7:14 AM

My Dog's First Days in Yokosuka, Japan

OMG! We knew that our dog, Molly, would have to go to a kennel when we got here. And after paying around $1,000.00 to get her here we knew it would be hard on us all to part our separate ways. But we didn't know....

The kennel on base is not a kennel but a small, very cramped, confined hole in the wall on the very outskirts of base in which the owner speaks absolutely no English or has any rules for her kennel & has absolutely no affiliation with the Military Vet (who do not board pets at all)! What we didn't know is that you supply everything in the kennel from a pad to sleep on to the water & food bowls, all food & any other specialties (like a litter box & litter for your cat). You will also be the only one taking your dog out for a walk to use the restroom. Oh, and did I mention that it is very hot in the kennel & that they never turn the lights out, not even at night so the animals understand it is time to sleep!

Inside this kennel are very few indoor/outdoor runs in which a human being can barely stand up in & turn around themselves. These are reserved for the morons who only bring their big dogs, so your little friend is then shoved into a little metal cage with no way to relieve themselves. They put a potty pad/sheet down, but dogs won't eliminate where they eat & sleep. DUH!

So my little Molly sits there in her hot metal cage, panting all day, unable to distinguish night from day, unable to potty until we come her her once a day, refusing to eat & drink any more than she has to to sustain life. She has lost a pound in on week...with no excerise!

Did I also mention that your pet stays there through quarantine if you don't end up living on base? Yes! So those pets that didn't make the cut at quarantine due to illness, not enough rabies vaccine in their system, or didn't get it all done in a timely manner & have to wait it out are living in the same cramped quarters next door to your perfectly healthy pet!

Did I also mention that there is no seperation of cats from dogs other than the wall of the metal cages? Yes, thus my Molly who is allergic to cats (though she loves them!) & has chronic yeast in fections in her ears (due to heat & moisture) is sitting there getting weaker as each day goes by.

I know that PETA & SPCA would lose their ever living minds if they saw this or were aware of this. The freakin' strays & left behind homeless pets have it slightly better. Not by much, but slightly better.

I paid hundreds of dollars, like a responsible pet owner, & my pet gets the worst treatment of her life in which I have no control over? Does this make rational, reasonable, logical, sense to anyone? A non-responsible pet owner would not have even brought their pet once they ran into their first importation obstcle. It would have been too much money & too big a hassel.

The only protection that these pets have is that on your way off this base (transfereing/ PCS'ing to another base) you have to stop by the Vet to get a check off "OK" saying you don't have a pet or that your bill is paid in full. This is to try to make you take your pet back with you....which is WAY easier & cheaper than bringing one over.

I get that there are those usual bad apples that ruin it for everyone, but this is just not acceptable. If the military can regulate the size of family you are allowed to bring with you to Japan, then they can regulate just like hotels, the size of pet you are allowed to bring: Under 25 lbs. & 1 pet per household. OK! Check! That makes sense to me! Doesn't it make sense to you? That way the kennel runs are then available to most all people's pets (until we can raise enough awareness & funds to make changes to the facility).

Completely on a new mission here. Our little unborn boy is going to be born in to a crazy land of saving pets...which was never ever a thought of who I would be one day. But if the Captian of the base's wife won't even say anything, then someone has too! It might as well be a pissed out loud southern lady! LOL!

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