A dog's life

Leaflets and fliers advertising almost anything pop through your letterbox here with great regularity. One of the latest for us is to tell us about the grand opening of a place called Pet Town complete with cute photos of some of the dogs which are for sale - along with all the necessary accessories. Dogs are big business in Japan. There are after all over 13 million of them - more than the total number of children under 12. Some dogs seem to spend almost all of their time indoors. And they certainly get pampered. Today's leaflet offered a selection of clothing (designer labels are popular here), a stroller for taking the dog for a 'walk', even a special Christmas dinner and cake. Dogs can have all the gear here, even little socks and shoes. Of course if you need to be away for a few days, you can check your canine friend in to the dog hotel. And then why not give it a treat at the beauty salon or indulge it with a visit to the pet spa? We have quite a number of pet salons around our area and a pet cemetery not too far away. Why the big thing with dogs here? Perhaps some people just need the company. Perhaps it's easier to be friends with your dog when relationships in the family and workplace can be tense. However, the statistics are worrying - a low birthrate and an ever-increasing number of dogs will not solve the problems brought about by the population crisis facing Japan.