Sunday, August 14, 2011

A life worth saving

Claire just loves her morning and evening walk. Here's her happy smile after chasing pigeons and meeting friends. This woody area is on the way home, and after the exercise she does a second poop and catches her breath relaxing in the leaves. And then when she gets home, she falls fast asleep in front of the airconditioner, dreaming of supper...
Claire is a five year old female gundog who was abandoned in Ibaragi, famous for delicious fermented Natto beans. Apparently it's also an area famous for duck and bird hunting, and many gundogs are abandoned there after the hunting season. Claire - who proves herself an excellent hunting dog judging by the way she singlemindedly sets and chases pigeons on our walkies, refusing treats and my entreaties to "come" - had just given birth when she was abandoned, her breasts were engorged. We are grateful to CACI, the volunteer Chiba gundog rescue center, who saved her from being put down. They travel around Ibaragi, Tochigi and Chiba saving pointers and setters abandoned by irresponsible hunters. They would like the Japanese government to oblige all dog owners to use microchips: if the owners were registered, the dogs could not be abandoned so easily and irresponsibly. We're going to have her microchip put in in a week or so: Yokohama City subsidizes 2000yen/ dog for microchips for a total of 750 dogs a year, so i hope we're not too late to benefit. (The cost is around 5000yen). Of course, we're registering in our name, and feel proud and lucky to do so! What a sweetie she is!

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