Police in Fuji City, Shizuoka Prefecture, have arrested a 51-year-old woman for violation of the animal welfare law after 85 dogs were found at her house in poor living conditions.
According to police, the dogs, kept for breeding, were roaming around a flooded floor, and some had visible signs of hair loss, Fuji TV reported. Many dogs were found stacked upon each other in a single cage; most were malnourished.
Police said Miyuki Akiyama, who was arrested on Tuesday, also kept some of the dogs outdoors in terrible conditions. In addition to enduring cramped living conditions, keeping dozens of dogs exceeds the legal limit that breeders and pet sellers can own, police said.
A local resident was quoted by media as saying, “Whenever I passed by Akiyama’s house, I had to pinch my nose because the smell was unbearable.”
According to Fuji Health Center, Akiyama was instructed to take care of her breeding operation about eight years ago. However, Akiyama refused to allow an inspection, prompting the health center to contact the authorities. The canines were placed into protective custody in April.
© Japan Today
15 Comments
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snowymountainhell
Always, “speedy” justice in Japan:
Continued from 2013 - 2021 ?
gaijintraveller
I don't think this is unusual in the pet business.
This is why we should not support the pet trade. If you want a pet, get one from a shelter like ARK.
Personally, I have never bought a pet. All mine have been found, either strays or someone's pet that was heartlessly dumped.
I have also found homes for dumped or unwanted animals.
There is absolutely no need to support the pet business by buying a pet from a shop.
Dio
ADOPT! DON’T BUY
The Dude in Japan
Please post a link to where these mistreated dogs can be adopted from.
MilesTeg
There are like 5 or 6 animals shelters in all of Japan yet hundreds of dubious pet shops and puppy mills where conditions are horrific and abuse rampant. Yet people continue to buy pets at these questionable places simply because they refuse to do research or don't care. Friend who loves Goldens says there are some legitimate breeders but their dogs are very expensive. Based on the unpopularity of child adoption in Japan, in the same sentiment, Japanese may dislike the idea of adopting a rescue or foster dog as they're often older and not puppies. That they've been discarded makes them more unappealing. My last two dogs back in Canada were fosters and I find every one has a sad story to tell if someone is willing to give them a new lease on life.
Joe Blow
Sometimes they're abandoned for a reason, such as genetic health problems or aggression, but oftentimes it's purely the owner's fault. Then the poor dog is seen as unwanted, used goods by all the people who keep the plastic film on their electronics and want everything in their house to be new.
Sad.
Pukey2
NEVER ever buy from pet shops or breeders. Scum of the earth. Instead, if you have the time, money and sense of responsibility, adopt an unwanted animal from the shelters.
https://www.youtube.com/user/TheDodoSite/videos
Boku Dayo
I can't speak for the pet shops, but the breeders I know are not "scum of the earth". Quite the opposite.
Aly Rustom
man, I've been reading about canine abuse from those scumbags for about 20 years starting with with Metropolis Magazine.. With these problems carrying on for decades, the gov REALLY needs to start clamping down on the breeders and pet shops.
kiwi07
Added to that issue is that there are a number of fake shelters. It's illegal to sell dogs without a license, but it is not illegal to rescue and rehome dogs without a license as a charity and charge a fee for it (even if the fee is several hundreds of thousands of yen). When we were looking to adopt our dog, several so called 'dog shelters', and 'dog rescue organizations' were underground breeders. Legitimate shelters, such as ARK, and Heart Tokushima, etc, welcome volunteers, are not breeding the dogs, and are often trying to rehome the harder to adopt out dogs, such as older dogs. We got our dog from a city dog pound in the end (保健所).
Goodlucktoyou
I have a dog and when searching, I went to a breeder like this. The puppy I tried to buy died of cancer two days before I was going to get it.
At the dog run I go to, 15-20% are rescue dogs. You can search the Internet.
Laguna
My dog died a month ago. He'd lived with us for 15 years. He excelled at opening the screen door (gone! - but he'd come back) and snatching food from the table. I miss him terribly. That someone could keep dogs in such a horrific condition is unbelievable. The owner needs mental health care.
Zaphod
Boku Dayo
My son had an internship at a pet clinic here, and the breeders who brought their dogs for checkups were responsible. No doubt he would not meet the others, but lets stay away from the generalizations.
starpunk
I'm not an 'animal lover' or a 'veggie' but this is inexcusable. Animal abuse and pet neglect is indefensible.