Japan Earthquake Tsunami: Homeless Dogs and Animal Rescue

The earthquake and tsunami that visited Japan on March 11 has not only created a disaster for hundreds of thousands of people, but also for their pets, forcing them to suddenly fend for themselves.  Fur caked with mud, dogs trot forlornly in rubble-filled streets along Japan's devastated coastline, foraging for scraps of food and searching for owners.

Luna, a 6 year old Beagle mix, is tied to a tree, barking for attention or sleeping in a cardboard box on a dirty cushion, two bowls of frozen water before her.

Luna, the Beagle sits in her makeshift home at an evacuee center.

  AP Photo

Still, she is one of the lucky ones.  She has food.  Passers-by pet and comfort her.  She gets walked twice a day.  And her 55 year old owner is alive.  He just can't take her into the shelter he's staying at because of a no pets rule.

Many other dogs and cats have been forced to fend for themselves since the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, which obliterated homes and killed more than 10,000 people.

"This is a big calamity for pets, along with people," said Sugano Hoso of the Japan branch of the US based United Kennel Club.  "Many are on their own and many more are trapped in evacuated areas where people have left."  The biggest concerns are reuniting them with their owners and getting them food, medical treatment and shelter, she said.  Her group is distributing food and supplies where it can.

Thousands of pets have been left behind in evacuation zones affected by radiation from the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear facility, which was swamped by the tsunami and remains unstable.  Those animals also face radiation related issues.  Faced with life or death predicaments, many pet owners didn't have the presence of mind or weren't able to see to the safety of their pets.  "We have requested the government allow us into those zones to rescue dogs, but the government isn't listening to us," Hoso said.

Ryo Taira's pet shop and animal shelter in Arahama, near the city of Sendai, is caring for 80 dogs and cats whose owners are unable to bring their pets with them to tsunami shelters.  The pets, mostly smaller dogs, spend the nights in crates stacked on top of each other.  Volunteers and staff take them for walks to a nearby park.  "Evacuees are under a stressful situation, working on reconstruction and searching for missing family members," Taira said.  "I think they cannot really have much energy to pay attention to their pets.  So we want to do what we can to help reduce their stress."

Donated pet food outside an evacuee center.  AP Photo

Luna, the Beagle, came from the evacuated area, but her family had time to pack their things and hers before they escaped.  "When we were told to evacuate, one of the first things we did was make sure we had Luna and enough food to keep her going for a few days," said Masami Endo, a 55 year old grocer.  He lives in Minami Soma town, in the shadow of the Fukushima nuclear facility.  residents have been ordered wither to evacuate or remain indoors because of the radiation risk.  Endo decided to come to Fukushima city's main shelter, a gymnasium where about 1,400 people have taken refuge, about a week ago.

Japan Earthquake Tsunami Animal Rescue - How to Help

All of us at For Love of a Dog find it hard to comprehend the devastation in Japan following the recent earthquake and tsunami.  We've watched the video footage, viewed the photos, and read the stories, yet our minds still have a hard time believing what our eyes are seeing.  

Animal rescue efforts continue and the local rescue groups will soon be joined by international organizations.

We've already told you about the coalition Japan Earthquake Animal Rescue.  You can follow their updates on their Facebook page and donate via the widget on this blog.  Animal Rescue Kansai is the other major organization taking in homeless animals. We continue to search for good places to make our donations count.  Here's what we've found so far:

• Animal Refuge Kansai - ARK is accepting as many animals as possible who have been made homeless due to the earthquake.  Any donations given now will be used for the animals displaced by this disaster.
• Japan Earthquake Animal Rescue and Support - a coalition of three groups:  HEART-Tokushima, Animal Garden Niigata, and Japan Cat Network.  They are providing rescue, shelter, vet care, and support of animals in crisis.  They are also coordinating animal rescue efforts.  You can donate here, as well as follow them on Facebook where they give frequent reports of animal rescue efforts in Japan.
• HEART Tokushima - a part of the JEARS coalition
• Animal Friends Niigata - a part of the JEARS coalition
• Japan Cat Network - a part of the JEARS coalition that also updates their web site with reports of rescue efforts.
• International Fund for Animal Welfare - will be sending emergency teams.
• Humane Society International - will be sending emergency teams and aid.
• World Vets International Aid for Animals - already on the ground in Japan with emergency response teams.
• Japanese Red Cross Society
• Crisis Response for Japan

Japan Earthquake Tsunami Dogs Need Rescue Follow Up

If you've seen the Japanese news crew video of the dogs who survived the earthquake and tsunami, you've no doubt wondered and worried about the dogs.  From what we know now, they have been rescued. 

Watching the video below, I am filled with amazement that they were.  This video comes from Ulara Nakagawa, associate editor of the The Diplomat and was shot in Sendai, Japan on March 15, 2011.  She was traveling with an animal rescue team that is part of the coalition Japan Earthquake Animal Rescue and Support.  They'd been listening for word on animals who had survived the destruction and received a tip about two dogs.

This was one of the areas hardest hit by the tsunami that struck Japan last Friday, following the massive 9.0 earthquake off the northeastern coast of the country.  It has been estimated that the wave was 33 feet high.

Note:  you will not see dogs in the video.  However, as you view the devastation it is hard to comprehend that any living creature survived.


Sendai, Japan March 15, 2011 from The Diplomat on Vimeo.

Dogs Need Rescue - Japanese Earthquake Tsumani Survivors

I first viewed this video on Ohmidog.  It is heartbreaking.  I call your attention to the donation widget here on this blog which aims to raise funds for an animal rescue coalition in Japan.  My understanding, from this group, is that these dogs have now been rescued.  The mostly white dog is in the care of a vet;  the brown and white dog is at a shelter.

Japan Earthquake Animal Rescue and Support

Yesterday I read a blog post and watched a video at Ohmidog about some dogs who survived the earthquake and tsunami in Japan.  As a result I increased my efforts to discover a way of contributing that was on the up and up.  I confess I also looked for information about the dogs that were in the video.

 The Japan earthquake Animal Rescue and Support is a coalition of three groups:  HEART - Tokushima, Animal Garden Niigata, and Japan Cat Network.  These groups have been working in animal rescue in Japan for many years.  They've now come together to provide animal shelter space, coordinate some earthquake/tsunami animal rescues, and to share animal rescue related new to the general public.  Like their individual groups, their collaboration is no-kill.

If you choose to donate, your money will be used strictly for rescue, care and support of animals in crisis due to the earthquake and tsunami, including veterinary care, vaccines, antibiotics, food, cages, and transportation. 

You can read more about Japan Earthquake Animal Rescue and Support on their Facebook page.  There you'll find frequent updates about their efforts.