Just wanting some insights in the wisdom of bringing our lab-cross to Japan (Borador)
Factors:
\- We may only be in Japan for 6 months
\- we will rent, but will likely have a fair bit of flexibility about where we live in both location and housing type
\- doggo has been living with family for 10 months already as is very happy and content, although maybe a little overfed (not enough to be a serious health concern though)
\- The dog doesn’t seem to miss us particularly, but we humans miss the dog
\- Dog is pretty much silent, rarely barks as in barks once every 12 months, we have no idea why she doesn’t like to bark, ironically we have always lived in places where a noisy dog wouldn’t be a problem
\- Dog is very active and needs a good long walk every day. Is pretty well behaved, but sometimes jumps on people and can have poor recall at times. The dog is very motivated by food and smart – so can be trained (it’s our fault it doesn’t always behave)
\- Dog is very easy going, loves other dogs (except poodles) and adapts well to new situations, likes people including kids, actively likes the vet and doesn’t mind being boarded. She has been with us 24/7 for most of her life apart from recently and occasional boarding and doesn’t have any separation anxiety
\- Dog is in Australia
Questions:
\- How traumatic is it to bring a dog over? Will quarantine be stressful?
\- I’ve heard of dogs dying in the process, is this a real risk?
\- Will the dog make it a lot harder to find a place to rent?
\- Are there issues related to dog ownership or “importing” we should know about? Costs? Customs?Vaccinations? etc
6 comments
You need to check all the details with the ministry of agriculture and airports.
It all depends on the country you’re coming from, but if everything is in order there shouldn’t be any quarantine. You might need vaccines, id chip and paperwork.
For only six months here I’d say it isn’t worth it. Finding a place with a dog will be harder and more expensive than without.
And even more being a foreigner.
Choose wisely.
I say don’t do it. Especially as it may be a shortish stay here. You’d have to start the return prep as soon as she got here. The dog is happy where she is and putting her through it all twice seems like too much.
6 months is not that long. I would leave it in Australia.
Renting will be pretty hard with a dog.
It’s already hard enough just for being a foreign, and having a dog makes it even harder.
I brought my Rabbit from Portugal to Japan, and she was so traumatized she didn’t even touch her food. This was back in 2012.
There’s always a risk of dying, even for humans.
6 months is too short IMO
Also good luck finding an apartment that allows dogs.. asians are not as dog friendly as westerners are
As far as finding a place, it will depend where in Japan you will be. If you are planning to live in central Tokyo, however, it will be almost impossible to get a rental unless you have an employer providing you a package that includes a very expensive place via an expat housing company. Pets make it very hard to rent here and any pets over 10kg is exponentially harder. For context, we brought my dog here who was 25kg and my gf (Japanese citizen) needed to inquire to over 200 apartments before she could find one that would allow a dog that size, and that was for regular rental agreements of 2 years.
All you need to know is here: https://www.maff.go.jp/aqs/english/animal/dog/import-other.html