Rescue Dog Dispatch Company
About Rescue Dogs
Problems with Rescue Dogs
Japan's Rescue Dog Situation
In Japan, more than 130,000 dogs and cats are brought to health centers, and about 80,000 of them get euthanized there annually(2015).
Due to passionate actions by local governments, NPO, or volunteers and the amendment to the Act on Welfare and Management of Animals in 2012, which regulated the bringing of abandoned animals by breeders or pet stores, euthanizing number by local governments is statistically decreasing.
However, there are still many breeders that only pursue profits and repeat overbreeding, and many owners abandon their pets easily. Those people do not ask local administration to euthanize but bring the animals to the black market trader to kill. The expansion of this black market has not stopped. Including the number of animals brought to this market, more than 100 thousand dogs and cats are killed in Japan annually.
In addition, from June 2021, numerical regulations on breeders and pet stores will be introduced regarding the number of holding animals and management methods. However, these regulations will be also applied to the NPO or Volunteer groups, which means not a few rescue animals will lose their place again.
Rescue dogs are dogs that luckily avoided euthanization and look for a new family.
However, recently, the number of dog owners are decreasing sharply due to the housing conditions or their urban lifestyles, which makes it more difficult for rescue dogs to find a new house. Even after they got rescued, especially for large or senior dogs, it is often the case that they cannot be rehomed until the end of their life.
The Stress of Rescue Dogs
American studies have shown that shelter dogs have nearly three times higher levels of cortisol aka stress hormone than house dogs.
Meanwhile, a research group from Dr. Hennessy, an animal psychology expert at Wright State University, has shown that human interaction is effective in reducing stress in shelter dogs. This study found that shelter dogs significantly reduced the cortisol levels by interactions with strangers.
In other words, even if you are a stranger, the interaction itself is a beneficial activity that can lead to stress relief for many shelter dogs.
The media often features rescue dogs with trauma, which may seem inconsistent with this report. However, it makes sense when considering the breeding history of dogs.
It is well known that dogs were originally bred from wolves, but as a criterion for the improvement, only individuals that are friendly and cooperative with humans were selected, and this is how the current breed of dogs was established. Based on this fact, dogs are genetically considered to be human-loving creatures, although there are individual differences to some degrees.
Socialization of Rescue Dogs
When rehoming a rescue dog, it is very important not only to find a family that has a deep understanding of dogs but also to prepare for "socialization" on the rescue dog.
Each rescue dog has a different past and challenges to overcome, but getting used to the surroundings, including people, other animals, houses, cars, etc., in other words, “socialization” improves their own QOL.
Rescue groups in the United States or Australia, where animal welfare is rapidly developing, various activities such as rescue dog delivery to offices or wedding halls are applied to promote the socialization of rescue dogs by offering the dogs more interaction with people and different environments. (Uber Puppies by Uber, Snuggle Delivery by The Humane Society Of Broward County, etc.)
These rescue groups have cited not only socialization as a benefit to rescue dogs but also increased opportunities for adoption, exercise, and relief of stress.
References
Matthew D Shiverdecker, Patricia A Schiml, Michael B Hennessy. Human interaction moderates plasma cortisol and behavioral responses of dogs to shelter housing. Physiol Behav. 2013 17; 109: 75-9.
Michael B Hennessy, Harry N Davis, Michael T Williams, Carolyn Mellott, Chet W Douglas. Plasma Cortisol Levels of Dogs at a County Animal Shelter.Physiol Behav. 1997 Sep; 62 (3): 485-90.
Alexandra Protopopova, Lisa M Gunter. Adoption and relinquishment interventions at the animal shelter: A review. Animal welfare. 2017 26 (1): 35-48
Jill U. Adams. Genetics of Dog Breeding. Nature Education 2018 1 (1): 144
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Our Problems
In recent years, more than 70% of people have given up on owning dogs due to various problems such as work, housing, lifestyle, and age. Despite the high number of dog lovers, the number of dog owners is decreasing in Japan.
For some reason, services that such people can easily interact with dogs are extremely few compared to those of cats, which makes dog lovers' frustration larger.
This situation is not just that many dog lovers are missing the opportunity to "interact with dogs."
We might have lost the opportunity to realize "the physical and mental health” brought by the interaction with dogs.
Buddies' Solution
Role as a New Place for Rescue Dogs
Currently, local governments and rescue groups temporarily accept rescue animals and search for a new family for the rescue animals to save their lives. However, sustainable sheltering with an adequate quality requires enormous space, manpower, and money.
Municipalities only have limited resources, and rescue groups have to depend on donations and volunteers.
In Japan, where donating or volunteering is not popular, we aim to support rescue dogs sustainably as a new social business.
Support for Rescue Dogs
In most cases, Rescue Dogs have two choices. They are either being adopted or euthanized. Rather than just waiting for a fateful family at a monthly adoption fair, by interacting with people and the environment on a daily basis, we can offer more opportunities for socialization, the improvement of awareness, and the reduction of stress for rescue dogs.
In addition, we are proud of our highly-qualified treatment of rescue dogs by a veterinarian/pet nutritionist and dog trainers. We provide proper medical care, good meals, daily walking, and leisure activities to improve their Quality of Life.
Customer Support
Maybe you are not only eager to interact with dogs, but also interested in supporting rescue dogs.
However, it is sometimes very difficult to be a foster or do volunteer regularly for people working and living in a busy city.
We are providing such people with new opportunities to support rescue dogs with more fun under the guidance of a veterinarian.
We aim to raise the level of animal welfare in Japan by increasing the awareness of rescue dogs.
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