KYOTO–James Jr., a rehoused shelter dog, is the face of an animal welfare campaign now vying for national attention.
The 10-year-old male Shiba Inu is now owned by a woman who lives in the Arashiyama district of this historic city.
James Jr. has been busy attending events across the country. Profits from the sale of namesake goods are donated to a local animal welfare center.
A Buddhist temple in the neighborhood has also pitched in to promote the sanctity of life.
James Jr. was born in 2015.
He ended up in foster care after his owner, a non-Japanese, returned home. Miwa Takaya, a 62-year-old resident of Kyoto’s Ukyo Ward, learned of the situation in autumn 2019 and took him in.
James Jr. had been kept in a building apartment. He lacked zest and seemed resigned to his fate, Takaya recalled.
Takaya had lost her pet dog, James, in February of that year. James had also been a shelter dog.
Takaya got involved in animal welfare following the 2011 tsunami and nuclear disasters triggered by the Great East Japan Earthquake. James Jr. followed in the footsteps of his predecessor as a campaign dog.
Raising and making donations is a pillar of James Jr.’s activities.
Calendars, transparent files and other promotional goods feature James Jr.’s images. They are sold at events and through online retailing. The proceeds go to the Kyoto Animal Welfare Center in the city’s Minami Ward.
This year’s donations totaled 500,000 yen ($3,360). The money is assigned mainly for animal welfare education and appropriate management of the animals under the protection of the center, officials said.
Support is also coming from the local community for James Jr.’s campaigns.
Donke-in temple, a convent in the neighborhood, helped sell James Jr. goods when it opened its doors to the public for a “special exhibition” held in autumn 2024.
The nunnery prepared an original edition of its “goshuin” seal stamps containing photo images of James Jr. The cash offerings the temple received were set aside for donations.
“The lives of humans and other animals are equal,” said Jisho Chikusa, Donke-in’s head priest. “We wanted to do something to hold out a helping hand.”
James Jr. also appears regularly on a program aired by FM Kyoto. His presence on the radio station has gone down well with listeners, who say his barks sound cute and comforting.
James Jr.’s campaigns extend beyond Kyoto’s borders.
Like his predecessor, James Jr. is a tourism ambassador for Iwakuni, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Takaya’s native city, in 2020.
In that capacity, the pooch pushes Iwakuni’s tourist spots such as Kintaikyo bridge, designated as a “place of scenic beauty” by the central government.
James Jr. also visits elementary schools to interact with the kids and attends lectures on animal welfare.
“He cheers up our regional community while at the same time disseminating information on our city,” said Iwakuni Mayor Yoshihiko Fukuda. “He is a white hope of shelter dogs.”
James Jr., in the meantime, is already getting on in dog years.
Takaya said she will pay keen attention to his health as the pair continue their activities on behalf of shelter dogs and cats in need of foster parents.
AloJapan.com