Dru,
Very informative. I am currently in the Hikone and looking to adopt/purchase a Shiba Inu in the near future. How did you go about the process of adopting Sox? Email? Also, would it be difficult for a non-resident?
Hi Elly,
Purchasing a Shiba is a lot easier than adopting. It also depends on a lot of other factors too. Searching for, or asking for, the local pound is the easiest way. There are various volunteer groups that adopt dogs that are sent to the pound. These dogs are usually put down after 3 days unless rescued by these volunteer groups. The volunteer groups are usually very strict with the adoption process and you will find it difficult, depending on your personal status. Being with my girlfriend, the volunteers were a little skeptical of us at first since we are not married but the second time we went, the volunteer who rescued Sox thought we would be okay. Basically, if you show up more than once, you have a greater chance of getting a dog. There must be some sort of volunteer event near you in Hikone, but I don’t have that information.
In terms of the legality part, that is all up to your city hall. You do have to register your dog and they must have all of their shots. Visiting a vet, as you know, is very important and helps with everything. There are various documents that are required when owning a dog but it is all based on registration. It proves that the dog has all of their shots and so forth.
To sum up the process of adopting Sox, we went to the volunteer event a couple times where they show dogs to the public. If we were interested in a dog, we complete an adoption form before meeting with the volunteer rescuer. The rescuer has final say in the adoption. We basically had to wait a few days as they thought it over. If there is competition, you may not get the dog if they feel a family is better and so forth. Once that was done, we had to go out and get everything that the rescuer told us to get. We bought a dog cage, 2 leashes as well as a collar and harness. They required us to use 2 but now we only use 1. In terms of money, you are told if they had the pet spayed or neutered and how much it costs. You are responsible for that as well as “gift” money which should go towards pet supplies. Think of it as compensation for dog food and other things. We also gave a big box of dog diapers. Currently, the rescuer asks us to write with photos of Sox twice a year so she can keep track of him. Nothing too hard.
Again, the biggest problem for you is that you are a non-resident. Wait, non-resident or non-permanent resident? A non-permanent resident will be low on the ranking with a volunteer organization as they don’t want the pet to be flown long distances or thrown away when the owner returns home. Same reason they don’t normally give pets to young couples who aren’t married as there is a high chance the couple will split and the pet is “thrown away”. Sad but true. Pet shops will charge a lot more but there are relatively fewer questions from them.
Hello drutang.
I was wondering how much is the cost of a vet for a dog in Tokyo and the food cost too. I wish to have a corgi, but it’s difficult to obtain more specific information about having a pet in Japan.
Hi Laura,
I take Sox to the vet at least twice a year, mainly for shots and such. I can’t remember how much it is to be precise. I don’t think too much about it, but here is a quick breakdown.
3kg of dog food is about 3000 yen. This is for the good stuff. Not the cheap dog food. I use it for 1 meal a day. It is roughly good for a couple weeks per kg, I think. 3kg will last at least a month. If you double it, then assume 6000 yen a month.
Add to it, treats. I usually buy a bag of treats each month. It can last anywhere from 1-3 months. Usually 300 yen each bag, but can increase to 500 depending on the type.
I also make him dinner. I just buy some meat, cook some rice/pasta, and add some veggies. I’d say it costs about 100-200 yen a meal.
For the city, it costs about 2000 yen a year for registration and a shot. The local vet, I can’t remember. I have to get philaria (heartworm) medicine as there are lots of mosquitos here. That isn’t too cheap either. I’d guess, I can’t remember, but roughly 20,000 yen a year.
This is not including things like buying a leash, cushions, things to protect my apartment from him, and the loss of items that he has chewed up. Hope that helps in any way.
Dru
Hi. I have an 18month golden labrador, and I am moving to Japan in June. Do you have any tips for looking for an apartment that is dog friendly? We are deciding whether to bring him or leave him with family, as the company I am working for said it will be difficult to find an apartment for a dog (He can’t live in the apartment they have currently set aside for me).
Hi Hamish,
A dog friendly apartment is very hard to find. If you are in a major city like Tokyo, having a golden lab will make it very hard to find an apartment. Small dogs are a lot easier. I would leave him/her with family. I hate to say it but that is the likely reality.
The only other option is to look far from the city. You never know. You may get lucky finding a place!