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高齢者だった父と動物の絆

Fri, 19 Jun 2026 08:45:33 GMT

動物と暮らすことによる高齢者の精神身体健康、そして社会的挑戦

約１カ月前にこの獣ハウスに一緒に住んでいた高齢の父が突然死んだ。父は

１５歳かそこらの時に、近所にいた猫と遊びたくて近くへ行ったと言う。猫のいるところまで行くと、近くに咳を酷くしていた人がいて、その人が結核だったことを後から知った。結果、父は結核にかかり、当時の医療技術から肺をつぶすしかなかったそうだ。父は、少年時代に5年近く病院に入院し、それ以後は片肺のみで行きのびた。私は子供のころから、犬、猫を含む小動物と暮らしていた。父が私に動物をもらったり、買ったりしてくれた。

ここ１４年父は香港に住む私と一緒に暮らしていた。しかし、肺が弱いため、いつも入退院を繰り返していた。父には友だちや連絡を取り合う家族がいなかった。孤独な生活だったが、我が家の犬たちと仲良くしていた。特に梅が去勢手術が終わった生後7カ月ごろから目に入れても痛くないほどにかわいがっていた。

「梅が暑がっているからクーラーをつける。梅が寒そうだから、毛布を掛ける。梅が散歩から帰って暑いだろうから、水の中に氷をいれる」、と自分の健康を顧みずに梅をかわいがっていた。他にも我が家にはたくさん保護犬猫がいる。だから、梅ばかり贔屓にしていることで私は父と大喧嘩をしていた。おやつを食べる犬は最多時で13匹、父はおやつを挙げる順番を忘れないため、犬たちの名前を書いて棚に貼っていた。動物は自分がもらうおやつの回数が少ないと分かる、となんども父に言って聞かせていたからだ。2年前に梅が緑内障を発症し、治療の甲斐なく、最終的に全盲になってしまった。その時、父はよく使えないコンピューターのネットで病気のことを必死に勉強していた。

夜寝るときは、緑内障で完全に盲目になってしまった梅はベッドは父のベッドの下に、そして父のベッドの半分以上でミーシャとノエルという中型犬が一緒に寝ていた。父は、酸素生成機を24時間使用していたため、部屋の中に熱が溜まった。だから、犬が暑いからクーラーをつける、犬が酸素生成機の音がうるさいから、寝るときは酸素を吸入したくない、といろいろ面倒なことを言った。

父が入院すると、梅とはモバイル電話で会話していた。父が退院すると、犬たちは大騒ぎで、まるでセレブを家に迎えたかのような歓迎ぶりだった。

体の弱い父に体力をつけさせるのは、梅を理由にした。「梅と一緒に毎日散歩続けたいでしょう。お父さんがいなくなったら、梅が可哀そうだよ」と言えば、必死に体を動かしていた。

世界には高齢者が動物と暮らすことでの精神的健康の改善のデータが多く発表されている。人間の言葉を使って会話せずとも、体温の暖かさ、目を合わせて

コミュニケーションをとり、疑いのない真の愛情で結ばれるといった関係は、高齢者のみならず動物と暮らす人間にとっては、かけがえのない命の源となっている。中高齢の人々には積極的に動物を家に迎え入れてほしいと思う。自分以外の命を大切にすることが、自身の精神また身体の健康にもつながるからである。しかし、そう簡単にはいかない。

詳しく調べてはいないが、高齢者のみで暮らしている家に動物が一緒に住んでいるところは多くあると思う。彼らの心配事は、自分の死後、まだ生きている動物の家族の引き取り先である。実際に我が家にも高齢者が亡くなった後、安楽死されるか野に放たれるかの2択であった成犬が住んでいる。日本の知り合いが営む動物病院でも、生前犬猫と病院に通っていた飼い主が亡くなったことで、自ら何匹も引き取っている。

亡くならなくとも、高齢になり、老人施設に入らなくてはならないとき、今まで一緒に暮らしていた動物を手放さなければならない人は多くいるだろう。シェルターに運よく引き取られたとしても、成犬や成猫になればなるほど、引き取り手を見つける可能性はゼロに近くなる。一緒に暮らすことができる老人施設も数か所日本にはあるらしいが、動物のサイズや数、そして人間同様に高齢化するごとに直面する深刻な病への治療費や介護といった問題がある。だから動物受け入れ可能な高齢者施設の数は、増えていかないだろう。

では、どうしたら、このような施設を増やすことができるか。資金的な問題、人手の問題、そして私たちの動物の心理を含む福祉に関する理解が必要になる。

動物の命を利用し、自然を奪っている私たち人間。どうしたら人の心は変わることができるのか。

人間の欲で繁殖され、捨てられる動物の数はいつまでたっても減らない。警備のためと称して利用され、ろくに食べ物も与えられず飼い殺しにされ、プロジェクトが終わったら遺棄される犬たち、飲食関係の店からネズミの数を減らすために買われる猫たち。動物が捨てられる数、遺棄された後に子犬や子猫を産んで、自然の中の中で生きていき、運良ければ保護団体や個人に引き取られる。こういった環境が変わらないかぎり、行き場のない動物の数は減ることはない。子供を含む行き場のない人間だって星の数ほどいるのだから。

我が家では家族のメンバーは死によって入れ替わっているが、最大時には17匹の犬猫が住んでいた。老人の父は言った、「お前がなんで保護した動物を家に連れてくるんだ、人に利用されているんだ。また、新しく動物を迎えることで、今いる犬猫が可哀そうだと思わないのか」この言葉は、何度聞いたかわからない。

しかし、私は言った。「どこにも行くとこがないから、家に連れてくる。ここは一匹を守るための場所ではないし、私はこの考え方を変えるつもりはない。」

基金など作っても個人に寄付してくれる人はほぼいない。だから、運営資金は自分で作るしかない。そんな私を見て、父は私を心配していたのもあるだろう。

しかし、何とか生き延びている我が家の生活に慣れたのか、父は最終的にはすべてを受け入れ、たまにネットニュースなどで、動物虐待の話があると、信じられない人間があると私に話してくれた。

そんな父はもういない。動物は言葉に表さずとも、過去に見送った犬猫の仲間の経験から、父はもう戻ってこないと分かっているのだろう。もし、彼らが人間の言葉を話したら、何というだろうか。父はあっけなく死んでしまった。入院して12時間後に亡くなった。救急車に乗る前には、いつもの通りに犬におやつをあげ、頭をなでて、行ってくるよ、と家を去った。動物たちが惜しみない愛を父に与えたからこそ、かなり高齢になるまで、片肺で生きてこられたんだ、と私は信じている。

The Bond Between My Elderly Father and Animals

Mon, 15 Jun 2026 05:24:49 GMT

The Mental and Physical Health Benefits of Living with Animals, and Social Challenges

About a month ago, my elderly father, who lived with me in this "beast house," passed away suddenly. He used to tell a story from when he was around fifteen years old. He had walked over to play with a neighborhood cat, and near where the cat was, there was a person coughing terribly. He found out later that the person had tuberculosis. As a result, my father caught the disease, and given the medical technology of the time, the only option was to collapse one of his lungs. He spent nearly five years of his youth hospitalized and survived the rest of his life with just a single lung. Ever since I was a child, I lived with small animals, including dogs and cats. My father was the one who would get them for me, either as gifts or by buying them.

For the past fourteen years, my father lived with me in Hong Kong. However, because his lungs were weak, he was constantly in and out of the hospital. He didn't have friends or family members he kept in touch with. It was a lonely life, but he got along wonderfully with our dogs. He especially doted on Ume, from the time Ume was about seven months old and had just been neutered. He loved him so much it hurt.

"Ume looks hot, so I’m turning on the air conditioner. Ume looks cold, so I’m putting a blanket on him. Ume must be hot after his walk, so I’ll put ice in his water." He pampered Ume like this, completely disregarding his own health. We have many other rescue dogs and cats in our home, so I used to get into huge fights with my father for playing favorites with Ume. At our peak, we had thirteen dogs that ate treats.

To make sure he didn't forget the order of who got what, my father wrote the dogs' names down and taped them to the shelf. This was because I had told him over and over that animals know when they’re getting fewer treats than the others. Two years ago, Ume developed glaucoma. Despite our best efforts to treat it, he eventually went completely blind. At that time, my father, who wasn't very good with computers, desperately searched the internet to study the disease.

At night, Ume—who was now totally blind from glaucoma—would sleep under my father’s bed, while Misha and Noel, two medium-sized dogs, slept on more than half of my father’s bed with him. Because my father used an oxygen concentrator 24 hours a day, heat would build up in the room. So, he would cause all sorts of complications, saying things like, "Turn on the AC because the dogs are hot," or "I don't want to use the oxygen machine while I sleep because it's too loud for the dogs."

Whenever my father was hospitalized, he would talk to Ume over the mobile phone. And when he was discharged, the dogs would cause an absolute uproar, welcoming him home as if he were a celebrity.

When it came to keeping my frail father active, I used Ume as motivation. If I said, "You want to keep going on daily walks with Ume, don't you? If you're gone, Ume will be so miserable," he would push himself to move.

A wealth of data has been published worldwide showing how living with animals improves the mental health of the elderly. Even without communicating through human words, the warmth of their bodies, making eye contact, and connecting through pure, unquestioning love becomes an irreplaceable source of life—not just for the elderly, but for anyone who lives with animals. I truly believe middle-aged and elderly people should actively welcome animals into their homes. Caring for a life other than your own connects directly to your own mental and physical health. However, it is not always that simple.

While I haven't researched the exact statistics, I imagine there are many households where elderly people live alone with their pets. Their biggest worry is who will take in their animal family members after they die. In fact, we have a rescue dog living in our house right now whose only two options after their elderly owner passed away were euthanasia or being abandoned in the wild. Even at a veterinary hospital run by an acquaintance of mine in Japan, the owner has personally taken in several cats and dogs after patients they used to bring in passed away.

Even if they don't pass away, many people are forced to give up the animals they have lived with when they grow old and have to enter a nursing home. Even if they are lucky enough to be taken in by a shelter, the older a dog or cat gets, the closer their chances of finding a new home drop to zero. Apparently, there are a few nursing homes in Japan where people can live with their pets, but they face challenges regarding the size and number of animals, as well as the costs and care for serious illnesses that come with aging, just like humans. That is why the number of senior facilities that accept animals isn't growing.

So, how can we increase the number of these facilities? It requires funding, manpower, and an understanding of animal welfare, including animal psychology.

We humans exploit the lives of animals and strip away nature. How can human hearts be changed? The number of animals bred for human desire and then abandoned never seems to decrease. Dogs are used under the guise of "security," barely given food, kept alive in miserable conditions, and then discarded once the project ends. Cats are bought by restaurants just to reduce the mouse population. Animals are abandoned in massive numbers, and after being cast out, they give birth to puppies and kittens, surviving in the wild until, if they are lucky, they are taken in by rescue groups or individuals. Unless this environment changes, the number of animals with nowhere to go will never decrease. Then again, there are already countless helpless humans in the world, including children, who have nowhere to go.

In our home, the members of our family change as they pass away, but at our peak, we had 17 dogs and cats living with us. My elderly father used to say to me, "Why do you keep bringing rescued animals home? People are just taking advantage of you. Don't you think it's unfair to the dogs and cats we already have to bring in new ones?" I can't count how many times I heard those words.

But I would tell him, "I bring them here because they have nowhere else to go. This isn't a place meant to protect just a single animal, and I have no intention of changing my mind."

Even if you set up a foundation, almost no one contributes to individuals. That’s why I have no choice but to generate the operating funds myself. Watching me do this, my father was likely worried about me. However, perhaps because he got used to our way of life as we managed to scrape by, he eventually accepted everything. Occasionally, when there was a story about animal abuse in the online news, he would talk to me about how unbelievable some humans could be.

My father is no longer here. Even without words, the animals probably know he isn't coming back, drawing from their past experiences of seeing their fellow dog and cat companions pass away. If they could speak human words, I wonder what they would say. My father died so suddenly. He passed away just 12 hours after being admitted to the hospital. Before getting into the ambulance, he gave the dogs their treats just like always, patted their heads, and left the house saying, "I'll be back."

I truly believe that it was precisely because the animals gave him such unconditional love that he was able to live to such an old age with only one lung.

Family Reunited

Tue, 11 Nov 2025 07:25:55 GMT

No Place to go, Pregnant dogs

Born as a feral dog in a mountain range where hundreds of dogs live as homeless, Wasabi has been pregnant at least three times despite her young age. We estimate she is around four years old. It took us almost eight months to gain her trust after she arrived with us. Now, she lives with her daughter Anya and Noel, a black puppy pictured below.

When she was nearing the end of her pregnancy, we received help from a volunteer with special equipment to catch her in the mountains. To our surprise, it was easier than we thought. Generally, mountain dogs have a strong instinct to avoid danger, as they must fight for food, shelter, water, and mates—skills that aid their survival. However, in Wasabi's case, her desperation for food allowed her to enter the trapping area quite easily.

Once she was placed in a safe home, Wasabi gave birth to three puppies. Unfortunately, one was stillborn, another was unresponsive, and the last one, Amberine, appeared to be fine. Thanks to the support of the Tobby Friends Foundation, Wasabi was seen by a vet, who confirmed that there were no more puppies left in her womb, and the lifeless black puppy was saved. We discovered that the puppies had not suckled from Wasabi because she was unable to produce milk, which explained their weakness. By the time the first puppy was born, it had already been six hours since we got to the vet—just in time to save the remaining puppies.

In the meantime, Wasabi consumed the stillborn puppy, and we could not find any trace of it later. As expected, she developed heartworm, and she has just completed her treatment. Two of the puppies were brought to our place immediately after consulting with the vet, while Wasabi remained at the foster home.

Ideally, the puppies should have had access to breastfeeding, but we had to feed them with a milk bottle since Wasabi could not provide any milk. Mother dogs often experience postpartum depression due to hormonal imbalances, and separation from their newborns can cause mental instability. However, Wasabi became mentally stable about a week later.

No Place for Mother Dogs After Birth

It is a sad reality that the majority of female dogs who give birth have no place to go. Whether catching a pregnant dog is the right choice remains a question. Lactating dogs, especially those who have given birth multiple times in the wild, often do not look appealing, with large, hanging nipples.

Why not return them to their previous environment? Once we rescue dogs from a mountain inhabited by many packs, there is often no space for the rescued dogs to return. The reason is simple: rescued dogs that have stayed in human care smell different from mountain dogs, and the areas where they used to eat and sleep are often occupied by others. A mother dog must breastfeed her puppies for at least four weeks, making this a crucial period for their development. In other words, a rescued mother dog cannot return to her former nesting area for at least a month. The recovery period could be even longer if she has illnesses like heartworm or tick fever. The longer a dog stays with humans, the more difficult it becomes for them to return to the mountains.

People Prefer Puppies Over Adult Dogs

In Hong Kong, countless newborn puppies are waiting for adoption. Unfortunately, few people are interested in adopting adult dogs, making it clear that mongrel lactating dogs rescued from the streets are not a preferred choice. This is a fact.

Like Wasabi, some dogs are fearful of humans due to their experiences while being stray. Building a bond with these dogs is not an overnight task; it takes a considerable amount of time to establish a harmonious relationship.

Until there is a system with government support to conduct rapid TNR (Trap-Neuter-Return) programs to reduce the dog population, the chances for adult dogs or mother dogs after giving birth to be accepted by animal shelters are very slim. If TNR is implemented regularly, the number of homeless dogs will decrease in the future, as their lifespan without human care is not long.

It is also crucial that the breeding and pet industries involving live animals be banned. I hope that a new animal welfare law can be enacted to address these issues. Many dogs are kept as guard dogs at construction sites and warehouses without proper care.

After many months, Wasabi finally allowed us to touch her and put a leash on her without resistance. We hope that TNR will soon be widely implemented while finding ways for humans to be patient with homeless dogs. This planet does not belong solely to humans, and many people seem to have forgotten that.

Ron, the surviver

Fri, 24 Oct 2025 07:32:12 GMT

Left alone at the abondoned house, Ron was a real fighter

Ron was left behind with his wife and daughter in an abandoned house after their owner moved out.

They wandered in a fishing village where over 50 feral dogs had come down from the mountains in search of food. We received a call to rescue Ron, whose body was covered with maggots. A villager said, "He is such a good boy and deserves to be happy. Please save him."

It took us a few days to capture Ron at the abandoned house. According to a neighbor who fed Ron and the other dogs, their owner rarely visited. He would come once or twice a week, or sometimes not at all for weeks. We managed to speak to this so-called owner about Ron's health, but he showed no concern. He even suggested that we should leave Ron alone. After several visits, we noticed that Ron's scar, infested with maggots, had grown significantly. Therefore, we decided to enter the abandoned house to catch him. The neighbor promised to look after Ron's wife and daughter.

Before this incident, other street dogs had also been severely injured, their bodies covered in maggots. We tried to catch them, but our efforts failed as they were too wary of humans and soon disappeared from the area. We feared they were dead, which made us desperate to rescue Ron before it was too late.

One day, we successfully caught Ron, and it was a huge relief. We brought him to the animal clinic, where the vet cleaned the large wounds on his body, removing all the maggots. Ron had also developed heartworm, but treatment for that would be postponed until his wounds healed a bit. The ongoing issue remained that there were no foster homes for adult dogs, and brain surgery is rarely performed by veterinarians in Hong Kong. Ron's doctor candidly informed me of this.

After the successful surgery, Ron's vet, Dr. Daian Liu, thanked us for giving Ron a chance at surgery. Although his cancer was not cured, we had extended Ron's life with a good quality of life. Most of the medical bills for the animals in my care were paid out of my own pocket, so Dr. Liu did not charge much for the operation, for which we were incredibly grateful. Our regular check-ups with Dr. Liu and her team became a happy outing for us.

I couldn’t bring myself to send a message card to Dr. Liu to inform her of Ron's passing. I know she must have felt it, but I was too scared to reach out. I am still struggling to cope with his death. The only reason I took the risk for Ron to have brain surgery was his desire to stay with us longer. There was no doubt about his will to live until his last breath. I have witnessed euthanasia many times, but letting go of Ron's body was not easy for me. However, I realize that sometimes love means relieving a loved one from pain.

Veterinarians often suggest euthanizing dogs if they are immobile. While I respect their opinion, what about the dog’s wishes? Without a doubt, Ron wanted to stay longer, even if that is my personal perspective. Some dogs may feel miserable during illness, but it’s also possible that some wish to be with their beloved families. Many scientists are still studying dog behavior and cognition.

Please don’t leave dogs in empty houses if you move out. We know of many people who abandon dogs when they relocate, treating them like garbage. This happens frequently in Hong Kong, where owners dump dogs or leave them at shelters without a second thought when they leave. It remains a mystery to us why people act this way.

Taken away from Safe House

Fri, 24 Oct 2025 07:32:12 GMT

Fanta was kidnapped by so-called owners from safty house

Dogs was kidnapped by so-called owners, who do not be responsible when it comes to medical treatment when their dogs get sick or injured. The incident was occurred after we saved them to place at foster home in order to provide medical treatment and home. Reason for them to take those rescued dogs back is for their ego that is to play with them when they want.

Fanta used to live in a mountain with his dog friends since he was born. He is friendly and cheerful dog so some people like to feed him sometimes but never got a regular meal till a kind person has started to feed him and other mountain dogs everyday while monitoring their health. It was the best for Fanta to get adopted by this person knows as a caregiver, but it was impossible to do so due to both living and financial situation. We were told that people were harassing the mountain dogs and Fanta by beating with sticks or BBQ folk.

Therefore, we have decided to rescue Fanta to place at a secure home when he got injured. It was our fortunate that Fanta was friendly to human so It was not so difficult task for us to catch.

However the problem was the attachment to other irregular feeders who claim this dog is owned by them. They has used regional gang head who was said to look after the area and traced back Fanta somehow. Information of secure house was leaked by small mistakes that some of volunteers made. As a result, gangster has unbrushed the owner of secure house threatening to get Fanta back. However, Fanta was not supposed to be released to so called owners and gangs. Because we have taken one step ahead to protect Fanta by injecting a microchip under the legal sponsor's name. Nevertheless, police officers that Gangs brought with them ordering us to return Fanta to where he belongs to and that was in a mountain. It was amazed how uncivilised order has made by law authority. Fanta was taken by them to the mountain again.

Several month later, we got Fanta back along with other injured dogs with support from animal rescue entity after we reported this adduction case to police and government entities. So far, no noice is heard from those people who do not provide any home for them to stay, medical treatment or regular meal.

“Their many people who think that dog is an object rather animal. Those people or companies keep dogs to fitful their needs ”

Fanta is soon to be adopted with helps from trainers and animal friends at care house. He will enjoy the second life with loves and human family. Other dogs are still trying to adjust new environment at a boarding house where may dogs are also waiting for people to adopt.

Due to illness, Fanta is now living with us and taking life long medical treatment.

Stoken life of Koyuki

Fri, 24 Oct 2025 07:32:12 GMT

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