After Saki’s diarrhea got better, we noticed Saki’s (right) ear was smelly. It looked red and a lot black coloured wax came out. She scratched the back of her ear, too.
When my family had Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and Maltese Terrier, I remember flappy eared dogs tend to have ear related diseases, however, as long as I remember, they never had ear problems. (I must confess I love dog ear’s smell!!)
I think the life style difference between those dogs and Saki is that Saki swims in the sea water a lot, so it must be the reason for the smelly ear.
I did some research before we take Saki to the vet and found out that the main cause of the smelly ear is yeast. It also said this needs to be treated as it will not go away naturally, and it will only be worse if untreated. We went to the pet supply shop and chose one product randomly. There were too many types to choose from! More than 10!
Rufus &Coco is the one we chose, it was an Australian product. We applied a few drops into Saki’s ear directly three times a day, then massage the back of the ear. Saki looked quite relaxed when applied.
Luckily after 3 days Saki’s ear got much better. No more smell came from her ear. We will continue to clean her ear often.
I also found the information that apple cider vinegar and water (1 table spoon each) can be applied to clear the ear. (Of course, if the symptom doesn’t get better, you need to take your dog to the vet.)
Since early this week, Saki is usually not well and having bad tummy. She doesn’t ask for a ball play when she gets bored at home. She is quiet…
She had the similar tummy problem when she first came to our house. It lasted for about a week. Then the vet prescribed her prebiotic paste and a specially made wet dog food by Hills Science. After 3 days or so, she go much better.
At that time she loved the prebiotic paste, but she doesn’t seem to enjoy it this time.
The vet also advised plain food such as chicken breast. I bought minced chicken, boiled it, mixed with boiled broccoli. When I was cooking she seemed very interested in it and kept sniffing. First she left broccoli out, but in the end she finished it all! A success!!
I tried to practice Reiki, on her, which I learnt a little bit. When Saki is not well, I am not feeling well. Is it because I am recently a little stressed about something?
A lovely spring day in Melbourne. When I was walking with my friend who wanted to see Saki after a while, I received a call from my sister in Japan. She told me Eve (ex rescue dog, she came to me sister’s about 8 weeks ago.) ran off. She told me she contacted the founder of the shelter where Eve came from and will report to the local police (unfortunately, in Japan pet is treated as an ‘object”, then will make a poster (missing dog) to ask for the neighbours.
My husband & I felt so useless as we live so far away from her. However, I couldn’t stop from doing something from here and emailed the the local council, public animal shelter and prefectural (Gifu ken) animal shelter to ask for their help. Further, I posted the poster on the FB group (foster parents group and another pet group in Japan and asked for their help by sharing the poster. About 3o mins later, one of the foster parents who read my FB post contacted me, “my friend who lives nearby says she/he will come to look for Eve!” I was so moved by such kindness of these people!. My sister sounded being in tears to hear it.
In Australia, we would contact the local vet, if our dog goes missing or found a pet on the street. Having a microchip in pets are compulsory in Australia. Also to register pets is also a must, so most of the missing pets return to their owners in Australia.
I feel so disappointed…What if Eve had a microchip…. I remembered the revised Animal protection law in 2019 (I mentioned about this in my past blog) had something about getting the microchipped for the pet will be a law. I checked again and found out it will be become legal for all breeders to get microchipped.
However, all revision of the Animal protection law is implemented gradually, and the microchip is to be launched at the last stage. It is not going to be legal until Jun 2022. Further, all breeders must get the pets microchipped at the vet, but this doesn’t apply for the pets that come from shelters. They are only encouraged to get microchipped.I feel this is strange, because like Eve’s case the dogs/cats that come from shelters tend to escape and be missing, and they need microchipped.
I wonder if each council covers the cost of the microchip for the pets that come from shelter. Also I noticed that the pet owners are required to register their pet to the company which manages the registration . It is doubtful how easy the process is going to be. I wonder if each council manages the pet registration like Australia. Also in Australia the cost to get the pet microchipped is much cheaper, if they are de-sexed.
My husband told me about Air tag by Apple. There are positives and negatives about this product, but it is worthwhile having it on Eve to use as a GPS. I am going to purchase one for Eve so that she can carry it when she returns.
私たちが住むポートフィリップ自治区(ポートフィリップシティ）のカウンシル（市役所）から「Domestic Animal Management Plan 2022-25ー2022年から2025年ペット管理計画書」のドラフトができましたので、ご意見をお聞かせください、というメールが届きました。そういえば、さきを役所に登録した頃、2021までのペット管理計画が期限切れとなるので、次の計画書作成のために、アンケートに答えませんか、というメールがあったので、アンケートに答えていたのを思い出しました。
I received an email from Port Philip council where we live. The email asked to review the draft Domestic Animal Management Plan 2022-2025. I remembered I participated in the survey so the council could prepare a draft of the Domestic Animal Management Plan when we registered Saki at the council.
I read that approx. 1,700 residents completed the survey. The draft plan had 27 pages. The purpose of the Plan is to “provide Council with a strategic, balanced approach towards promotion of responsible pet ownership, the welfare of dogs and cats in the community and the protection of the community and the environment from nuisance dogs and cats.”
As I mentioned in my earlier blog, each state is responsible for Animal protection/management. Each local council is responsible to establish their Animal management plan based on “Domestic Animals Act 1994“
As extra information, in Port Philip area about 10,000 dogs and cats are registered and over all human population is 110,000. We have been living in this area for more than 20 years and noticing more and more dogs and cats are living in this area.
The draft plan had updates for each action list of 6 themes, such as pet owner’s responsibility, balance of dog friendly parks and other spaces, euthanasia.
One of the items which grabbed my attention was the report that the number of the captured dogs and cats is reducing compared to 5 years ago. Of all the captured dogs and cats in 2020, approx. 94% of dogs and 84% cats were returned to their owners within about 2 days. Of these captured, about 28% were put down, but this number is a big reduction (50%) compared to 5 years ago. I feel this is due to the great support of the residents. For example, I am a member of the group FB which consists of the residents in our local area. I often see the post by some residents who ask ” I have this dog, do you know whose he/she is?” After the few mins, I go back to the FB and again I often see “the owner of the dog has been found.” It is great to see a great support within the community.
According to the report, majority of the pet owners are satidified with the dog friendly parks, however, some owners are requesting to have fenced off off leash parks for large and small dogs separately. To me this is such luxury request, as I come from Japan where off leash park is very rare.
Regarding pet registration, the coucil is already actioning so that it can be done on line and reminder email or message on the mobile phone is received. This is really good idea as we also wished it will be done via on line for the convenience.
Another thing I noticed was that there are only 3 full time staff who is responsible for handling the pet management work. Last year all 2,700 pet related matters (handling complaints etc) were responded by these 3 staff! (staff:pet ratio is 1:3,000!) They are planning to develop the staff’s training so that they can handle the cases more efficiently. i don’t think the number of pets in Port Philip is going to decline, so we as pet owner should take care of our pets so that we don’t bother the staff!
Australian Animal Protection Societyの方のお話によれば、このような悲しい事態の中、一つコロナがもたらした「良い」ことというのは、多くシニアの年齢の方達がペットを欲しがっている、ということ。このような方達は旅行ができないため、おうちでペットと過ごせる時間が多く取れるので、里親としては優先順位のトップにいらっしゃるそうです。このような方たちがペットに癒されながら、ハッピーに生活できることは一石二鳥でとても素晴らしいことです。
The other day, my husband said to me, ” I read a news article about more and more dogs and cats being brought in to the shelter in Melbourne.” It made me sad as I thought it was what was expected to come.
Since COIVID-19 pandemic started last year, Melbourne went into hard lock down. Both my husband & I have been working from home and my son has also been studying at home since June last year. This is when we started looking for a pet dog, however, we found it difficult to find it, as all dog shelters were empty.
In the news article, there was a story about a lady , called Ms Meehan, who has experienced rehabilitating her pet dog about 10 years ago, is now helping with the dogs with high level of anxieties and badly behaved dogs since last year.
Also according to PET BARN, which accepts overflow dogs and cats from the rescue organisations such as RSPCA, they have seen a 200% increase of the abandoned pets in the past 3 months at their 150 centres all over Australia (the news article was issued in June 2021). Most of the pets are around 1 year old.ま
Further, the data collected from the shelters by Companion Animal Network, the most common reasons for abandoning pets are pet’s bad behaviour, rental issues and domestic violence. I also hear the domestic violence and divorce rate increased during the pandemic.
There are many couples who, due to the loss of job and income, had to abandon their dog. As COVID is settled, many house hold members go back to their work and their dogs are left alone at home. The the dogs, who are not used to be alone at home, they become restless and start showing bad behaviours, such as unnecessary barking. Ms. Meehan says it is important to train these dogs by creating safe space, such as crate, and by making routines.
According to Australian Animal Protection Society, there is one bright side that COVID brought, that is, an increase in older Australians, who would otherwise travel, want a pet. Those people don’t have work commitments and can spend a lot of time with their pet, which make s it ideal pet owner. This is a win win situation for both the pet and its owner, as the pet would look after the owner’s mental health and both can have a happy life!
Our Saki is also one of those “Corona” dogs. We are gradually getting her used to the new life by making her stay at home alone for longer time or leaving her with someone else. Saki seems fine with this, but I am the one who misses her the most!
During August, we are going to participate in “Pawgust”, event to raise money for the Guide Dog Australia. The event name comes from “Paw” and “August”.
In Australia there are other donation event in which people participate in walking for example, “Steptember” is another big event with the aim to raise money for the people who suffer from cerebral palsy.
I researched briefly about Pawgust https://vic.guidedogs.com.au/about-gdv/fact-sheet/. It started in 2018 and since then it has raised more than A$3m. There are approx. more than 450.000 vision impaired people in Australia and this number is going up in the future due to the aging society.
To raise 1 guide dog, it takes full 2 years and costs about A$50.000. The money all comes from individual donation.
I also researched about the Guide dog in Japan and found an interesting fact. In 1970 a staff of the foundation which originally established guide dogs, was sent to Australia to learn about the guide dog. After he returned to Japan, official guide dog started being trained. http://www.guidedog-lighthouse.jp/text/text03.html
In regards to the breed which suits to be trained as guide dog, majority is Labrador Retriever, for its gentle temperament. Also I heard their size is the right size for the human beings to make the good balance when walking. The puppy of Labrador retriever is so adorable! No wonder there is no shortage of the puppy raiser volunteers!
In my past blogs, I’ve written about the difference between dog off lead park in Australia (Melbourne) and a “dog run” in Japan.
Last week I visited the Clubhouse, an online showcase of guest speakers discussing themed topics. Those who live in England, USA and Australia discussed the off lead park in their countries. Those who live in England and USA both said there is no such thing called an “off lead park” for dogs in their countries and usually the dog owners take their dog’s lead off any way, where there are lots of nature and less people. They also said in their countries, dog bites had been an issue, so it is possible the council hesitates to make public dog off lead parks. Australian regulation is different from each council/state and when I heard this, I thought Australia has one of the best environments for dogs.
Almost every day, I walk with our dog Saki (15 months old female border collie) to one of many off lead parks in our neighbourhood. Every dog park has the sign which shows the rules within the park as shown in the photo. The rules say: 1. Dog owners must carry a lead or chain to restrain the dog, if required. 2. Dogs must not be within 5 meters of the children’s play area or BBQ or picnic area. 3. Dog owners must maintain effective voice or hand control within view of their dog at all times. 4. Dog owners must always carry a bag to collected their dog’s droppings. 5. The person responsible for the dog/s must not allow the dog to jump on chase or attack another person, dog or animals. 6. Pet owners are reminded that all dogs and cats over 3 months of age are required by law to be registered with their council. Penalties apply, if you don’t follow these rules.
From our view, most of the dog owners follow the rules. I have seen some dog owners have been told off by the others, as they stretch the boundary of acceptable behaviour.
In general, I think the dogs who are in the off lead park, are well trained and behaved. This is one of the reason why the councils are happy to make the off lead parks/beaches and dog owners feel safe about using them. Recently there are many dog owners (like us) who live in an apartment and not everyone in Australia live in a house with a big yard. For those dog & dog owners, off lead parks/beaches are essential for the dog’s wellness.
昨日の、アニマルレスキューMiki Japan の北村さんによる投稿。「繁殖リタイア犬二匹を保護、獣医さんでの健康診断など、様々な処置の後、迷子犬保護のため３日間待機の現場へ向かう。そこでは毎日6時間待機している。帰宅するのは深夜過ぎ。しかも日本の容赦ない夏の気温と蚊の大群に襲われながらという過酷な状況の中、「でも一刻も早く保護してあげたい。」という北村さんとスタッフの方には本当に頭が上がりません。
Yesterday I came across with the post by Ms.Kitamura at Animal Rescue Miki Japan, “During the day we rescued two retired dogs who use be used as breeding mums. After many hours at the Vet for health checks, we went on the hunt trying to catch for a 3rd day, an escaped dog from a foster family. We spent 6 hours until mid night when we decided to come home.” I’m amazed at their commitment doing this in a hot environment with lots of mosquitoes. However, she commented “Our only wish is to rescue the dog safely.” I cannot thank them enough for their devotion towards the animal rescue.
I wondered how many dogs and cats are killed in Japan. Based on the data in Government Reports, in 2009 a total number of dogs &cats killed is 229,832, and it was 32,743 (5,635 dogs and 27,108 cats) in 2019.
In June this year, a law was intended to be introduced, for breeders and pet shop owners to have a breeding restrictions. This would limit the age of the dogs/cats who have puppies/kittens, how many times they are allowed to breed, size of cage etc. However, due to some resistance raised by the current pet shop owners or breeders, the law is not going to be introduced at least until 2024. Also disappointedly, the “actual number” has not been decided.
On the other hand, what about the situation in overseas? The most outstanding country is Germany where no lost nor abandoned animal is killed. This is due to the strong support by Tier Heim, a privately owned animal protection group. Approx, 500 of them are located all over the country to protect and train animals.
I kept looking for more info to find why Japan cannot achieve what Germany has. Then I found out that Kanagawa ken Prefectural Animal Welfare Centre achieved no dog/cat killings in 2013. How did they achieve this? The tips is as you can imagine to educate the citizens on how to train the pets and promote the love to the animal.
By combining law enforcement and providing the education to pet owners, I believe Japan can achieve the society where all pet dogs & cats are nurtured and cared for by families.
I have been following my sister Mimi and her rescue dog Eve, since she welcomed her on the 24 June from the animal shelter.
There are many things that surprised us. Firstly, Eve didn’t do her first wee or poo for a week. Eve never eats when Mimi is around her. According to the shelter staff, it is quite normal, Mimi says.
Further more, Eve never shows her interest in going for a walk. Mimi felt relieved when Eve left her carrier case after 2 days.
Last weekend (Day 14), Eve chewed the door in a house, trying to escape! Mimi, feeling at a loss, was driving to return Eve to the shelter where she came from. However, after she spoke with Ms. Kitamura, founder of the shelter, she calmed down. Ms. Kitamura’s advice was it is important to tie Eve with chain all the time to avoid her escape. We feel it is sad doing this, but understand escaping is a typical habit of wild dogs.
This morning, after 14 days without a poo, she did the great second one! Also she held her wee for 12 days. Mimi was very worried about her but sounds very happy now. (The photo was after Eve did a big poo! She looks happier!)
Interestingly she covered her poo too. We learnt wild dogs usually avoid to leave their body smell where they sleep to protect from being attacked.
After the near escape incident, Mimi lost confident and was quite stressed and worried, feeling “It may have been better I didn’t take Eve.” I was relieved to see her a little happier today.
I am going to share how Eve and Lucky (a wild kitten) are doing with Mimi in this blog. You check out how they are doing, and support Mimi by checking her instagram Mychatomomo.
Melbourne has gone in to its 3rd day of the short circuit lock down. This is our 5th lockdown! Dogs are happier because many owners are forced to work from home. Saki (our dog) joined us during the dock down last year, she is used to the house where we are always with her.
During lockdown, we are permitted to travel within 5km from our house. Thankfully we have many off- lead parks and even beaches in that range. We can spend up to 2 hours a day for exercise. There is no need for “dog run” in Australia. Recently we are luckily to find this lovely off lead park called Cruikshank Park, with a loverly creek running down the centre (photo). Depending on the park/beach, there are restricted times/seasons when off leash is permitted.
However, in Japan, the concept of off leash park is limited to “dog runs”. In many cases, these are different to the ones in Australia. Majority of them have a bland industrial feel. My hometown (Gifu) is located in the country and there are so much more nature. However, I don’t know any good looking parks to walk, for dogs to socialise and to play.
I always feel sorry for dogs in Japan as it is near impossible for dogs to run around, leaving them bored and creating more anxiety for the owners. The pets, and owners, would be happier with less stress and greater relationships. I wonder how the councils would respond to the idea of more nice play areas, to reduce abandoned dogs?
Momonouchi 