This post will be updated with links and information about pet relief efforts as they can be found. Look for bolded text to see the most recent updates.
The Misanthropic Shiba has donated $10 to the Red Cross and $10 to Japan Earthquake Animal Rescue and Support. We’re challenging Japanese dog lovers to meet our donations with donations of their own to the organizations of their choice. Any donation to any reputable organization counts as meeting the challenge. Helping animals helps people and helping people helps animals, so support the organizations you think are doing the best job!
Please leave a comment telling us that you donated and to which organization! Posting links to the support organizations you favour is encouraged!
28 March 2011:
I Am Shiba recommends The Animal Miracle Foundation as a good one to donate money to. Cortez Squirrelsbane Shiba-san is a remarkable representative of our favourite breed of dog and TMS recommends his blog most heartily.
24 March 2011:
20 March 2011:
19 March 2011:
I finally snapped and ordered this from Our Shiba Inu:
All proceeds go to Animal Refuge Kansai.
This marks $45 from TMS to various Japanese relief organizations. I’m beating my own challenge 3 times over! Yeah, The Misanthropic Shiba! I’m totally kicking my own ass!
18 March 2011:
I created a badge that people can put on their sites:
<a href=”https://shibainus.ca/japanese-dog-owner-earthquaketsunami-relief-challenge/”><img src=”https://shibainus.ca/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/jdoetrc.png”></a>
I also created a smaller image:
<a href=”https://shibainus.ca/japanese-dog-owner-earthquaketsunami-relief-challenge/”><img src=”https://shibainus.ca/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/jdoetrcsmall.png”></a>
Please link back to this page when using the image. Thanks!
Coffee Lovers! Starbucks is collecting donations for the Red Cross to help with relief efforts in Japan.
Here’s a shout-out for a group in Victoria BC who are organizing a bottle drive to raise money for Canadian Red Cross Japan relief. Their Facebook page is here.
Pictures of people and their pets in Japan. This link is to Yahoo! Group “Dog Rescue Railroad”. They say, “Unlike the United States response after Katrina, Japanese shelters are allowing pet owners to bring their pets with them. However, many pets have been separated from their families and are either in shelters where they could be euthanized soon or are on the streets struggling to survive.”
17 March 2011:
Huffington Post: 7 Ways You Can Help Animals in Japan
Aaaand… there’s still people going on about how we should help people instead of animals. You know, because helping animals means that you hate people and are morally degenerate and of questionable sanity.
Animals in government run animal holding centres around the disaster sites will be destroyed if not claimed in 72 hours. (source translated from Japanese). Facebook discussion While this would be enough time for most people who have lost their pets in a normal situation to find them at the shelter, it is certainly not enough time for victims of the earthquake and tsunami to rescue their animals, especially if they themselves are stranded. The translation isn’t good enough for me to determine which animal shelters are abiding by this, but the website above mentions “(The Japanese animal protection association and the Japanese animal welfare association, The Japanese animal fondling animal association and the Japanese animal protective management association” (I’m sure that “Japanese animal fondling animal association is a result of a computer translation program, haha.) If anyone reading this knows how to read kanji, let TMS know what they’re really saying!
From Japan Earthquake Animal Relief and Support:
THE Posting regarding gassing is all true, unfortunately. THIS IS POLICY SET BY THE JAPANESE GOVERNMENT! We have been fighting to change the laws for years but to no avail. WE ARE A COALITION OF PRIVATE NO KILL SHELTERS WHO ARE TRYING TO GET TO ANIMALS BEFORE THE JAPANESE GOVERNMENTAL AGENCIES FIND THEM!
In my opinion, the best way to deal with this is to provide support to the organizations trying to rescue animals and finding out more about efforts to find foster homes for distressed pets. The more volunteer support, financial support and lobbying for greater resources given to animal rescue and relief that people give, the better. Obviously if you’re in Japan, you have a lot more opportunity to find out what needs to be done and what resources are available – if anyone in Japan is reading this, let us know how things are going in the arena of animal rescue.
I’ve emailed the Canadian Kennel Club to ask if they are planning to do their own donation drive in light of the American Kennel Club collecting donations for relief efforts.
The American Humane Association is collecting donations. The money goes to their Red Star Emergency Services. If they cannot deploy emergency teams, the AHA plans to donate money to organizations in Japan dedicated to animal rescue and relief.
SPCA International has a form where one can nominate a shelter for support in an emergency. Consider nominating the Japanese shelter of your choice for support.
16 March 2011:
A great blog post about why animal rescue is important and detailing some of the issues. This blogger is a supporter of WorldVets and is urging everyone to donate to their efforts in Japan.
Free Kibble is donating all kibble today to animal relief efforts in Japan.
I put the ChipIn widgets for Japan Earthquake Animal Rescue and Support and Japan Animal Aid (WorldVets) in the sidebar. Keep heading back to the websites for WorldVets and the three organizations involved in JEARS: Heart Tokushima, Japan Cat Network and Animal Garden Niigata (more info about AGN here).
15 March 2011:
For a laugh, visit God Hates Japan. No, seriously, it’s funny, okay?
The AKC is accepting donations for relief efforts in Japan.
Our Shiba Inu is offering prints for $15, proceeds being donated to ARK for help with relief efforts in Japan.
I donated another $10 to ChipIn (below) because of this heartbreaking video of a dog staying by its injured canine friend. Believe me, I can ill-afford this right now, but I know that I would be going batshit crazy if Tierce were wandering out there, injured, alone and afraid. Fortunately, it looks like these dogs are now safely in a vet clinic (the white one) and a shelter (the brown-and-white one).
March 13, 2011:
Japan Earthquake Animal Rescue and Support Facebook Page There are people now mobilizing to get distressed animals out of the affected areas. If you need information on what support would do them the most good, join this group!
12 March 2011: There are animal rescues mobilizing to aid distressed pets in Japan. Check out Angels With Fur’s blog post for more information. If you’re looking for a fast way to donate, check out the Chip In page. Or, just click the widget below:
March 11, 2011: I haven’t been able to find any information yet on animal shelters and their situation, but there are groups like Animal Refuge Kansai that are involved with dog rescue in the country. I’ve contacted a few, but due to the emergency, they may or may not be able to respond. I don’t know anything about them other than they’re involved with animal rescue in Japan, so if you’re unsure, donating to the Red Cross is a good way to go. The sooner that the human element is taken care of, the sooner that animals will be able to be rescued and cared for.
Message from Animal Refuge Kansai:
Hello. Thank you for your message.
At this moment we have not heard any attempts to rescue animals in the damaged area. There is no access to the damaged areas at this moment. Some areas still have no communication with outside.Kind regards,
Sakae Kishida
Links to more information:
Sacramento Cat Rescue’s blog post
Jan from Red Star Cafe mentioned in the comments below that WorldVets is a recommended organization. It is involved with helping animals and their people all over the world. They have a message on the home page that urges people to donate to them to help with relief, so they’re aware of the situation. No information on what they’re planning, though.
6 Search Dog teams from Search Dog Foundation have been dispatched to help the ongoing search for people trapped in the wreckage left by both earthquake and tsunami. You can donate here. There is a space to mention what the donation is for or in memory of.
Thanks, Gail L.! Here are a list of more agencies helping with relief:
INTERNATIONAL MEDICAL CORPS: Putting together relief teams, as well as supplies, and are in contact with partners in Japan and other affected countries to assess needs and coordinate our activities. Donate here.
The Misanthropic Shiba has donated $10 to the Canadian Red Cross towards Japanese earthquake/tsunami relief. We challenge all Japanese breed owners/fanciers to match us! Let’s help support our breeds’ parent country by helping send needed supplies and aid. Here’s information for the American Red Cross.
After the Haiti earthquake, the ASPCA, HSUS, AVMA, and a number of other animal groups formed a coaltion to help the animals in Haiti. Don’t know if this will happen again in connection w/ Japan earthquake.
Dr. Marty Becker over at Pet Connection also recommends World Vets.
http://www.worldvets.org/
OK, responding to the “challenge”. Made a donation to World Vets today.
Here is the link to the World Vets Facebook. There are several entries about Japan on it. They have a team ready to deploy to Japan.
http://www.facebook.com/WorldVets
Info about disaster support organizations has been posted to our local Shiba Inu Meetup website and shared with the Akita Meetup as well.
Japan Earthquake Animal Rescue and Support
HEART-Tokushima, Animal Friends Niigata and Japan Cat Network have combined forces to create a Facebook page to focus information for animal rescue following the recent earthquake and tsunami which has hit Japan. The largest in Japan’s history.
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_204822102863541
Animal Rescue Kansai have also opened an appeal for help for the immense number of animals made homeless or famililess. It has much experience of such events following the Great Hanshin earthquake in 1995.
http://drupal.animalrefugekansai.org/?q=en/node/2901
All of these groups have a long-term, proven dedication to animal welfare, animal rescue and the situation in Japan where the rescue priority will be on human beings and there is a tendency just to destroy. Likely, 10,000s of companion animals are going to die. They will be working with known good local groups and acting as a bridge between cultures and language.
It is point out that these animals’ lives are valuable not just in their own right but in helping young children and family’s normalize under extremely difficult circumstances.
Please circulate.
http://www.japancatnet.com
http://www.heart-tokushima.com
http://angelswithfurjapan.wordpress.com
http://arkbark.net
I have a pound rescued Akita, Showa, who is about 12 years old! I donated to http://arkbark.net. Will donate more next month.
Great work with the badges. We’re proud to display ours on the House of Two Bows. Thanks for continuing to update this page, as well.