Adopt a dog?

Hello everyone. I'm really looking to adopt a dog someday, and I'd know how to do it if I were at home. However, there's a chance that I might be living in Japan for a few years and was wondering where a good place near Tokyo would be to adopt a dog.
I was also wondering if Japan also does puppy mills like America does. The dogs in the pet stores... where do they come from?
The dog I'm looking for is a whippet. And I won't be looking for a home in Tokyo. Probably Chiba or Saitama where there's a bit more room.

Thanks to those who respond in advance.

AkitaLove,

If you want to "adopt" a dog, there are dog shelters in Japan, where you can go and adopt a dog that has been abandoned by their previous owner. I don't know how specific you can be with the breed/type of the dog in those places, though.

There are pet shops and dog/cat breeders you can buy a dog from. Please be careful to find a reliable one, who takes care of the health of the dogs.

Also, if you are going to be in Japan only for a few years only, please take into consideration the procedures for moving back to your country with your dog, etc.

I'm not sure about adopting, but I did see a whippet at a pet store over the weekend, so they are readily available in Japan. It came from a breeder in Fukuoka and was on sale for 80000 yen.

I would be willing to buy a dog. I'm just worried about where the dogs came from. In America we have this problem called Puppy Mills which are breeders that breed without caring about the parents and make the dogs live in small cages until they die. The mothers may have up to 60 puppies a year.
I was wondering if Japanese pet stores are also supplied by the same kind of services. If so, I'd rather adopt.

To AkitaLove,

I think that pet stores are the same everywhere; some must be conscientious and would purchase puppies from conscientious breeders, but to find who those are, you need to ask for personal recommendations/references.

Since you have a particular breed in mind, it might be better to try to find a good, conscientious breeder yourself. Once in Japan, you could locate a vet near where you live, then ask there if the vet knows any good breeder :)

I personally was shocked to see all those puppies and cats on sale in Japanese pet shops - no breeder who actually cares for their animals would give them to a place where they spend all their time in tiny plastic cubes under bright neon lights.

If you are a single person and live in apartment PLEASE do not get a dog! dogs need company and need to walk a lot. Even lap dogs. I love dogs and, as a child then teen, we always had dogs at home. One in the city townhouse and up to 4 in the country house where we stayed on weekends and holidays. However both places had gardens. In the city the dog could freely go in and out in the garden during the day while I was away in school and the lady next door kept an eye on her-the dog. or even took her home. In the country house the gardener and the cook that were there full time took care of them during the week. I have lived in big towns apartments for many years now and refuse to have a dog for their own sake, although I miss them a lot.

I want to adopt a dog as well. Somewhere in the kanto area near Tochigi. Know any??

It is not so hard to find betshops or breeders, but first you should make sure that the place you'll be living allows pets.
Many apartments (including so-called "manshions" here) have "no pet" policy.

i have no idea where those dogs come from! plus it's much more economical to adopt for the pet and myself.

I don't want puppy mill dogs.

Ureshiimiko,

You mentioned on another post that you will be coming to Japan as an ALT in Tochigi. Do you know your living situation yet? As Magonote mentioned, most apartments have a no pets policy.

Also, read the earlier posts about checking into the import procedures for when you return to your home country. It can be a costly and long process to move back home with your dog.

i'm aware of the costs and measures to bring it home. I'm planning on moving into a furnished apartment first. I know the furnished apartments don't allow pets. But if I like my job at the city I'll be working at, then I'll make a bigger commitment and move to an unfurnished one.

I'm planning on staying in Japan for a while. And I've been there before for a year in Tokyo. I owned my own apartment there too. So I'm experienced.

So please, if you know of a dog shelter so I may adopt one in the future please tell me.

Thank you

UreshiiMiko,

Typically, stray dogs can be adopted through your local hokenjo (public health center). Otherwise, I did a Google search in Japanese on "Tochigi-shi stray dogs" and this hospital appeared on the top of the list, and they are seeking foster parents for stray dogs and cats. But this is just an internet search. I have no idea how reliable or not they are.
http://idsc.nih.go.jp/hcl/09.html

People make it sound like it's difficult to find an apartment that accepts pets. Although it's true most places don't accept pets there are plenty of apartments that do accept pets but you just have to pay more money. There are a boatload of pets in Japan and they must be living somewhere ??

There are no petstores selling responsibly or ethically bred puppies.

Ethical breeders care about their breed, and don't want to see it puppy-milled. Ethical breeders show the parents of their dogs-- and win!-- and do genetic testing on their dogs to make sure that any puppies they have will be good examples of their breed and not carrying genetic disorders like hip dysplasia or cataracts etc. Another important part of being an ethical breeder is making sure that A) there is a demand for puppies you breed, and B) that they only place puppies in homes that understand the breed's requirements.

These two things mean that the dogs are wanted (not ending up in shelters), and properly cared for throughout their lives (people don't bring them home then go "Oh, this husky is too energetic!/This akita sheds too much!/This jack russell is a bit nippy!". Dogs in those circumstances don't have their needs met, and don't have good lives.

So, you can see that ethical breeders will NEVER sell their puppies to pet stores! If they did, they wouldn't be able to:
-pass on genetic health/pedigree information to the new owners,
-keep track of their puppies (ethical breeders always have a take-back policy to make sure if it doesn't work, the puppy doesn't end up in a pound/shelter)
-meet the potential new owners and make sure they know enough about the breed! Proper breeders can turn someone down if they don't think they'll be good owners; pet stores will sell anything to anyone with a credit card. This means lots of dogs end up in completely unsuitable homes.

So if you can see that an ethical breeder will NEVER sell to a pet store, then NO pet stores sell ethically-bred puppies. They are all from either backyard breeders or puppy mills. NO EXCEPTIONS.

I don't know much about the Japanese dog-show system, but please try to find a good breeder who doesn't just pump out puppies for quick bucks or because "they love puppies so much!". Find someone who knows the breed and makes a good contribution to it, and you will end up with a good, ethically-bred companion. :)

Man, that was a long post. Sorry! I should have just linked this page: http://www.wheredopuppiescomefrom.com.au/

People make it sound like it's difficult to find an apartment that accepts pets. Although it's true most places don't accept pets there are plenty of apartments that do accept pets but you just have to pay more money. There are a boatload of pets in Japan and they must be living somewhere ??

You make it sound as if everyone in Japan lives in apartments. Maybe most of the pets live in homes and condos. Anyway, Ureshiimiko is coming over as an ALT and oftentimes you don't have much choice (if any) in your first apartment. So just make sure pets are allowed beforehand. You don't want the situation where you are evicted or forced to give away a pet.

you know about apartments and pets.. but what about adoption and pets?? The MAIN point to this question?

I know that your question has already been answered by Uco who gave you a great lead. Perhaps YOU don't need the advice, but others should be aware to check their rental contracts.

This information comes from my wife, not me as I do not have any idea when it comes to pets.

To adopt a dog from one of the dog shelters you will be required to provide evidence that you are able to offer the Pet a home for the rest of it's expected natural life. If you are coming to Japan as a language teacher or any other short term work the shelter will not release an animal to you because your home will not be considered stable.
Why not just give one of the shelters a call and have a chat?