Regarding Philip Brasor's March 9 article, "Crown Prince could lead the way in effort for mutt emancipation": Thank you for this fantastic article. I was very pleased to see this oft-neglected issue receive good coverage. Japan is very behind in education regarding pets, and it does not help that we have pet shows that reinforce the kawaii (cute) aspect of dogs. It encourages people to go out and impulsively buy pets without thinking about the realities and consequences of looking after them.
I have been involved with an animal shelter and, since volunteering, have found out a lot about the changes Japan must make with regard to domestic pets. First, education is the key to changing people's attitudes, followed by change through legislation. Japan's animal laws are not strict enough compared with those of Britain and Germany.
As the writer said in the article, people must realize that mongrel dogs are just as good as their purebred counterparts, if not better, because the ill state of Japan's "puppy mills" means that purebred dogs often suffer from genetic defects and inbreeding due to lack of knowledge and lack of neutering. I hope this issue receives further coverage in the future, as it is the only way for changes to occur in Japan.
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