"It's the single most stressful job I've ever had. It's also the best job," says Briar Simpson of Tokyo's Animal Refuge Kansai.

"Just sending out one more e-mail can make the difference. It can mean 15 more years." And in Simpson's work, those 15 years represent a lifetime, the lives that she, as the Tokyo representative of Japan's most active animal shelter, helps save.

The New Zealand native, a resident of Japan for 16 years, has worked with ARK at its Tokyo office since shortly after its begin in 2005. She has been directly or indirectly involved in helping find homes for some 120 animals.