Why Japan prefers pets to parenthood

Some of Japan's pampered pet dogs. Photograph: Alamy

In a smart and expensive neighbourhood of Tokyo, Toshiko Horikoshi relaxes by playing her grand piano. She's a successful eye surgeon, with a private clinic, a stylish apartment, a Porsche and two pet pooches: Tinkerbell, a chihuahua, and Ginger, a poodle. "Japanese dog owners think a dog is like a child," says Horikoshi. "I have no children, so I really love my two dogs."
Many Japanese women like Horikoshi prefer pets to parenthood. Startlingly, in a country panicking over its plummeting birthrate, there are now many more pets than children. While the birthrate has been falling dramatically and the average age of Japan's population has been steadily climbing, Japan has become a pet superpower. Official estimates put the pet population at 22 million or more, but there are only 16.6 million children under 15.
Tinkerbell and Ginger have their own room and a wardrobe full of designer clothes. They have jumpers, dresses, coats and fancy dress outfits, neatly hung on jewelled hangers; hats, sunglasses and even tiny shoes. Horikoshi says she shops for her dogs most weekends and they get new clothes each season.
In Japan designer labels such as Chanel, Dior, Hermès and Gucci offer luxury dog products. This canine couture doesn't come cheap. A poodle pullover can cost $250 (around £160) or more. In many parts of Tokyo, it is easier to buy clothes for dogs than for children. Boutiques sell everything from frilly frocks to designer jeans, from nappies to organic nibbles, and smart "doggie bags" and buggies or pushchairs to transport them in.
Japan has arguably the world's most pampered pooches. Tiny lapdogs such as miniature dachshunds, poodles and chihuahuas are particularly popular because most people in Tokyo – one of the most densely populated cities in the world – live in small apartments. And there's a growing market in services and treats for pets.
The pet industry is estimated to be worth more than ¥1tn a year (around £8.2bn) and has expanded into gourmet dog food stores, hot spring resorts, yoga classes and restaurants where dogs sit on chairs to eat organic meals.
In his one-room flat in a Tokyo suburb, Jiro Akiba feeds treats to his dog Kotaro, a miniature dachshund, weighing only 3.4kg. His name means "first-born son". "He's like a first baby for us, so that's why we decided to call him Kotaro," says Akiba. "It's good to have a dog if you don't have a baby, because it is quite fun to take care of him like a baby."
Dog nappies on sale in Japan. Photograph: Ruth Evans Akiba, a cameraman, would have liked children, but his partner (a freelance editor) wants to keep working. "In Japanese society, it's really hard for women to have a baby and keep a job … so my girlfriend decided against having a baby, and that's why we have a dog instead." Akiba says he thinks this makes economic sense, given the cost of living in Tokyo, high taxes and static salaries following two decades of recession.
Despite the economic stagnation, people seem happy to spend any spare money on photo sessions, massages and treats for their four-legged "babies". The average fertility rate is now 1.39 children per woman – well below the number needed to keep the population stable. Japan has, in effect, a self-imposed one-child policy. Government projections show if current trends continue, today's population of 128 million will fall to 43 million over the next century.
"The most important reason for Japan's declining birthrate is less sex," says Dr Kunio Kitamara, director of Japan's Family Planning Research Centre. His annual surveys indicate that the nation's libido has been lagging in the last decade. The birthrate has declined, but fewer contraceptives are being used and there are fewer abortions and lower rate of sexually transmitted diseases. "Why?" asks Dr Kitamara: "Less sex!"
His research shows that almost half of married couples have sex less than one a month, and "young people dislike sexual intercourse". His latest data from 2010 showed that 32% of young men dislike sex because "they are afraid of failure and rejection by women." Sixty percent of women in their mid- to late 20s are single, and 70% of unmarried women don't have a boyfriend. In Japan marriage is still more or less a prerequisite for having children – only 2% of children are born outside wedlock.
One young man we spoke to had dressed his dog up in a white hoodie and jeans, shoes and sunglasses because, he said, he wanted his dog to look "cute, cool and tough". His proud owner said he hoped his dog's look might attract young women, but so far he hadn't met anyone to share his life with. "I wish I could meet someone like that," he said.
Economic stagnation has hit young men particularly hard. More than 10 million people aged between 20 and 34 still live with their parents. They can't afford to get married and start a family, but for the odd luxury or treats for their dogs, they can – and do – splash out.
Designer clothes for dogs. Photograph: Ruth Evans Smart buggies and designer doggie bags are essential for any self-respecting dog like Kotaro. "My dog really hates to go out with his feet," says Akiba. "Kotaro doesn't like walking at all."
For dogs in urgent need of exercise after a lifetime being pushed or carried around, there are spas and onsens (hot springs), which look identical to the ones for humans. For $100 (£65) a session, an attendant in a wetsuit will give Kotaro one-to-one swimming lessons, relaxing bubble baths, body massages using aromatherapy oils, deep-pore cleansing and mud packs, and even flossing or manicure services. Many dogs are "regulars" who come at least once a week – running up annual bills of $5,000 (£3,200) or more.
In Tokyo, it is easier for Horikoshi to find a canine daycare centre for Tinkerbell and Ginger than it would be to find a nursery place for a child. If Akiba and his partner decide to go on holiday, they can pay $100 a night to leave Kotaro in a dog hotel.
When the unthinkable happens, there are even temples where dead dogs are laid to rest with full Buddhist rites: a deluxe funeral and cremation ceremony can cost $8,000 (£5,000) or more. "I find these days people grieve more for their pets than for parents or grandparents," says a monk at a 1,000-year-old temple in a Tokyo suburb. "It is because pets are just like their child, so it is like losing a child."
Japan's population fell by a record number last year and in the wake of the earthquake and nuclear disasters, the National Institute of Population Research is expecting there to be a further decline in births this year, says deputy director Ryuichi Kaneko. "We realised that we are living in dangerous times," he says. "Many young people are even more hesitant to have children now."
Akiba says that although the government has tried to encourage young couples to have babies, many of the incentives, such as child benefit, are too inconsistent and subject to frequent political change. Japan's population has the longest life expectancy in the world, which – coupled with the falling birth rate – means a pensions timebomb looms. "We all – companies, the government, people young and old - need to think seriously about this problem," says Kaneko, "or Japan will have a very hard time."
One thing is certain: everything Japan has tried so far – introducing maternity leave, increasing child beneft, providing nursery places – has failed to arrest its demographic decline. Fresh thinking will be needed to persuade more Japanese people that in the long-term, man's best friend can be no substitute for man himself.

Little changes at Indy's understaffed, sometimes squalid animal shelter

For more than a decade, Indiana's largest animal shelter has failed to provide for the most basic needs of the 17,000 animals entrusted to its care each year.
From time to time, well-meaning people come together and try to fix the problems. Task forces are assembled. Studies are conducted. Solutions are found. But the city of Indianapolis has never implemented them.
A 2003 task force called for better medical care, more staffing and clearer euthanasia procedures at Animal Care and Control. A report commissioned this year by the Department of Public Safety found that little has changed.
The lone veterinarian position has been vacant since March, and because of a shortage of staff, decisions to kill a wounded animal are routinely made without even a basic medical workup. To meet bare minimum standards, the study found, the kennel staff needs to double.
Conditions have become so dire that the report's authors suggest the shelter may even be in violation of the city's own animal cruelty ordinances.
An Indianapolis Star review found that Indianapolis Animal Care and Control is dramatically understaffed compared with similar facilities in the region. And despite broad agreement that improvements are needed, efforts to make them have repeatedly fallen apart when it comes time to pay for them.
Administration officials and some City-County Council members blame the problems on budget constraints in a city that has seen revenue plummet because of property tax caps and the national recession.
But animal welfare groups and others on the council say that explanation obscures the true culprit. A city that spends more than $350 million a year on public safety, they say, has never made animal care a priority.
"We've known this since at least 2000," said Sue Hobbs, chair of an advisory board that oversees Animal Care and Control. "There have been committees and studies and panels, and nothing ever changes. It just doesn't. It's seriously like Groundhog's Day."
'How ironic it is'
The shelter at 2600 S. Harding St. is required by law to take unwanted, abused and neglected animals, as well as strays.
At any given time, the shelter's 12 animal care technicians tend to the needs of 500-plus animals. Forget about walking the dogs — the latest study shows the shelter needs twice that number just to tend to basic needs, such as feeding them and cleaning cages, according to minimum standards established by the Association of Shelter Veterinarians.
Each cage receives a full scrub once a day — often using bleach and rags that volunteers bring from home. Later, there's a follow-up visit to scoop poop before the employees leave for the day at 6:30 p.m. Overnight, the animals are left unsupervised, and it shows the next morning.
During an 11 a.m. weekday visit by The Indianapolis Star, several dog cages remained littered with feces from overnight, and urine had pooled in one of the aisles. The shelter smelled about like what you would expect.
Animal welfare advocates describe the staff as caring and hardworking but overwhelmed.
They've been leaderless since April, when Dan Shackle became the 10th director in 12 years to resign. The only full-time veterinarian in the shelter's recent history moved out of state in March, and a replacement hasn't been found.
To make ends meet, Animal Care and Control relies heavily on volunteers, who are on pace to log 19,477 hours this year. That's roughly the workload of nine full-time employees.
Without them, Hobbs said, "laundry wouldn't get done, cat litter pans wouldn't get washed, dogs wouldn't get walked, adoption events wouldn't get staffed. It would be a debacle, basically."
Other government-run shelters in the region are better equipped, particularly on the medical side. Louisville, Ky., and the Franklin County shelter in Columbus, Ohio, employ a full-time veterinarian with a supporting medical staff of at least five employees. Indianapolis, which sheltered at least 5,000 more animals last year than either of them, doesn't budget for any veterinary technicians or assistants.
Among the regional cities surveyed, only Chicago had more animals per shelter employee in 2014 than Indianapolis. But Chicago still provides two full-time vets with a six-member veterinary staff.
But most damning in the recent report is the suggestion that conditions at the shelter may violate the city's own animal cruelty ordinances.
City code requires food "in adequate amounts to maintain good health." The city doesn't budget for food at all, instead relying on a hodgepodge of donations that veterinarians say is detrimental to the animals' well-being.
Additionally, "there's no budget for emergency care and this, the team members believe, is contrary to local laws on humane care," the report said. "With lack of budgeting for emergency medical care, IACC staff is forced to make euthanasia decisions without adequate diagnostic information, such as X-ray and bloodwork results."
The law requires animal owners to provide proper medical care and to segregate animals when they are sick to prevent the spread of disease. But the study, conducted this summer, found that poor sanitation and the lack of a quarantine area presented a high risk for disease. In October, a deadly viral outbreak killed two dozen cats before animal rescue groups took the remaining cats away to prevent its spread.
"The city is charged to investigate cruelty," said John Aleshire, CEO of the Humane Society of Indianapolis. "How ironic it is that we would bring an animal back to a shelter that is not properly staffed, that does not have proper medical care and (where) the staff has to scrounge around for food."
Funds limited
Valerie Washington, deputy director of the Department of Public Safety, which oversees Animal Care and Control, agrees that better care is needed.
The search for a new leader is ongoing, and she plans to convert the full-time vet position to a part-time one at the same salary in order to fill it. She hopes to add at least three vet techs to the budget, plus a $150,000 line item for food, she said. (For context, Louisville spent $579,000 on food last year.)
That is, of course, if additional funds come through. Washington, council members and animal welfare advocates are optimistic that the city will fund the recommendations incrementally beginning in 2015.
So what took so long? Opinions differ, but at least since the recession, revenue limitations surely played a role.
Marc Lotter, spokesman for Mayor Greg Ballard, said the city's total revenue is down $63 million from 2008 — and that's not adjusted for inflation.
"At the same time you have people saying you need to spend more money on Animal Care and Control, you have people saying you need to spend more money on potholes and you need to hire more police officers," Lotter said. "You have to balance all of those things."
Former shelter director Steve Talley recalled his own push to add five control officers and nine kennel staffers in 2009.
"We really fought for it, we tried to get it, and we had commitments from the director (of Public Safety), from the controller, but again, other things take place and 'you know what, we're gonna try to do it incrementally,' and we just never crossed the finish line," Talley said.
Now a city-county councilman, Talley, a Democrat, said he understands why funding never comes through. And, he insisted, it isn't that the shelter is being ignored.
If he gets $125,000 to add to the public safety budget, he said, "What am I gonna do? Which of those have a greater priority or impact on the quality of life of the citizens of Indianapolis? Naturally, the call is always made to provide for a police officer or a firefighter."
Washington, meanwhile, bristles at the idea that Public Safety hasn't made animal care a priority in her tenure. And she promises to follow through on at least some of the study's recommendations. She and Public Safety Director Troy Riggs have been there about two years, she said, and in that time, "none of our efficiency teams have had recommendations that just sit on the shelf."
The problem, she said, is that money isn't easy to find. The police and fire departments have numerous revenue streams, including a tax earmarked specifically for public safety. Animal Care and Control's money comes exclusively from the county's consolidated general fund, which last year was cut 5 percent across the board.
As such, the marching orders from on high have consistently been "be more efficient." Do more with less money.
The shelter, for all its problems, has done so.
A decade ago, the shelter killed more than half of its animals. Today, as many as 70 percent of the animals that enter the shelter leave alive, thanks to better coordination with private rescue groups. Even medical care is improved.
"When fully staffed, those animals are getting much better attention and veterinary care than they ever have before," said former shelter employee Kirsten VantWoud, the chief operating officer at the Humane Society of Indianapolis.
Cautious optimism
Despite the pervasive optimism, the city's track record leaves room for skepticism.
"There have been all these points where it has kind of come to a crisis," said Republican Councilwoman Christine Scales. "There have been various times where we've gotten a lot of publicity about the problems, and then there's a hurry-scurry by the administration to do something, and then it kind of dies down again."
She suspects animal care is simply easy to ignore.
"They (the animals) are voiceless, they don't have someone politically well-connected to advocate on their behalf," Scales said. "In a sense, it's almost like the administration knows: They've heard it before, (animal welfare groups) get upset, they make their passionate pleas, and then they go away. They go back to working for the animals."
Councilman Zach Adamson, who co-chaired the task force, says it's time for the city to make a choice: fund the shelter properly, or shift its focus to reducing the population.
In Brown County, an aggressive spay-and-neuter program by the local Humane Society reduced animal intake by 60 percent in a five-year period, said Sue Ann Werling, the board's president.
"You get your population down, you don't need the staff," she said.
And, she said, "you're not making decisions on who dies today."
Efforts by FACE, a low-cost spay-and-neuter clinic, have had a similar impact in Indy. The group's director, Ellen Robinson, said intake at Animal Care and Control was down to 17,000 last year from a peak of nearly 33,000 when FACE opened in 1999. But its efforts are limited by funding. "We lose $250,000 a year, just from community cats," she said.
The city provides a $15,000 grant to the organization but little else. Ultimately, that's to the detriment of taxpayers, advocates say.
"If the city were to back spay and neuter more effectively, statistics show that for every $1 you spend in spay and neuter, you save $3 over your animal control budget," VantWoud said. In 2013, animal complaints topped the list of calls to the mayor's action line, accounting for 16,403 calls. This year, they've been eclipsed by potholes, trash and high weeds and grass, Lotter said, but are on a similar pace with more than 15,203 calls through Nov. 9.
Washington said the city could possibly devote more resources to spay and neuter but has no concrete plans to do so.
In the meantime, Hobbs said she's confident that Animal Care and Control will get some money next year for food, supplies and a few new positions. These are small victories, perhaps, in the context of a report that calls for millions in additional funding. But for now, she said, any money at all would be cause for celebration.
"If we could just get it up to miserable," she said, "I'd be happy."
Call Star reporter Brian Eason at (317) 444-6129. Follow him on Twitter: @brianeason.

Animal Rights Group said Workers at Birnamwood Farm Abused Cows

An animal right group that said they captured video of employees abusing cows at a farm in Wrightstown last year, has turned over its latest video showing animal abuse they said they shot undercover at Andrus Dairy in Birnamwood. The video was reportedly shot in July and August.

Mercy For Animals said workers punched the cows and even cut off their tails with pruning shears.


Wednesday, Andrus Farm issued NewsChannel 7 a statement saying they are a three-generation dairy that has been in business for nearly 70 years. And it wasn't until recently that they became aware of the undercover video footage.

We were shocked to see some of our employees not following appropriate animal handling practices on our farm. No one in our family was aware of such conduct occurring on our farm. We were equally shocked to learn that one of our former employees stood by and collected this video footage without notifying us and without interceding to protect our animals. We don’t condone this kind of behavior and have immediately begun to work with our farm veterinarians and dairy industry resources to access and implement training and enforcement mechanisms to address proper animal handling with our workforce. We will require all employees sign an animal care commitment and immediately report inappropriate behavior to us and we will increase our presence in areas where our employees are handling animals. We believe these steps will help ensure these behaviors will not be repeated on our farm.

Green Bay media outlets are reporting the Shawano County district attorney's office will not pursue criminal charges against the owner of the farm.

Knowlton-based Mullins Cheese is supplied by Andrus Farm. In a statement Mullins said they have a long standing relationship with the Andrus family, a three generation farm. And plans to support the farm by providing employee training on proper animal handling
practices.

According to an online publication for meat and poultry processors Alan Andrus, owner of the dairy farm, told reporters that the video is based on isolated incidents that were blown out of proportion. He added that tail docking is a common practice in the dairy industry.

Disclaimer: The video is graphic and some people may find it disturbing.

Click here to watch the video of the alleged about at Mercy for Animal's website gotmisery.com

An animal right group that said they captured video of employees abusing cows at a farm in Wrightstown last year had turned over its latest video showing animal abuse they said they shot undercover at Andrus Dairy in Birnamwood. The video was reportedly shot in July and Aug.

Mercy For Animals said workers punched the cows and even cut off their tails with pruning shears.

Green Bay media outlets are reporting the Shawano County district attorney's office will not pursue criminal charges against the owner of the farm.

According to an online publication for meat and poultry processors Alan Andrus, owner of the dairy farm, told reporters that the video is based on isolated incidents that were blown out of proportion. He added that tail docking is a common practice in the dairy industry.

We Need To Know More About These Interesting Facts About African Lion

A few months back, I was bored at home and had nothing much to do after I am done doing my work. So, I switched on my TV and stumbled across a documentary about African Lion. I was amazed at how the female African lions are the ones that are always hunting for food. All these while, the dumb me thinks that the male lions are the one that hunts, purely because they are better build than their female counterparts.

1. Male lions protect the pride

Instead of hunting, male lions protect its pride while the females hunt for food. This is actually a good idea as the male lion has a mane that can actually makes its face look bigger and intimidating. And it can terrify any animals, not only with its looks, but with its loud, thunderous roar, that tries to sneak into its territory, including lions from a different pride.

2. Female lions go on hunting with 2-4 lioness

Like I said, the female is the one that goes for the hunting spree. This is in contrast with many other living things. However, female lions do not go hunting alone. For better success of hunting, they will go in groups, usually between 2-4 lioness.

Usually, one of them will try to go near its target, stealthily. When it reaches near it, it will make a sudden burst of speed towards its prey in order to try to pin it down. If that doesn't succeed, they will use a more advance tactic.

Two of them will go near their prey openly. The sight of these predators will already make its prey scramble from its place. However, that is actually what they wanted as they are actually making their prey run to a direction where another two lionesses are hiding and waiting to pounce.

But even when they have successfully taken down their prey, the have a certain hierarchy as to who are allowed to eat first. Usually, the dominant male among the pride will be tasting it first, followed by the lionesses and the cubs.

3. Being lazy

I am surprised about African lions in that they are not doing anything if they are not eating or hunting. I mean, come on! They are the king of all animals and they should move around and gain control of more territory or something. But no. They choose to relax and sun tan.

4. Mating Season

Now comes the interesting part. The male lion will become more aggressive during this period. Usually, the younger and lesser dominant male lion will leave its pride in order to fight for the top spot of other pride. Usually, there will be a confrontation between the older lion of some other pride against a younger lion. If the older lion loses, it will leave its pride and the younger one will take over.

The sad part when that happens is that the young cubs of that older lion will be eliminated. This is because the younger one can breed his own offspring so that his own offspring can take over his throne.

Here Are Some Interesting Facts About Red Fox

Red Fox is the largest Fox Species, out of 21 known species of fox. It is most wide spread carnivore member of the group. The red fox lives in loose family group. The male will den with two vixens, often a mother and an older daughter, but prefers a solitary life of hunting alone through his territory. Rather than meet other foxes face to face, he will often leave scent "messages" that will alert others to the control of his domain. Here we are mentioning some interesting facts about Red fox.

1: Habitat

Red Fox has wide habitat, which includes forests, farmland, suburbs and woodlands. This species of fox is present in Eurasia, North Africa, North America and North Africa. They were introduced into Australia, but they damaged the local population.

2: Diet

Red fox is omnivore, so rabbits, rodents and game birds are its favorite food. However, it also loves to eat fruits, beetles, worms and insects.

3: Threats

Like every animal, Red fox also faces threats from other animals, which includes wolves, bears, lynx and coyotes. Human also hunt them for their fur coat.

4: Den living

Foxes live is den, which they dig or borrow for themselves. Interestingly, one den is used by many generations.

5: Senses

Fox is considered as a sharp animal, with strong senses. Its sense of hearing is incredibly strong, which helps in locating the pray in thick vegetation and even in underground burrows.

Ten Interesting Facts About Panthers

Panthers are those animals that belong to the family of leopards, cats and loins. This is why panthers are also called the big cats. They are known for their lean body and fast speed. Panthers are also called jaguars. Panthers also do have different colors and classifications. Their colors and classifications are according to the areas where they are found. Most famous types of panthers are white and black panthers and both are very rare now days.

1. Types of panthers

The two main types of panthers are black and white panthers. Apart from these two types, there are other types of panthers as well. These are classified as the colors of panthers so other panthers are tawny or spotted panthers.

2. Name

Usually panthers are also called leopards or big cats. The name panther has been eliminated today but still the pure black leopards are called panthers.

3. Black panther

Black panthers are really beautiful but rare. They are usually found in the thick forests of united states, UK and Australia.

4. Ghost of forests

Panther is also called the 'ghost of forest' because of its quickness and stealthy walk. These are its features that help him catching target easily.

5. White panthers

White panthers are even rarer than the Black Panther. The total number of white panther in the whole world is just few hundreds. This is a sad fact that this species is disappearing very fast. White panthers are found in the region named 'chitraal' of Pakistan and some other northern areas of the same country.

6. Yellow panther

There is another type of panthers named as yellow panthers and it is really interesting fact that yellow mother panther can have both yellow and black cubs.

7. Life span

Life span of panthers is very short. The average life of a panther is twelve years but in captivity they can live up to 19 or 20 years.

8. Tree climbers

Panthers are the most capable and fast tree climbers in their whole group of animals. It is noticed that they have some really different and interesting tricks for tree climbing.

9. Strength

Panthers are so strong animals that they can lift heavy animals they killed with them on trees. They can also kill big animals like giraffe.

10. Territory

Panthers live in their own territory and do not allow any other panther to enter in their territory. By the age of 2, they are fully grown and able to hold their separate space.