Success Story: Cherry

The Japan Times and Tokyo ARK have given Angels with Fur kind permission to reprint notices regarding pet adoptions (see: potential pets who have been featured on the Angels with Fur site). In addition to requests for adoption, they also publish success stories about pets who find new homes. Here is the latest success story.

Kyoko Kitaguchi poses with her recently adopted Cherry (right) and Boss, another dog she had adopted from ARK. Cherry was first featured here last November. She had been abandoned by her first owners and left locked in an apartment when they moved out. She spent seven long years at the shelter waiting for a home. Finally, adopted by the Kitaguchis, Kyoko and husband, Hiroki, Cherry is now part of a caring family. Love and care have done wonders. Kitaguchi, however, refuses to take the credit. “It is Cherry who is trying her best to fit in with us.” This is the third dog the Kitaguchis have adopted from ARK. Although they recognize how adorable and cute puppies are, Kyoko says she has a fondness for older dogs and also sympathizes with them. “Like humans, the loneliness that comes with age is a very sad thing.” Also, she feels more of a bond with older animals. “Unlike with puppies, I find it easier to communicate with older dogs. There is something about older dogs that I love.” And, Kyoko, there’s something about you we love! From ARK and The Japan Times, thank you for giving Cherry a home.

Originally published in the Japan Times on Saturday, July 18, 2009. Photo by Kyoko Kitaguchi.

Interested in Adopting a Pet?

Please email ARK at tokyoark[at]arkbark.net or call 080-6146-3889 (English) or 080-6517-8913 (Japanese). Tokyo ARK is a nonprofit organization founded by Brit Elizabeth Oliver. It is dedicated to rescuing and rehoming abandoned animals. All animals are vaccinated, neutered, and microchipped. Prospective new owners undergo a screening process.

The Japan Times supports stray and abandoned animals by publishing this photo box every Saturday in the Weekend/People section of the paper. The information is then archived here on the Angels with Fur site one week later, on the following Saturday.

See also: Other potential pets who have been featured on the Angels with Fur site

Success Story: Ryota and Memina

The Japan Times and Tokyo ARK have given Angels with Fur kind permission to reprint notices regarding pet adoptions (see: potential pets who have been featured on the Angels with Fur site). In addition to requests for adoption, they also publish success stories about pets who find new homes. Here is the latest success story.

Featured in late March, siblings Memina (tortoiseshell) and Ryoto (all black) had waited 10 months at the ARK shelter before finding a permanent home with Jessica Ocheltree and Makoto Kozuka of Tokyo. Above, Ocheltree holds Ryoto while Kozuka sits with Memina. “They were the ideal cats to adopt together,” says Ocheltree, originally from Arizona. “We are both at work all day, so they keep each other company and appear to spend most of the day sleeping. When we come home they are always pleased to see us, but they aren’t panicked.” Ocheltree had had pets all her life until she came to Japan five years ago, and missed having animals around. For Kozuka, however, pets were a first, thus the decision to adopt older kittens as they believed there would be less stress all around. Shy Memina has come out of her shell and taken to Kozuka, but both cats will follow their new owners around the house. To Jessica and Makoto, thank you for keeping this brother and sister together and making them a part of your family.

Originally published in the Japan Times on Saturday, June 27, 2009. Photo by Jessica Ocheltree.

Interested in Adopting a Pet?

Please email ARK at tokyoark[at]arkbark.net or call 080-6146-3889 (English) or 080-6517-8913 (Japanese). Tokyo ARK is a nonprofit organization founded by Brit Elizabeth Oliver. It is dedicated to rescuing and rehoming abandoned animals. All animals are vaccinated, neutered, and microchipped. Prospective new owners undergo a screening process.

The Japan Times supports stray and abandoned animals by publishing this photo box every Saturday in the Weekend/People section of the paper. The information is then archived here on the Angels with Fur site one week later, on the following Saturday.

See also: Other potential pets who have been featured on the Angels with Fur site

Success Story: Jay

The Japan Times and Tokyo ARK have given Angels with Fur kind permission to reprint notices regarding pet adoptions (see: potential pets who have been featured on the Angels with Fur site). In addition to requests for adoption, they also publish success stories about pets who find new homes. Here is the latest success story.

The lovable Newfoundland Jay, pictured here with his new owner Ikuo Oiwa, was kept chained up inside an empty office at his former home. He was not allowed to play or approach other dogs. After being featured here in late April, he was adopted by Ikuo and his wife, Hiroko. The Oiwas, who reside in Ehime Prefecture, love big dogs and also have a female Bernese mountain dog named Flan. Ikuo flew to Tokyo to meet Jay, then flew him back to his new home. Jay is now part of the family, with a new big friend to run and play with, and a huge dog park to romp in. The Oiwas have even converted the car so Jay can ride to the park more comfortably. Most importantly, he has found a family that cares about him and loves and understands his breed. From ARK and The Japan Times, we extend the Oiwa family a most heartfelt thank-you for adopting Jay and showing that big dogs too can find love and wide open spaces in Japan.

Originally published in the Japan Times on Saturday, June 20, 2009. Photo by Hiroko Oiwa.

Interested in Adopting a Pet?

Please email ARK at tokyoark[at]arkbark.net or call 080-6146-3889 (English) or 080-6517-8913 (Japanese). Tokyo ARK is a nonprofit organization founded by Brit Elizabeth Oliver. It is dedicated to rescuing and rehoming abandoned animals. All animals are vaccinated, neutered, and microchipped. Prospective new owners undergo a screening process.

The Japan Times supports stray and abandoned animals by publishing this photo box every Saturday in the Weekend/People section of the paper. The information is then archived here on the Angels with Fur site one week later, on the following Saturday.

See also: Other potential pets who have been featured on the Angels with Fur site

Cat for Adoption: Toffle

Ed’s note: Toffle found a new home!

The 1-month-old Toffle was born to a stray mother along the banks of the Sumida River. His chances of survival would have been about 25 percent had the kind homeless man caring for the mother not alerted ARK to the new arrivals. Oblivious to the sad fate that could well have awaited him, Toffle and his siblings were taken in and are currently in foster care in Tokyo. Their mother has been spayed and returned to her Sumidagawa caregiver. Toffle is a boy’s boy. He’ll play till he drops, but before he drops, he likes to come for a cuddle. He is not a fussy kitten and is quite happy to do his own thing or find a quiet space for a snooze. Along with Toffle, ARK has 11 other kittens — ginger, gray, white, black, long-hair, short-hair — including three Scottish folds. All are looking for homes. The kittens will be ready for adoption in early July. Reservations are welcome!

Originally published in the Japan Times on Saturday, June 6, 2009. Photo by Stephanie Stepanka.

Interested in Adopting Toffle or Another Kitten?

Please email ARK at tokyoark[at]arkbark.net or call 080-6146-3889 (English) or 080-6517-8913 (Japanese). Tokyo ARK is a nonprofit organization founded by Brit Elizabeth Oliver. It is dedicated to rescuing and rehoming abandoned animals. All animals are vaccinated, neutered, and microchipped. Prospective new owners undergo a screening process.

The Japan Times supports stray and abandoned animals by publishing this photo box every Saturday in the Weekend/People section of the paper. The information is then archived here on the Angels with Fur site one week later, on the following Saturday.

See also: Other potential pets who have been featured on the Angels with Fur site

Cat for Adoption: Mimi

Ed’s note: Mimi found a new home!

This adorable, spayed, female cat was found in our housing compound. We believe she was either lost or abandoned, as she is not a typical street cat. Mimi is healthy, quick to purr and loves to be brushed. We’re looking for a permanent home for her or at least someone willing to keep her while we are away on home leave from mid-June until mid-July.

Interested in Adopting Mimi?

Please email ARK at tokyoark[at]arkbark.net or call 080-6146-3889 (English) or 080-6517-8913 (Japanese). Tokyo ARK is a nonprofit organization founded by Brit Elizabeth Oliver. It is dedicated to rescuing and rehoming abandoned animals. All animals are vaccinated, neutered, and microchipped. Prospective new owners undergo a screening process.

See also: Other potential pets who have been featured on the Angels with Fur site

Kittens for Adoption: Fran, Noah, Fizz, Toffle

Ed’s note: Fran, Noah, Fizz, and Toffle found new homes!

This is the time of the year when pet welfare organizations are brimming over with kittens. Spaying and neutering of pets is not as common in Japan as it should be, so there are many thousands of unwanted animals born to pets and strays alike every year. If you know any pet owners in Japan, please talk to them about the benefits of spaying/neutering their pet.

Here are four one-month old kittens (siblings) who are looking for new homes, either alone or in combination.

Fran

Noah

Fizz

Toffle

Interested in Adopting a Kitty?

Please email ARK at tokyoark[at]arkbark.net or call 080-6146-3889 (English) or 080-6517-8913 (Japanese). Tokyo ARK is a nonprofit organization founded by Brit Elizabeth Oliver. It is dedicated to rescuing and rehoming abandoned animals. All animals are vaccinated, neutered, and microchipped. Prospective new owners undergo a screening process.

See also: Other potential pets who have been featured on the Angels with Fur site

Dogs for Adoption: Remi, Romi, Route

Ed’s note: Remi, Romi, and Route found new homes!

These three Yorkshire Terriers came from a breeder and were used as breeding dogs, so they look older than they really are. They came to ARK when the breeder fell ill and was unable to take care of them. Unfortunately, breeders do not always know what they are doing and the dogs that they produce sometimes have problems.

Remi is six years old. Her ears get dirty but if someone tries to clean them, she gets very stressed. Of the five dogs who were rescued from this breeder, Remi was the biggest “frady cat”, but she is slowing becoming more brave. With her thin body and long legs, she kind of resembles ET — her nickname at the shelter — but she is a good dog who doesn’t bark unnecessarily.

Romi is seven years old. She had a mammary tumour that was removed when she was spayed.

Six-year old Route has a right ear that flops over but it doesn’t affect her at all.

It would be wonderful if these dogs could find families that could take care of them during their golden years. None of them have been toilet trained, so their new owners will have to have the patience to teach them.

Interested in Adopting a Yorkie?

Please email ARK at tokyoark[at]arkbark.net or call 080-6146-3889 (English) or 080-6517-8913 (Japanese). Tokyo ARK is a nonprofit organization founded by Brit Elizabeth Oliver. It is dedicated to rescuing and rehoming abandoned animals. All animals are vaccinated, neutered, and microchipped. Prospective new owners undergo a screening process.

See also: Other potential pets who have been featured on the Angels with Fur site

Success Story: Nozomi

The Japan Times and Tokyo ARK have given Angels with Fur kind permission to reprint notices regarding pet adoptions (see: potential pets who have been featured on the Angels with Fur site). In addition to requests for adoption, they also publish success stories about pets who find new homes. Here is the latest success story.

Nozomi (foreground, right), featured here in January, has found a new home with Brenda and Darryl Gibson of Yokohama, and Shoga, a dog the Gibsons rescued five years ago. The Gibsons, originally from Canada, accepted Nozomi without a trial period. ‘‘We could tell she was going to work out as soon as she got to our apartment,’’ says Darryl. Nozomi is ‘‘already a member of the family and a great companion for Shoga, who was used to having an older dog around.’’ The Gibsons’ first dog, whom they had found, died at the age of 17 last year. The fact that the 9-year-old Nozomi was an older dog was actually ‘‘a large part of the attraction,’’ according to Darryl. ‘‘I suspect younger dogs and puppies don’t have too much trouble finding homes, but older ones do and we had decided that if we got another dog after our first one died, we would want to make sure she was a dog that was perhaps somewhat unlikely to find a home elsewhere easily.’’ Thank you Darryl and Brenda, from The Japan Times and ARK for thinking of the older animals who are all too often passed over. Thank you for giving Nozomi a home, most surely a home with heart.

Originally published in the Japan Times on Saturday, March 7, 2009. Photo by Drew Gibson.

Interested in Adopting a Pet?

Please email ARK at tokyoark[at]arkbark.net or call 080-6146-3889 (English) or 080-6517-8913 (Japanese). Tokyo ARK is a nonprofit organization founded by Brit Elizabeth Oliver. It is dedicated to rescuing and rehoming abandoned animals. All animals are vaccinated, neutered, and microchipped. Prospective new owners undergo a screening process.

The Japan Times supports stray and abandoned animals by publishing this photo box every Saturday in the Weekend/People section of the paper. The information is then archived here on the Angels with Fur site one week later, on the following Saturday.

See also: Other potential pets who have been featured on the Angels with Fur site

Dog for Adoption: Gil

Ed’s note: Gil found a new home!

Gil is a 21/2-month-old lovely little guy, friendly, outgoing, and with a tail that wags at incredible speed when people approach him. He and his three siblings were abandoned in a box in a park, one of the sad ways people come up with as sorry alternatives to neutering their animals. Though abandonment could be considered better than the pound and its virtual 100-percent kill rate, it still offers little chance of survival to the animals. Rescue is rare. Gil and his siblings were extremely lucky, but they still need homes. Being just a puppy, Gil is still in the middle of learning many new things about the world and his role in it, including such things as where he is permitted to go potty. He is also learning to walk on a leash. Gil needs someone with a lot of time to spend with him, socialize him and continue teaching him. Gil is currently in a foster home in Tokyo along with his siblings. Anyone who can help this little guy, please give ARK a call.

Originally published in the Japan Times on Saturday, April 4, 2009. Photo by Yoko Miyao.

Interested in Adopting Gil?

Please email ARK at tokyoark[at]arkbark.net or call 080-6146-3889 (English) or 080-6517-8913 (Japanese). Tokyo ARK is a nonprofit organization founded by Brit Elizabeth Oliver. It is dedicated to rescuing and rehoming abandoned animals. All animals are vaccinated, neutered, and microchipped. Prospective new owners undergo a screening process.

The Japan Times supports stray and abandoned animals by publishing this photo box every Saturday in the Weekend/People section of the paper. The information is then archived here on the Angels with Fur site one week later, on the following Saturday.

See also: Other potential pets who have been featured on the Angels with Fur site

Success Story: Lin

The Japan Times and Tokyo ARK have given Angels with Fur kind permission to reprint notices regarding pet adoptions (see: potential pets who have been featured on the Angels with Fur site). In addition to requests for adoption, they also publish success stories about pets who find new homes. Here is the latest success story.

Featured here for the first time early last month, Lin (right) had suffered the loss of one eye from an infection that nearly took her life out on the streets where she had been abandoned at birth. Rescued, she was nursed back to health at ARK and has now found a permanent loving home in Tokyo with Yukari Yaju, her partner, and their black cat Kai. ‘‘Kai and Lin get on so well now, like brother and sister. When Kai can’t find Lin he will call for her in a soft voice and go looking for her,’’ says Yaju. It was indirectly because of Kai that Yaju decided to help Lin. ‘‘Kai’s mother had been a stray, whom I helped when she was injured. I couldn’t keep cats at the time so a friend took her. I thought of Kai’s mother and how I wanted to help stray cats if I could. I wish there could be even one less cat without a home, so I wanted to take Lin.’’ Yaju, currently working as a university administrator, says Lin is a perfect fit for her and her partner and has quickly become a member of the family. ‘‘Lin is quite a comfort to us. With her, our happiness seems to have grown.’’ Yaju was in no way put off by the fact that Lin had only one eye. ‘‘I had no qualms. On the contrary, it actually made me want to help her more. I was deeply impressed by the way she would look at me with all her might with the one eye left her,’’ Yaju says. And, we at ARK and The Japan Times are mightily impressed with you, Yukari, for giving Lin a home. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!

Originally published in the Japan Times on Saturday, March 28, 2009. Photo by Yukari Yaju.

Interested in Adopting a Pet?

Please email ARK at tokyoark[at]arkbark.net or call 080-6146-3889 (English) or 080-6517-8913 (Japanese). Tokyo ARK is a nonprofit organization founded by Brit Elizabeth Oliver. It is dedicated to rescuing and rehoming abandoned animals. All animals are vaccinated, neutered, and microchipped. Prospective new owners undergo a screening process.

The Japan Times supports stray and abandoned animals by publishing this photo box every Saturday in the Weekend/People section of the paper. The information is then archived here on the Angels with Fur site one week later, on the following Saturday.

See also: Other potential pets who have been featured on the Angels with Fur site