Local authorities across Japan are struggling to reduce the number of abandoned pets they put down. But a program by Tokushima Prefecture aims to improve the situation by turning unwanted dogs into rescue and therapy animals.

Tokushima Prefectural Animal Welfare Center will attempt to train around 100 abandoned dogs as working animals, in the first such program by a municipality.

Upon hearing the cue "search," Monaka, a mixed-breed, started running during an exercise simulating a disaster rescue at an outdoor training school in Itano, Tokushima.