Save the Lives of Little Creatures

The December issue of 2006 Hiragana Times featured an article called “Dogs are treated as family members, but behind the scenes ...” I work as a police officer. Dogs that are apparently stray or abandoned are often brought to my police station. Besides dogs, other animals are also sometimes brought to the station. In the case of dogs, instead of sending them immediately to a public health center dog shelter where they are killed, we usually keep them for a week or two. My boss likes dogs and we take care of them until we find someone who wants to keep them. This sometimes takes some months.

There are always several dogs and my fellow police officers and I take turns to take them for walks. I am not very fond of dogs, but I respect my boss’s warm heart and respect his intentions. However, it is hard work to take them out for a walk. Some dogs bark at nearby people. One day I scolded a dog to stop barking but he bit me.

Fortunately, he didn’t do much harm, but I said to the dog, “Why did you do that? Without our help, you would be dead by now!” When my boss heard this, he said, “This dog was left by his master and has become harsh. Why don’t you forgive him for his tiny act of selfishness?” The station boss is indeed sweet.

My colleagues come to the station at 7:00 a.m. each morning and clean the cage. Some of my colleagues who feel sympathy for the dogs take a dog to collegues’s home to take care of. In Japan there are many dogs in unfortunate circumstances, but there are police officers who take care hard of their lives. I would like this fact to become known by more people.

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