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    "Japan's numerous urban pet stores are illegal in Europe and America. Customers that use them are subsidizing puppy farms"
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    Japan’s numerous urban pet stores are illegal in Europe and America. Customers that use them are subsidizing puppy farms

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    10 Comments

    1. CatsianNyandor on

      The general public in Japan doesn’t care about the conditions that pets live in. Many people don’t see pets as living things with feelings but as an accessory for them. 

      But some are fighting for better rights for animals, which is a good thing. In the meantime, don’t go to pet shops or pet cafes unless they’re supporting rescues. 

    2. JayMizJP on

      Maybe I’m being dumb here

      I know that for a fact there are still puppy farms in the UK but they are just done in people’s houses and then sold for cash to anyone who would wants to pay a couple hundred quid for them. There’s no guarantee of their condition and no promise they are going to a good home.

      I don’t know about “mainland” Europe but I would say those puppy farms are worse than Japanese pet shops. Though of course not great.

    3. the_nin_collector on

      Can we please get this pinned.
      I wish this story was posted everyday.

      I would pay money to try and get this story seen by more people.

    4. zaikoji75 on

      How about all those dumb “cafes” too.
      Owl cafe, otter cafe, fennec fox cafe…
      It’s disgraceful.

    5. Aberfrog on

      This is a problem all over Asia. It’s changing but it’s a very slow process.

    6. Eddie_skis on

      Animal welfare is extremely far down the list of concerns or priorities for the majority of the Japanese population.

    7. kansastaff on

      Unfortunately, Japanese don’t really care about pet shop conditions or animal rights. Pretty much everyone I know (I’m Japanese) bought their pet from a pet shop.

      My American friend once got emotional about this and started throwing insults to my Japanese friend, but this is the worst way to try to convince someone in Japan

    8. kanata_tycoon on

      I once asked my Japanese friend about this, and what they said was somewhat counterintuitive. Basically, they said that they view pet shops as “professional” and shelters/rescues as scams trying to get your money.

      I don’t agree with them, but to be fair, I have seen some people get scammed by certain groups who stand outside train stations posing as shelters/rescues and asking for donations.

    9. Defiant_Quality_7557 on

      Doesn’t the appearance-focused selective breeding that has been pursued in Europe and America have some deeply problematic aspects from an animal welfare perspective? Japanese breeds like the Shiba Inu and Akita are genetically very close to wolves. That is evidence that they were not subjected to excessive or unnatural breeding practices. How can people ignore the suffering caused by their own treatment of animals while criticizing Japanese pet shops? Do they really have the moral standing to do so?

      Leaving downvotes won’t save the animals that were bred into fragile dog breeds by Westerners.

    10. NemuriNezumi on

      even how they treat animals in zoos would be illegal

      I’m still traumatized with my recent visit to the Nasu zoo