In Izumi Sano City, the municipality adjacent to Kansai International Airport, the streets since last September have been patrolled by pairs of elderly men wearing distinctive yellow jumpers. The lettering on their backs reads, "Hochi-fun G Men." "Hochi-fun" means droppings left behind, and the role of these G-Men -- for which an annual budget of 4.6 million yen has been allocated -- is to deal with residents' complaints over the the proliferating piles of poop befouling the city's streets.
"Our town welcomes visitors from all over the world, and many residents regard it as terribly rude for them to have to encounter dog poop on the streets," the municipal worker entrusted with the cleanup campaign tells Aera (May 6-13).
Last year the town passed a statute subjecting negligent dog owners to fines for not cleaning up after their pets went into force. Since no improvements resulted, the town imposed a "dog owners tax," and was subsequently besieged with complaints from infuriated pet owners, who claimed they were being forced to pay for the actions of a small number of inconsiderate people. The standoff led to the formation of the town's force of septuagenarian "G Men."
At first, the task of the G Men was to scoop up offending poop, but this had the opposite effect, as it encouraged even more dog owners to leave their dog's droppings on the street. So from last February the town put its "yellow card" policy into operation. Three mornings and evenings a week, the teams patrol sections of Izumi Sano where the problems are most numerous. They leave behind "yellow cards" to mark the offending spots.
The new strategy seems to be working. Compared with 1,736 trouble spots as of last January, the number shrank considerably, to 1,093 by March.
Then from April, the city council agreed to start slapping 1,000 yen fines on dog owners who walk away without cleaning up. If passed into law, this will take effect from July.
While Izumi Sano is by no means the only community with such laws on the books, the fact is that in Japan such laws are not actively enforced. Nor is poop the only problem. A man in his 60s, while strolling with his four-year-old grandson on a riverbank play area, the boy was set upon by an excitable small dog whose owner had allowed to run about unleashed.
"Sorry, he was just being playful," the owner said apologetically, scooping up the animal in his arms.
"Keep it on its leash!" the older man exclaimed angrily, while trying to mollify the terrified child. The dog owner beat a hasty retreat.
In this case the child was unhurt, but according to the Ministry of the Environment, during 2010 nearly 4,400 incidents of injuries from dog bites were reported nationwide.
"Many dog owners are only interested in things like popping their pups into bags and toting them around, or dressing them up like dolls. They treat them like living stuffed toys, and have no concerns for issues of morality," remarks Kazuya Nii, a Yokohama-based dog trainer who operates a site related to pets called D.I.N.G.O.. Nii added that excrement was just one aspect of a wider problem regarding self-centered pet owners.
"About half of dog owners don't even bother to register their pets," Nii tells the magazine. "I suppose the only way to deal with the problem is through low-key efforts aimed at enlightenment."
© Japan Today
55 Comments
Login to comment
Yubaru
Not even enough, ten times this or more! It's pretty disgusting to take a walk somewhere and see this crap laying around. If they don't clean it up, slap them in jail for a night or two!
Leash laws! Enforce them too!
Mocheake
Big problem in my area. Most pet owners here, it seems, don't give a s*it. Pun intended.
Exjapan
People should " call them out" if they notice owners not picking up their dogs poop. In public places like parks and recreational areas, bag stand can be set up with trash bins for dog owners.
Virtuoso
To bad Sony stopped making the Aibo robot dog. It required no food or cleaning up afterward.
gaijinfo
I think they can curb this with some useful psychology and some well placed signs. Been done before, for various other things. Lots of data on stuff like this. Simple tricks that tap the Japanese horror of being "called out" or something.
like these:
Hey Pooper: Everybody Knows Who You Are And That You Leave Your Poop Everywhere!
Pooper Alert: There Are Hidden Cameras And You Will Be Publicly Shamed For Public Pooping!
If You Don't Clean Up After Your Dog We Will Leave Your Poop In Your Mailbox With A Big Red Sign On Your Door!
Graham DeShazo
I agree and always bag my dog's crap. As for leash laws, it is technically (at least in Arakawa Tokyo) not illegal for a dog to be off a leash, but the owner has strict liability for any personal or property damage caused and it is socially frowned upon.
We used to have a large park near our house where all the dog owners got together at dusk after the kids went home and let our dogs run around off the leads. The G-men came and put up quite a fuss and were even more irritable when informed that contrary to what they said, we were not breaking the law. Dogs need some space to run around as well.
Note: I do agree with the part about owners being strictly liable for the damage of their pets.
Scrote
Are they sure it is dog mess? The only stuff I saw around here looked human in origin. In any case Y1000 is a pathetic fine. Y100000 would be more appropriate.
edojin
Years ago Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward tried posting signs instructing dog owners to clean up messes made by their mutts, including carrying a bottle of water to wash the urine away. Within a couple of days all the signs had been removed ... undoubtedly by dog owners who refused to go along with the advice.
As expected, the Ward's advice was ignored by way too many dog owners.
If I am out and about around my home when a dog walker passes by, I just stare at them until they have passed by. I guess my evil eye forces them to clean up a mess if the dog deficates around my place.
JeanValJean
I always clean up after my dog, and it angers me when others don't, and cats even more so.
cleo
The smart dog-owner gets the dog to 'go' before they go for their walk.
That way the dog develops the habit of evacuating quickly (cos he wants to go walkies) instead of holding it in till the last minute and maybe making a number of deposits (cos he doesn't want walkies to stop). And the owner can enjoy the walk with a just-in-case poly bag in his pocket, instead of touring the streets carrying a load of smelly pooh.
Pukey2
When it comes to poop, if you think Japan's bad, wait till you see the streets in France. What a minefield!
Serrano
"The lettering on their backs reads, "Hochi-fun G men"
LOL
smithinjapan
I don't see a lot of dog poop lying around for stepping in the streets here, and I think a lot of people are responsible, but of course there are those who are not. I once joked that these G-Men, if they saw the act in question, should take a picture of the owner, print it out, and put it on a sign in the poop. One guy thought it was actually a great idea, but of course ultimately the effort involved goes far beyond simply cleaning it up.
tmarie
Not registered? How about no ownership? And a 1000 yen is a joke. Make it 30,000. Same with everything else here. A rule and little to no follow through. Dogs here, I find, are NOT socialized well at all.
bass4funk
Sometimes you just utterly amaze me with some your your comments. NOT everyone has time to toilet train their canine. I have enough trying to toilet train my kids. Most people don't have extra time to do that, I sure don't, I have two dogs and I don't mind carrying smelly poop. If you have a dog and they want to roam and take a little more time, it's natural, dogs get excited, for them a walk is the same as when I take my kids to the park, they can't get enough, but when it's time to go, it's time to go. My dog never gives me problems. I play with her a lot at home, so she doesn't pester me about staying longer, but each dog is different and I understand that. That is just part of having a dog. IF you don't like the smell and if it is a hassle to clean up after Fido, then don't get a dog! This is a no brainer!I DO mind people NOT curbing their dog. I live in Fukuoka and people usually clean after their dogs. But I am sick and tired of hearing people not cleaning up after their dogs. They should be fined. Having a dog is practically a life time commitment. For the next 12-15 years that is a life that you are responsible for, it is not a toy and the owner has the responsibility to raise the dog properly and to take care of it from its health, hygiene and behavior.
Graham DeShazo
I walk the dog, precisely BECAUSE I don't want it going in the house. My dog is not some yappy rat-dog. It is about 20 kg and there isn't a pee pad in existence that would absorb all that. As for the bag, well you get used to it just like you get used to changing your kids diapers.
Tamarama
I have a Shiba and she generally saves it for the walk because she is a fastidious little lady and prefers not to tweak in the nest, so to speak.
You just have to be ready with the poo-bag once she starts to arch the back with the look of intense concentration that usually accompanies it.
It's a basic responsibility of a dog owner.
cleo
bass4funk-
A pup is way easier to toilet train than a kiddy. Children are still having accidents at age 3, 4 or even 5, while even the slowest pup, barring real medical problems, is able to control his bodily functions reliably by the time he reaches 6 months, most much earlier. To be frank, if you don't have time to train your dog, you don't have time to own a dog. If you have time to play with her a lot at home, you have time to toilet-train. Surely you train the dogs not to go in the house? If you can do that, you can train them to go before the walk. All it takes is 5 minutes spent in the garden, followed by a tasty treat and a bit of praise when things happen.
...and do your kids pooh in the park? No? No need for your dogs to, either.
No 'practically' about it. For the life of the dog, absolutely.
My dobie was nearly 30 kg and she did fine with the larger size pee pads on rainy/blustery typhoon days when walkies were impossible.
cleo
Sorry, the last bit was addressed to Graham DeShazo, not bass4funk.
hooktrunk2
Good luck enforcing this one. I wish Tokyo had Animal Control. Stray cats are a worse problem. There are volunteers who actually feed them which creates a worse problem for home owners. Woof!
Get Real
What parcel of idiots seriously concluded a ¥1000 fine is a deterrent?
Jack Stern
Thumbs up to the dog walking owners I see carrying a bag . It could be made a rule that dog walkers must carry a bag In plain sight when they walk their pet.
Nessie
The majority of people in Japan do not have gardens.
Dennis Bauer
Make the Fine 5 man , then they will notice, or do we need a poop mascot? :P
cleo
Then five minutes on a pee-pee pad.
LiveInTokyo
My wife carries plastic bags when she takes the dog out for a walk. Training problem I know, but she can't get the dog to use the place she made inside the house. A carryover from her late mother who spoiled the dog shamelessly, much to my annoyance.
But I'm not surprised that the poop patrol isn't having much luck. Some a little similar ... In Tokyo smoking on the street is banned in some wards, so they have a similar group handing out on the spot fines. From my experience they don't hand out many tickets as they avoid the spots where most smokers are. Why do they do that? From what I've seen a lot of smokers just literally blow up and give the guys an earful, which leads to no tickets being handed out and the smokers just continuing on his/her merry way ... puff puff puff. I expect the same with the poop patrol.
Wakarimasen
Dog s++t in the street is disgusting. Owners should carry bags and pick it up - price of being a dog owner.
Yokota
I was visiting a friend in hon komagome, bunkyo-ku tokyo, and she told me that she has to clean up dog urine from in front of her house almost everyday...the smell is quite strong...she also has signs stating please dont let your dog urinate at this location, but it does not work. BTW she is a gaigin, and she implied that the other houses around her's dont have that problem. Her house is rather clean and tidy, so I cant see why she has this problem. She also said she caught an old lady with a stroller carrying her dog, and this lady picked her dog up out of the stroller and placed it in front of her house to urinate. I asked her did she confront her she said no. Another time my friend said she saw a man stop in front of her house and let his dog urinate. She noticed that the guy was looking around very suspicioulsy too.
cleo
Wow, dunno why I got all those thumbs-down. Someone object to dogs being properly trained?
zurcronium
Cleo,
a few weeks ago you and other doggy apologists made the case that poor behavior by dog owners was rate in Japan. And now we see the facts. Like I said before dog owners are just one small step down from smokers in turns of their anti-social behavior. 4,400 injuries in Japan due to dog attacks. 50 percent of dog owners are so far removed from reality that they think that their dogs poop or urine is a gift for others to savor in parks and elsewhere. Dog owners should be taxed heavily for the damage their dogs inflict on the public. No amount of training will help as that is just a fantasy that a few out of touch dog owners think is possible. The reality is that dog ownership in this country has gotten out of control and that it needs to be taxed in order to be managed. Smokers and dog owners, really two peas in a pod.
trinklets2
Maybe not a trend. Once I saw an old man with a dog on a leash in one hand and a plastic bag plus scoop on the other hand. When his dog poop along the sidewalk, he just nudged the poo towards the grassy side. The plastic bag and the scoop are mere props then. Here in the danchi, I hate seeing, fat and foreign-looking residents with fat, small poochies on the leash leaving their pets' poos on the walking areas. They've been having a grand time with big salaries, discounted housing nix NHK dues and at times "free" parking areas.
cleo
No, I said that not all dog owners are irresponsible. I am not an irresponsible dog owner.
My dog inflicts no damage on anyone. Do I get a tax rebate?
You're saying training is not a good thing? Maybe you need to meet a few properly-trained dogs. I will give you that training is not taken as seriously in Japan as it should be - and not only by the Japanese, judging from the thumbs-down I'm getting for advocating proper training.
GJN48
Dogs are one thing. How about cleaning up after a drunken salaryman?
Baibaikin
@cleo - No idea why you got all the thumbs down. I'm a firm believer that it is the responsibility of dog owners to train them to behave as best they can. If people haven't got the time or the inclination to do that, they shouldn't have a dog.
bass4funk
@cleo
To a point, yes, but a child has to live and interact in society, school, work.
Ok, but as I said, I have kids, so to teach my dogs to use the toilet is NOT a top priority as my kids. As long as my dogs are taught NOT to potty and pooh in the house, that's good enough for me. I take a scooper and a bag and that's it. No problems here. Every normal sensible person that has a dog and goes walking with it usually does it. I feel people that have the need to teach their dogs how to use the toilet are intact, quite lazy and don't want to walk themselves, it's good exercise to walk and GREAT for the dog. My dogs are active, I don't want them to think that it is ok to drink the toilet water or use MY toilet, their toilet is outside and when I go, I go jogging with the dogs, that's why I am in shape. Next, you will probably tell me that feeding my dog in bed is also good for them.
To be more frank, who are you to tell me or ANYONE we don't have the right to own a dog. If you want to train your dogs at using the toilet, I think that is your right and I support it, but don't expect others to follow or look down on others that don't do it.
So now you know my schedule??
But I don't want to do that! I am perfectly content on taking my dogs out walking like they have been doing for thousands of years, even when they didn't know how to use the toilet and it seems to have worked fine so far. it's natural, dogs get excited, for them a walk is the same as when I take my kids to the park
That's where the scooper and bag comes in handy.
That's what I meant.
Well, that's the difference, like the mailman, I just walk the dog, no matter what the weather is, maybe it might be a shorter walk on some days, but other than that, I just go. That is like me asking the dog to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and that will never happen. Walking the dog, bending over, getting some movement is good for your body.
NeoJamal
I wonder if these G-Men have a catchy educational song:
"Poop a scoop, will get you to move that pup dung (alright) ALLLL-RIGHT"
BurakuminDes
There are diapers for dogs, known as "pee-pads"? Oh, for the love of God, I've heard it all now. I'm done...
cleo
Going walkies and going to the toilet are two different things. My dog and I go walkies every day, and we walk, sometimes run. We don't spend our time ambling from one lamppost to the next. I don't know where you get the idea training a dog to have good toilet manners and not foul the pavement or parks where children play is 'lazy'. I think maybe you have hold of the wrong end of the frizbee.
What?? Who mentioned anything about drinking the toilet water? Or using 'your' toilet? (A cat, yes - for a dog, it's physically impossible)
In a typhoon that can last all day? Rather you than me.
No, pee pads are flat sheets with a layer of absorbent gel sandwiched in between that you spread on the floor or on a flat doggy toilet, and the dog 'goes' on that. Very handy if you have a dog with a short bladder limit, or when the weather is awful and neither Fido nor you want to step out into the elements. Also good for house training a new pup who needs to wee here and now not when you've had time to manoeuver him outside.
http://www.amazon.co.jp/%E3%83%9C%E3%83%B3%E3%83%93%E3%82%A2%E3%83%AB%E3%82%B3%E3%83%B3-Bonbi-%E3%81%97%E3%81%A4%E3%81%91%E3%82%8B%E3%83%88%E3%83%AC%E3%83%BC-XL-%E3%83%A1%E3%83%83%E3%82%B7%E3%83%A5%E3%82%BF%E3%82%A4%E3%83%97/dp/B000TIIR0S/ref=sr_1_8?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1368026245&sr=1-8&keywords=%E3%82%A4%E3%83%8C+%E3%83%88%E3%82%A4%E3%83%AC
Not to be confused with proper nappies for incontinent older dogs, or pads for bitches in season.
cleo
...intact?
zurcronium
You clearly said that the offending dog owners were just a few and that you have never seen poor behavior by dog owners (fairlyland) and some other clueless dog owner agreed. Too bad reality based facts as cited in the article makes a mockery of such wishful thinking on your part. 4400 reported dog bites in Japan, no doubt the real number is over 20,000 incidents. It is kids and old people who are attacked most often.
As a dog owner you should be taxed as dogs as a class are harming society. You pay for car insurance even if you are a good driver. Basically if you own a dog you pay for the impact of dogs as a whole. Just like auto insurance. Or you can spend the rest of days cleaning up dog poop from all over Japan and caring for this attacked by dogs in lieu of taxes. You can choose.
And last, you laughable point about training is inane. Dog owners cannot even keep their dogs on a leash let alone train them properly.
Smokers, dog owners just about the same. Clueless and harmful to society.
cleo
Show me where I said that. I think, in fact I am sure, you'll find you are mistaken.
And if you show yourself to be a good, responsible driver (no accidents, no claims, no points on your license) you pay smaller premiums. So as a responsible dog owner with well-trained dogs who do not foul public property or menace the local population, I would expect a very hefty rebate on that dog tax you are proposing.
Why should I clean up after others when my own dog never goes to the toilet in public places and has never attacked anyone?
None of my dogs have ever been off lead in a public area except in the local dog park where children are expressly not allowed. On several occasions I have taken my dog out of the park because some moron ignored the clear notices and brought in his and the neighbours' kids to 'play with the nice doggies'. Training a dog properly is for me one of the pleasures of owning a dog. I don't see what's 'inane' about it. Because some people are lousy drivers and should never be let behind the wheel of a car, does that mean that all responsible drivers are inane?
cleo
And you know (actually you probably don't) dogs in Japan are taxed; it's called the registration fee and the annual rabies injection, aka the vets' annual spring bonus. Problem is that the irresponsible owners don't bother to register their dogs, or get them the injections the law says they should have. I would have no objection to mandatory microchipping of all dogs, not least so that the irresponsible owners who abandon animals they no longer want can be tracked down and charged accordingly.
hidingout
Maybe its your repeated use of the term "walkies"?
zurcronium
At last you demonstrate some common sense. Of course dog owners should be tracked if they abandon their animals. And just as clearly dog owners should be responsible for their pets for injury to others and to fouling public spaces. Since it is impossible to know who is obeying the rules and who is not all should be taxed. Just as in the case of insurance for cars and other items. No rebate is feasible as no one is watched all the time, car activity is clearly tracked by police and insurance companies so there is difference. The better parallel is the endless numbers of cigaret butts that are on streets everywhere in Japan. All smokers should be taxed for that damage as well. We have all seen smokers throw their used cigs just as we have seen dog owners let their dogs poop without cleaning it up. Some may not but most do. If you do not want to be responsible for your pet, do not have one. That is the bottom line to this discussion. And clearly most dog owners are clueless and irresponsible about their pets. Just like smokers. You may know, then again maybe not, Germany has had a dog tax for hundreds of years. Other countries as well do this to control the pet population and to compensate for the damage that pets cause to society.
cleo
Of course they should. I've never said anything different.
No, it is possible to know; simply painting everyone with the same brush and penalising everyone equally gives the irresponsible ones no incentive to up their game - a bit like the proposal to charge people to climb Mt Fuji to cover the cost of removing the rubbish they leave behind. You'd have more (irresponsible) people leaving more rubbish on the mountain (cos they've paid to have someone else remove it) and more dog pooh in the streets (ditto).
The difference between smokers and dog owners is that smokers cause harm simply by smoking; dog owners do not cause anyone any harm simply by the fact of being a dog owner. Having a smoker in the family is a minus and makes people sick and miserable; having a dog (or two, or three) in the family is a plus and makes people happy.
cleo
('Walkies' is a bad word?)
zurcronium
Good to see you slowly coming around to the reality of dog ownership and its effect on society.
You are wrong still about the impact of dogs on society. People walk their dogs mainly so that the dogs cAN urinate and poop on other peoples property. That, must like throwing trash in the streets or smoking in public, causes damage. Gardens smell like urine and poop is everywhere. It is exactly the same as other miscreants in society. And it should be taxed as smoking is taxed.
The tax should be mandatory, not optional like the licensing which most dog owners do not complete-more clear evidence on how irresponsible dog owners are. You own a dog, you owe society a debt. You have kids, others who do not have kids paid for their education because it is good for society. Same exact point. Society makes these decisions all the time. Because you are goofy about dogs you want to escape responsibility, not as blatantly as most other dog owners granted, but still it is a fantasy you cling to unfortunately.
Other countries recognize the need for a dog tax, many parts of Japan are moving forward on the same thing. Like smokers who escaped responsibility for the damage they inflicted for decades, still do in Japan, dog owners want to continue a free ride as well and pretend their dogs have a right to foul others public space. It is wrong and you know it.
cleo
And I've always, consistently, encouraged people to train their dogs to go toilet before they take them out in public. There's no 'slowly coming round' to anything. Most people where I live pick up after their dogs, but it would be better if they didn't foul public spaces in the first place. Fining people for what other people do wrong is not the way to go; I would like to see mandatory licensing of dogs and cats (not the half-hearted, it-doesn't-matter-if-you-don't-do-it system they have now, and for dogs only) and compulsory microchipping, together with some kind of rebate for responsible ownership, for example a refund of the registration fee for owners of dogs who pass some kind of officially approved Good Canine Citizen test.
Where do you think I am trying to 'escape responsibility'? I train my dogs. They are no threat to the general public. They do not foul public areas, or other peoples' property. They do not cause any kind of public nuisance. What responsibility exactly is it I am trying to escape? What 'fantasy' is it that you think I am clinging to? I am not responsible for what other people do, and while I will encourage others to train their dogs and give advice on how to be a responsible dog-owner, I have no intention of picking up the tab for others.
If my (and others) simply owning dogs bothers you, then I'm afraid that's your problem, not mine, for which you may need help. Where does your rabid hate of dogs come from?
bass4funk
No, I'm just saying, not everyone had that kind of time or feel they ave the need or desire to toilet train their pooch.
Not impossible. We used to have a German Shepherd and he used to drink the toilet water all the time. Depends on how big the dog is or how high the toilet is.
I have a house and a backyard, so in that kind of a severe situation, I go there.
Good for you, if it works, it's great, but not everyone wants or has the desire or the need to go to that extent to house train their dogs in that fashion.
cleo
Actually you did say, and I quote, ' I feel people that have the need to teach their dogs how to use the toilet are intact, quite lazy and don't want to walk themselves'. As I've tried (and apparently failed) to explain before, getting the dog to go first saves time; the dog wastes no time eliminating, because he knows his his enjoyable walk will start as soon as he has done the necessary; and once the walk starts, you can actually walk at a brisk pace and enjoy the exercise, instead of having to stop at every lamppost and do cleaning-up duty.
Sorry, crossed lines there. I thought you were talking about dogs using the toilet for its intended purpose, which I still say they are physically not equipped to do. That's why there are flat doggie-toilets on the market. Considering the fact that every pet shop stocks them and the pads used with them (supermarkets and conbinis, too) I imagine they are very popular, not something that only owners who have 'the desire or need to go to that extent' would use. Pretty basic stuff.
I also have a house and a garden, but there's no way I'm shoving an animal out in the elements during a full-blown typhoon.
sidesmile
They should be banned from bulit up and downtown areas completely. Horrible, dirty, noisy, smelly creatures..and thats just the owners. If someone wants to own a dog they should move into the country where the animal has all the open space it needs and all the clap it produces can be neatly and conveniently flicked into a rice field. The sight of someone picking up eggs and/or wiping their dogs anus is almost as revolting as an abandoned lurd. Ugh.
zurcronium
You miss the point entirely. It is not dogs, it is their owners that I have been posting about. The fact that you miss this simple point shows that this whole discussion with you is irrational. Perhaps a class in logic would be helpful? And a big helpful heaping dose of the reality of the effect of dog ownership in Japan.
You wondered why the big thumbs down on your posts? I just explained why.
Himajin
My dog does not urinate on walks unless he has my permission. Not going at all is the idea...peeing on every shrub, weed and lamppost is territorial marking and he doesn't need to mark the whole neighborhood as his own, that leads to fights among the males when they all do it. If our walk is very long and he needs to, he sits and looks at me, and won't go until I say it's ok, so if the spot is inappropriate we continue until we are somewhere he can pee without it being someone's property or where someone else will walk. It took a few training sessions but nothing particularly taxing. He also sits at each crosswalk and won't cross without an Ok. I've almost got him to stop pooping on walks, he's not doing the whole thing, but sometimes sneaks just a bit...I think that for him, it's marking behavior as well, not 'having to go'.
hilldomain
we have someone leaving it in front of our driveway- on a private street.
hilldomain
If I see it in action I will make them eat it.