Butt

I saw this when I was on holiday in Indonesia in 2006.

Shiba Inu

The last post was about Japan, so I decided to stay on that theme and show you a picture of a typical Japanese dog breed. It's half dog-half teddy bear. No really, it's all dog. Shiba Inu is the name. Inu means dog. 

This photo shows me holding a puppy in a park in Tokyo. The ugly mutt on the right is me, and so I've blurred my face to protect your sensibilities and let you focus on the true star. 

Shibas are quiet, self-contained little dogs with soft, dense coats, and compared to other pure-breeds, they suffer from relatively few genetic health issues. 

Adorable, eh?

ARK: Animal Rescue Kansai

Japan has a dearth of reasonable laws on animal protection and overall is not a very dog-friendly place, despite reputedly having more dogs than children under twelve. The vast majority of rented apartments do not allow pets, dogs must be on the leash at all times, and stray dogs are gassed after being rounded up if their owner does not claim them within 3 days. I know, 3 days is not nearly enough time to give a stray animal any chance of finding a home. 400,000 dogs die this way every year in Japan.

However, there is some hope in the form of the wonderful Elizabeth Oliver, an English woman who runs an animal shelter called ARK Animal Refuge Kansai, in the western part of Japan's main island. The shelter is, of course, completely non-profit and relies on the help of volunteers, donors and sponsors.

If you happen to be in Japan, why not help them out? In fact, you don't even have to be in the area. If you speak Japanese or English, you could help with their website or blog wherever you are in the world thanks to the wonders of the Internet. The website has really fascinating information about the history of animals in Japan.

The person who writes the blog is amazingly inventive, and volunteers translate it all into English. What a dream team. Enjoy!

Old man

In the foreground is my old dog, whom I loved dearly. He was 12 when I got him from the dog home. He was a quiet little soul who barked twice in the two years I had him. His teeth were rotten, his nose was scabby, he had a chunk missing from his ear and he limped, but he was a heartbreaker all the same. He liked to sit on my feet with his back to me. I'd scritch his neck from this position and he'd look away, pretending it was someone else.

Hope for Paws

I was flicking through Flickr, as I'm wont to do when I have work I should be doing, when I stumbled across this photo by Eldad Hagar. I don't know him, but he seems like a good guy who's trying to do the right thing for animals. He runs a non-profit animal rescue organization in the USA and has saved hundreds of animals and nursed them back to health and happiness. It's called Hope for Paws. He's also published a cute-looking book of photos you could buy to support his cause. What a guy! Even if you're not the donating type, the website is nice and his Flickr page has lots of lovely pics to brighten your day. 

Welcome

Welcome to Muttmaster. My conscience has been telling me for some time now that I should get off my ass and do something about my love of animals, so here it is. Animals probably deserve better than what many are getting, and you could improve various aspects of your life by having more contact with them, especially the furry variety. 

The most useful thing I can do in this respect is share stories and suggestions. If you like anything you read, please tell others: the more people appreciate mutts, the better lives mutts can enjoy.