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Buying A Pet In Japan

When you’re a foreign resident in Japan or anywhere else in the world, it’s inevitable to have some apprehension about a lot of things. As for me (and my husband), I thought it would be beyond our privilege to buy and own a pet because I know for a fact that foreigners have limitations here, but I was totally wrong.

If you have the right visa and residence status (permanent resident), buying a pet isn’t much of a snag. All of you have to take into consideration is a breed of dog/cat that’s appropriate for you and your environment. Some pet shop staff won’t bother to ask why you opt for that breed. They’ll definitely assume that you know why.

So last Saturday, we went to a pet shop located one station away from our place. It wasn’t our first time. Our first visit to the place was when we were in search of a small breed of dog. An adorable and cheerful pup captured our hearts. We came back last Saturday to finally take her home.

The first thing that we did was approaching one of the employers to inquire about the whole process. Much to my surprise, he didn’t ask us anything (like documents or something). Instead, he gave us an hour of a lecture of sorts. Generally, he talked about the best food, grooming products, a little information about taking care of a puppy, our puppy’s health status and the like. Just so you know, the pup that we picked is a Jack Russell Terrier girl. We named her Sushi. If you know something or a lot about pets, this dog breed isn’t really recommended for novice pet owners. Didn’t know about this until we had Sushi at home. My husband once had a dog but it was some years ago. My family had one as well but only for a very short period of time. So I must say that Danny and I still belong in the complete novice category.

And guess what? The employer never discouraged us. He ended the lecture by offering us different types of pet insurance. This surprised me. Never even thought this is a thing.  After one good hour, we got hands on our very own freshly-washed little canine in a box.

Say hi to our hyperactive Sushi!

Processed with VSCO with fp8 preset

Sushi at 3 months

Expect that there will be posts about pet stuff (product reviews, stories, and tips) here soon! Now tell us about your experience of buying a pet!

 

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Categories: Pet Stuff

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45 replies ›

  2. I’m thinking to buy pet din po para may kasama ko. pero not all apartments allow pets, right? kasi may tendency na maging maingay sila like tahol ng tahol? or any place is okay? and hindi po ba sobrang gastos? kasi parang magastos mag-alaga ng pet dito

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  3. Hi, I stumbled across this post while trying to learn about japan. That’s a lovely dog you’ve got there!
    and I think naming a dog sushi in japan is the equivalent of naming it hamburger in America; I find it hilarious in a good way.
    Anyway, I was wondering while reading your post, about your impression on the frequency of stray cats/dogs you’ve encountered in japan compared to elsewhere.
    Sorry for my bad English, and Thank you for reading.

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    • Hey! My husband and I gave her the name because we love sushi. 😀 I’ve been here for almost 2 years now but I’ve never seen stray dogs so far. I’ve encountered stray cats once or twice which is totally different from my motherland.
      Thanks for dropping by!

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  6. Pingback: How I Taught My JRT Puppy To Sit – Thoughts of SheryL

  7. Sushi is so adorable! Please share more pictures of her in the future! 🙂
    I really want to purchase a dog in Korea but I really dislike the conditions the dogs are kept in at pet stores. There’s no local shelter in my city so I’ll just have to wait until I get a car so my husband and I can travel to adopt a little doggy.

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  10. Jack Russells are fab little dogs. They have a mind of their own and usually regard their owners as idiots who need to be told what to do by them. You have to be firm or they will train you. They have lots of energy and are great fun. Good Luck.

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  14. Hello ,

    I saw your tweet about animals and thought I will check your website. I like it!

    I love pets. I have two beautiful thai cats called Tammy(female) and Yommo(male). Yommo is 1 year older than Tommy. He acts like a bigger brother for her. 🙂
    I have even created an Instagram account for them ( https://www.instagram.com/tayo_home/ ) and probably soon they will have more followers than me (kinda funny).

    I have subscribed to your newsletter. 🙂

    Keep up the good work on your blog.

    Regards
    Wiki

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