Job Discussion Forums

canadian-girl · Joined: 07 Aug 2004 Posts: 46 Location: yangmei, taiwan

I am leaving my 3 year old shiba inu (Takeo) in canada. I know he will be in a very loving home, but I'm still sad. Anyone else have to do this and leave their loving pets at home? I'm such an animal lover and i find this is the hardest thing for me. He is my first dog, and I'll miss him....thank goodness for email and pictures (I'll be getting weekly updates, lol...I know...I'm such a looser, heehee) Crying or Very sad

Chris12 · Joined: 25 May 2004 Posts: 98

Canadian Girl, your E-mail is so sad. Why did you leave your dog and come to Japan? I am sure you have good reasons and so you should be happy that you found your dog a good home. I used to work for the human society, you would be surprised at how many people abanded their dog at a shelter or do worse. You are no looser! It is okay to miss your pet!

canadian-girl · Joined: 07 Aug 2004 Posts: 46 Location: yangmei, taiwan

i figure since i'm moving to japan, and not sure how settled i will be, its better for him to stay with someone he knows, and once i get settled in japan i'm thinking of having him flown over. but i've heard so many bad things about pet couriers, so i'm still not sure. plus the quarentine in japan...he would not like that at all, being stuck in a cage all day
(my dog is spoiled, lol). but i am hoping to bring him with me if i settle in japan. I'm lucky that it is a good friend that is adopting him, so i can still visit when i visit canada. but its still hard.

Chris12 · Joined: 25 May 2004 Posts: 98

Gordon · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Posts: 5309 Location: Japan

It isn't easy to leave a dog. Years ago when i was teaching in Korea I had to leave my dog (13 years old). Then about 7 months later I got a letter from my dad saying "by the way, your dog died, he had a heart attack". That was 9 years ago and I still carry his picture around with me in my wallet.

nawlinsgurl · Posted: Wed Sep 15, 2004 7:10 am Post subject:

I totally feel you! I am leaving for Japan and will have the hardest time leaving Chichi, my chihahua (see pic to the left) with my folks. Good thing my parents love her. My mom even put the phone on speaker so I can "talk to her". Chichi is the best watchdog b/c she thinks she is a pitbull and is incredibly clever. She can dance, shake hands, do back flips and all. Plus she is literally one of my best friends--is that lame??? My husband and I joke that she is our kid, b/c we have "raised" her ever since we got togeher... But you are doing the right thing by leaving her with some one responsible. I was thinking of flying Chichi over but have no clue on who/what/how to do it. She would go crazy if she had to stay in a cage all day. If you find out any info on getting your pet flown over, PM me and let me know. Til then, we have email and pictures!!!

Celeste · Posted: Wed Sep 15, 2004 11:10 am Post subject:

I had to leave my cat in Canada with my sister as well. My concern was not only the quarantine at this end but also the return quarantine in Canada ( which I heard was 5 months!!!!). As a resposible pet owner, I couldn't justify putting my cat in pe jail for that long. As far as I know, she has no desire to see the world outside of her front yard.

AgentMulderUK

Lindsay · Joined: 06 Apr 2004 Posts: 29 Location: kitakyushu, japan

i can empathize. i left my kitty cat minou in canada. i miss her every day. she was my lil buddy. she would run and greet me at the door every time i came home, sleep with me and even as i type this my lil minou would be crawling all over the keyboard purring and rubbing her head on my hands. pets are great. such little bundles of affection. i am enjoying my time in japan, but i cannot wait to cuddle with my minou again! she is staying with my dad and brother who return her affection and always update me on her kitty cat life!

Dominique · Joined: 26 Aug 2004 Posts: 141 Location: Juso, Osaka

I'm going to miss my fatty cat, Fluffy.
I've had her for 13 years now and I am going to leave her with my mom. She promises to take her on a walk to help her lose the weight.
She's my bed buddy, always sleeping next to me at night.
I won't be leaving to Japan until January, but I'll cherish each day I have with her before I leave.

madeira · Joined: 13 Jun 2004 Posts: 182 Location: Oppama

I brought my cat to Japan. She wasn`t bonding with my parents and was generally miserable. From being a social, chatty animal, she became a silent, hiding-in-the-basement critter. She stopped grooming, too.

It was a little expensive, but she survived the flight and quarantine, and is now back to her old self. It was a worrisome trip, as she was too old to take tranquillizers.

My situation may be a little different, though, as I`m not planning to leave Japan. My cat is 19 now, so I don`t think she`ll be leaving Japan either!

Dominique · Joined: 26 Aug 2004 Posts: 141 Location: Juso, Osaka

How long did the process take? I wanted to bring my cat but I've read numerous posts that it isn't worth it.

PAULH · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Posts: 4672 Location: Western Japan

Here are some posts on bringing animals into Japan:

http://www.eltnews.com/community/?board=legal;action=display;num=1044011665

Keep in mind that most rental apartments and hostels do not allow pets, not even a canary.

Eleckid · Joined: 03 Jun 2004 Posts: 102 Location: Aichi, Japan

I was in university when I got my cat from the humane society. But after 3 years, the dorm head staff changed & suddenly we had a 3 months warning that there's gonna be a no pet rule the following semester. I would never want to take my cat back to the humane society (too cruel), but I couldn't find anyone to keep it, and I couldn't find a place (at that time) to live which was close to the school, so I send it to my family who were living in HK at the time. Each country has their own regulations concerning sending a pet from another country, & Paul has given some good links for that. My dad went to the animal department from HK & got some forms. He faxed them to me & I took them to my cat's vet. My cat then got the appropriate shots within the regulation's time period (I think he must take a rabis shot 1 month b4 the trip & some other shots like a week within the trip...that's for HK tho). So my cat didn't need any quarantine when he arrived HK. Quarantine is just cruel to the animal, some might even have to stay there for months (for HK anyways). However, once my cat arrived, the animal dept vet forced him to take another shot, which he already took before flying there. But they said that if he doesn't take the shot, then we can't pick him up...poor Mochi (my cat's name)...

At that time, my cat's courier fee was CAN$400 (3 years ago), not so expensive considering that he got his own space for a long flight trip. (I chose a pretty big traveling cage for him so that he can stretch & move around)

Also, he didn't eat or go to the bathroom during the entire 20 hr trip (from Toronto to HK), probably cuz he wasn't comfortable or something (he is spoiled at home), so after several months of his arrival, he developed crystals in his urinary tract...my parents took him to the vet & he's ok, but now he must be on a special diet for the rest of his life. Poor him!!! Crying or Very sad

I still miss my cat everyday. I can't wait til I see him the next time I visit my parents~ (christmas)

Too bad that my apt in Japan doesn't allow any pets. Otherwise I'd send Mochi here to live with me~ (cuz HK is close to Japan, so he'll be ok)

madeira · Joined: 13 Jun 2004 Posts: 182 Location: Oppama

To answer Dominique: My cat stayed in quarantine in Narita for 14 days. If your animal doesn`t have the required rabies tags, it can be much longer. Give yourself extra time at the airport in your home country, too... A vet at customs has to clear your pet and collect an export fee. At Vancouver airport, there are 2 vets, and neither was around when I got there. I ended up having to load my cat on the plane BEFORE getting the official `inspection` paper. Stressful!

Now, I`m hearing about at-home quarantine, which would be much cheaper and less stress on the animal. (Quarantine itself is free, but the daily feeding/watering charges ended up at around 40,000 yen. Oh, and you have to provide the food.) Check with Animal Quarantine Services about that.

Just a tip: Make sure your carrier is easy to open and close... In Vancouver, the cat went through security in her cage, but in my hometown airport, they wanted the cat OUT of the cage, and screened the box separately from the cat. At which point some of the screws went flying... and I nearly missed the plane while security staff crawled on the floor looking for them.

Thankfully they opened the door for me when I went running down the asphalt carrying my cat, my accordian, and wearing 2 hats (as I didn`t want them crushed in my luggage).