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WARNING the following photos are very disturbing. They were taken at a pet shop in Sagamihara City not far from Sagamiono Sta. As you can see in the photos animals are "stored" in cages one on top of another in a garbage/feces filled, smelly, unattended store front . While peering into the store I witnessed the most disturbing thing I think I have ever seen. A dog, possibly a cocker spaniel cross, sat inside the glass storefront doors in a wire kennel. I could barely make him out because of the sun's reflection on the closed doors. He then turned his head and looked at me exposing it's severely infected left eye. Masako and I came back again today and the door by the dog's kennel was open and I mustered a few photos. I wish I could have taken more but I was seriously about to be sick. It sat whimpering and whining at me in what looked and smelled like a few month of bodily waste. His left eye ready to pop from his head, extremely swollen and infected, and penis swollen and infected. See photos below. Masako will be contacting a department at the City that deals with animals and an NPO animal network tomorrow to have this place shut down and the animals taken away and taken care of. In my view the sickest thing here is not the asshole that has neglected these poor animals but the people who walk by this shop everyday, and the people who live and work in the area who have either not said anything to the shop owner or the proper authorities. I will keep all posted via my main blog site http://www.vudeja.com/blog
shop info
phone number: 042-742-3676
Address: 228-0803 kanagawa-ken Sagamihara shi, Sagamiono 9 7-18
map
Nov. 3/2003
I received an email from ARC. here is an summary of it. Just looking at the pictures can't tell exactly, but possibility of a tumour in the dog's tummy, the city said it was an haemorrhaged bowel, is high. It is bad to expose that festered part in dirty environment. Although it may not be able to remove everything or have possibility of recurrence, it is possible to remove the tumour. As for the dog's eye, probably there was a scratch or something and body moisture came out which made the aye ball swollen. The left eye must lost eyesight, so it doesn't have problem to remove it. The tumour might not give him pain, but the eye must be painful. I am worried if asking the owner to improve the environment might make him decide to put down the dog. The most important thing is to save the dog. Anyway, have the owner to take the dog surgery and we will find an adopter.
Oct. 16/2003
I went to the pet shop with ARC , a NPO group, on October 16. The shop was opened and we saw two men outside of the shop, guessed one of them were the owner. Anyways, she went inside to take a look at the animals. she took her time to inspect the shop. According to her, the dog's condition is quite bad and there were some rabbits' feeces in their water. We decided not to take any action on that day and she will bring the pictures of the dog to a vet to ask what really is the problem with the dog.
Oct. 2/2003
Two people came from Sagamihara city to our appartment yesterday and meet with Masako and discuss their findings at the pet shop. This is her summary of their conversation.
--------------
Two people from Sagamihara-city came. Here is what they said.
The shop sells birds, turtles and fish and the animals we were talking about (rabbits, chickens and the dog) were all pets. As for the dog, he used to be someone else's and later he was given to the owner. the dog has cancer and a vet has given up on him. the dog is too old to have an operation to take out those tumours. The newspaper which were on the floor was changed and clean, which is a sign of "the owner has a will to keep the cage clean ". The other animals were once sold but the customers who bought those animals returned to the shop after they found having rabbits as a pet was difficult. the owner decided to keep those animals rather than just euthanize them.
conclusion; the environment those animals are kept is not that bad. the owner seems like animals and have responsible for their life. if the owner makes more room for each animal in that limited space, some animals might have to be euthanized. that is not the right thing, but the only way. so the city considers that the owner is trying to save the animals life.
--------------------
Okay,... stop, calm down and take a deep breath. The good news first. The city did what it said it would do and make a visit to the hellish pet shop and shared their findings with us. The bad, but the city tried to use it as good news or as correcting our false statements about the dogs health. First, the eye is not infected it is a cancerous tumor and the penis, well it's not the penis that you see in the photos, it just a simple hemorrhaged bowel. Yes that's right a hemorrhaged bowel, his insides on the outside dangling in his piss and shit stained newspaper. According to Mr. Nishikawa, a graduate of a veterinary school, because the dog is old (20 years) and also because the dog has had cancer and the hemorrhaged bowel for so long that he just doesn't feel pain anymore... yup that's right he's not suffering, and not in any pain cause he is just used to it... *deep breath* Magic dog. I could go on and on here but I'll cut it now. Next step is to draft a letter to the city asking some more questions as to how this dog is not suffering. We'll keep ya posted.
Oct. 1/2003
I got a call from sagamihara city. they went to the shop to take a look at the dog and animals so he will come over to tell me what they found. He didn't want to tell me over the phone, but i kept asking him what he thought about the shop. he told me to tell me tomorrow, but i told him that i really wanted to know at least about the dog. He said that the dog was the owner's pet and has been taken to a vet. Well, it sounds like all they could do about the dog was just giving "advice". Yappari ne, thats what we thought was going to happen. Next step. Bring on the NGO's Let's get that dog out of there!
Sept. 30/2003
Masako got calls yesterday from 3 different NPO in the Tokyo and Kanagawa area with advice on what to do next. Everyone gave the same advice, which was to let the city inspect the shop this week and have them get back to us with their findings. It is still unclear as to wether or not the shop owner can claim the dog as his pet, which would void all city regulations regarding pet shops. If this happens and the city will not do anything. Then a few volunteers from the animal rights NPO (I'll get the names later) will contact the city office to follow up and if nothing is done they will in turn contact another Heath department with the Kanagawa Prefecture government. Someone from the the Kanagawa government office would then come out and take a look. To me the situation is very black and white, but not in Japanese law. We were told that calling the police would be a waste of time, even though there are animal cruelty laws on the books the police either don't know about them or are reluctant to enforce them. Anywho, I will post as soon as we hear back from the city about their little visit. And a big Thanks to everyone for their help, support and comments so far.
Sept. 29/2003
Masako called the City office and this is what she wrote me in an email.
i talked to a person, Mr. Nishikawa, from Environmental health bureau, Public health department. I explained how badly the animals are treated there. He said that he will go to the shop sometime this week to take a look at the shop. Since all pet shops in Sagamihara have to resister to the city, if those animals at the pet shop are for sale, the city can wield the authority to give the owner administrative advice to change the way he treats the animals as a pet shop owner. But, if those animals are just his pets, all city can do is just "asking" him to change the environment. So, I asked Mr. Nishikawa what if the owner says these are just his pet, there is nowhere I can go to ask for help the animals. He said that if there are just pets, no. But there is a law, Cruelty to Animal Act, so I can go to the police. However, there is very low chance for the owner to be charged. It has to be really really really cruel, the guy said. Anyway, Mr. Nishikawa will contact me after he check out the pet shop.
Obviously the shop owner will just say that the dog is a pet and all the city worker will be able to do is nicely ask him to improve the enviroment. Next it is time to contact the animal rights networks. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Sign the petition to Revise the current animal protection laws in Japan
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/
Dear Kotenta http://www.tolahouse.com/sos/e/
ARC ARC
Japanese updates comments contact
related links
Pet store from Hell
WARNING the following photos are very disturbing. They were taken at a pet shop in Sagamihara City not far from Sagamiono Sta. As you can see in the photos animals are "stored" in cages one on top of another in a garbage/feces filled, smelly, unattended store front . While peering into the store I witnessed the most disturbing thing I think I have ever seen. A dog, possibly a cocker spaniel cross, sat inside the glass storefront doors in a wire kennel. I could barely make him out because of the sun's reflection on the closed doors. He then turned his head and looked at me exposing it's severely infected left eye. Masako and I came back again today and the door by the dog's kennel was open and I mustered a few photos. I wish I could have taken more but I was seriously about to be sick. It sat whimpering and whining at me in what looked and smelled like a few month of bodily waste. His left eye ready to pop from his head, extremely swollen and infected, and penis swollen and infected. See photos below. Masako will be contacting a department at the City that deals with animals and an NPO animal network tomorrow to have this place shut down and the animals taken away and taken care of. In my view the sickest thing here is not the asshole that has neglected these poor animals but the people who walk by this shop everyday, and the people who live and work in the area who have either not said anything to the shop owner or the proper authorities. I will keep all posted via my main blog site http://www.vudeja.com/blog
shop info
phone number: 042-742-3676
Address: 228-0803 kanagawa-ken Sagamihara shi, Sagamiono 9 7-18
map
Updates
Nov. 3/2003
I received an email from ARC. here is an summary of it. Just looking at the pictures can't tell exactly, but possibility of a tumour in the dog's tummy, the city said it was an haemorrhaged bowel, is high. It is bad to expose that festered part in dirty environment. Although it may not be able to remove everything or have possibility of recurrence, it is possible to remove the tumour. As for the dog's eye, probably there was a scratch or something and body moisture came out which made the aye ball swollen. The left eye must lost eyesight, so it doesn't have problem to remove it. The tumour might not give him pain, but the eye must be painful. I am worried if asking the owner to improve the environment might make him decide to put down the dog. The most important thing is to save the dog. Anyway, have the owner to take the dog surgery and we will find an adopter.
Oct. 16/2003
I went to the pet shop with ARC , a NPO group, on October 16. The shop was opened and we saw two men outside of the shop, guessed one of them were the owner. Anyways, she went inside to take a look at the animals. she took her time to inspect the shop. According to her, the dog's condition is quite bad and there were some rabbits' feeces in their water. We decided not to take any action on that day and she will bring the pictures of the dog to a vet to ask what really is the problem with the dog.
Oct. 2/2003
Two people came from Sagamihara city to our appartment yesterday and meet with Masako and discuss their findings at the pet shop. This is her summary of their conversation.
--------------
Two people from Sagamihara-city came. Here is what they said.
The shop sells birds, turtles and fish and the animals we were talking about (rabbits, chickens and the dog) were all pets. As for the dog, he used to be someone else's and later he was given to the owner. the dog has cancer and a vet has given up on him. the dog is too old to have an operation to take out those tumours. The newspaper which were on the floor was changed and clean, which is a sign of "the owner has a will to keep the cage clean ". The other animals were once sold but the customers who bought those animals returned to the shop after they found having rabbits as a pet was difficult. the owner decided to keep those animals rather than just euthanize them.
conclusion; the environment those animals are kept is not that bad. the owner seems like animals and have responsible for their life. if the owner makes more room for each animal in that limited space, some animals might have to be euthanized. that is not the right thing, but the only way. so the city considers that the owner is trying to save the animals life.
--------------------
Okay,... stop, calm down and take a deep breath. The good news first. The city did what it said it would do and make a visit to the hellish pet shop and shared their findings with us. The bad, but the city tried to use it as good news or as correcting our false statements about the dogs health. First, the eye is not infected it is a cancerous tumor and the penis, well it's not the penis that you see in the photos, it just a simple hemorrhaged bowel. Yes that's right a hemorrhaged bowel, his insides on the outside dangling in his piss and shit stained newspaper. According to Mr. Nishikawa, a graduate of a veterinary school, because the dog is old (20 years) and also because the dog has had cancer and the hemorrhaged bowel for so long that he just doesn't feel pain anymore... yup that's right he's not suffering, and not in any pain cause he is just used to it... *deep breath* Magic dog. I could go on and on here but I'll cut it now. Next step is to draft a letter to the city asking some more questions as to how this dog is not suffering. We'll keep ya posted.
Oct. 1/2003
I got a call from sagamihara city. they went to the shop to take a look at the dog and animals so he will come over to tell me what they found. He didn't want to tell me over the phone, but i kept asking him what he thought about the shop. he told me to tell me tomorrow, but i told him that i really wanted to know at least about the dog. He said that the dog was the owner's pet and has been taken to a vet. Well, it sounds like all they could do about the dog was just giving "advice". Yappari ne, thats what we thought was going to happen. Next step. Bring on the NGO's Let's get that dog out of there!
Sept. 30/2003
Masako got calls yesterday from 3 different NPO in the Tokyo and Kanagawa area with advice on what to do next. Everyone gave the same advice, which was to let the city inspect the shop this week and have them get back to us with their findings. It is still unclear as to wether or not the shop owner can claim the dog as his pet, which would void all city regulations regarding pet shops. If this happens and the city will not do anything. Then a few volunteers from the animal rights NPO (I'll get the names later) will contact the city office to follow up and if nothing is done they will in turn contact another Heath department with the Kanagawa Prefecture government. Someone from the the Kanagawa government office would then come out and take a look. To me the situation is very black and white, but not in Japanese law. We were told that calling the police would be a waste of time, even though there are animal cruelty laws on the books the police either don't know about them or are reluctant to enforce them. Anywho, I will post as soon as we hear back from the city about their little visit. And a big Thanks to everyone for their help, support and comments so far.
Sept. 29/2003
Masako called the City office and this is what she wrote me in an email.
i talked to a person, Mr. Nishikawa, from Environmental health bureau, Public health department. I explained how badly the animals are treated there. He said that he will go to the shop sometime this week to take a look at the shop. Since all pet shops in Sagamihara have to resister to the city, if those animals at the pet shop are for sale, the city can wield the authority to give the owner administrative advice to change the way he treats the animals as a pet shop owner. But, if those animals are just his pets, all city can do is just "asking" him to change the environment. So, I asked Mr. Nishikawa what if the owner says these are just his pet, there is nowhere I can go to ask for help the animals. He said that if there are just pets, no. But there is a law, Cruelty to Animal Act, so I can go to the police. However, there is very low chance for the owner to be charged. It has to be really really really cruel, the guy said. Anyway, Mr. Nishikawa will contact me after he check out the pet shop.
Obviously the shop owner will just say that the dog is a pet and all the city worker will be able to do is nicely ask him to improve the enviroment. Next it is time to contact the animal rights networks. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Related Links
Sign the petition to Revise the current animal protection laws in Japan
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/
Dear Kotenta http://www.tolahouse.com/sos/e/
ARC ARC
Japanese updates comments contact
related links
