moving + pets

i plan on moving to japan either for college or after college, depending if i get accepted or not. so im wondering about the pet situation.

obviously im not going to know anyone in japan right when i move, so i want to get a pet. itd probably be a small dog, or a cat because im smart enough to realize that i cant take one of my dads dogs [he uses our house as a holding pen for his friends great danes taht he breeds] to friggin japan. my question i guess is would it be better to bring a pet abroad or find a pet shelter in japan and adopt?

if i bring my pet abroad, how long would the quarintine be? and, sorry if this seems like a stupid question, but if the pets small enough can i carry him on the plane in one of those pet carrier purses or no? i wouldnt want it to get hurt, if possible, in the cargo section.

and if i adopt from a shelter, what are some shelters around the tokyo area?

thanks ahead!

Miss J, the problem is with pet ownership at first.

There are many threads discussing quarentine/pet shops and owning pets so you might want to give the search function a gaol.

Back to the main point, if you're going for college or a recent college grad I'm not sure if you can find an affordable place for where you might want to live that allows pets to begin with.

But again it depends on where you live, theres some places in Tokyo where you can go pet and play with cats because it is difficult to own a pet in the city.

How long do you intend to stay in Japan? What do you intend to do with said pet after you leave? There are enough poorly treated/neglected/trophy animals in this country already please don't make the situation worse.

John,
i have used the search goal and i have usually come up with the same old stuff, but i'll try rewording it differently. =] and about being able to afford a place that allows pets, that wont be my problem if i go during college. i pay tuition, my dad pays all living expenses, but i understand what youre saying. and, im also used to having pets in the city, although it seems obvious that japan is more crowded thank new york, especially in the tokyo area.


Impy,
if i go to japan during college, i will stay for a minimum of 4 years, and i might stay even longer if i adapt to the change. i would love to live there forever, i possible =] if or when i leave, i would like to take my pet with me wherever i go. [i imagine thats possible, right?] im not the kind of person who just gives away an animal or leaves it somewhere itll die. thats cruel and unjust and just unneeded.

I'm sorry I came across as so aggressive, I did not intend to make a personal attack on you. I come from a country of animal lovers, we don't have pet shops, we have thousands of animal welfare organisations and people do get prosecuted and jailed for animal neglect and cruelty. I have lived in Japan for four years now and peoples attitudes to pets just totally shocks me! I have seen 8, 9 month old puppies in pet shops that do not know how to walk because they have been in tiny cages their entire lives, girls who throw away dogs once they no longer match their handbags and even known a person who admitted she fed her pet half it's daily food allowance so as to keep it small and cute. Anyway, I can see you are not one of those people and I am glad that you will adopt an animal rather than buy from a shop. I do not know anything about quarantine or shipping dogs but it must be a very expensive venture (from the UK at least) and I have never heard of an airline that will let you carry an animal on board with you on an international flight. If you are serious about adopting please check here first http://www.arkbark.net/ they are based near Osaka but often have adoption days in Tokyo. They will check your knowledge of keeping pets and also inspect your accomodation to ensure it is suitable. Another place to check is with your local ward office, they can tell you about the pounds where unwanted dogs and cats are kept for two or three days and then disposed of. Miss J I wish you the best of luck on this matter and hope you'll research all your options thoroughly :)

its alright, i understand =] id probably do the same thing.from what youv said, i wish the states had more animal welfare programs, but of course people like michael vick just dont care.

about the pets in japan, its almost to sad to believe! i mean, its believable but then its like, well why even have a pet? thats just stupid. well, thanks for your information, you've been incredibley helpful! i can't wait until i move! im definately going to check out the arkbark place!