Many of the pictures I have seen of survivors are of Japanese hugging their canines. I did not realize the Japanese were such dog lovers. My heart goes out to the dog lovers. I remember Katrina and reading and seeing many people would not leave their pets behind, they are family to many. The Japanese are no different.
Almost more than us. When you have time, look up the story of Hachikō.
My uncle worked in the shipyards in Richmond, CA during WWII. One day a Japanese ship was towed into the yeards. The crew was taken into custody as POWs, but there was also a mother dog and a litter of pups aboard. My uncle took one of the pups home to his 2 little girls, and they named her Judy. Judy (an odd looking dog) was a part of their family for nearly 20 years. No American had ever seen a dog like that, but one day the family encountered an elderly Japanese man in the park. He told them that Judy was a typical Japanese dog. She looked like a miniature Akita with the curled tail, but she had a short, fawn colored coat. She was a wonderful dog. She was so tiny when my uncle brought her home that he carried her in his coat pocket.
“Dog breeds originating in Japan”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Dog_breeds_originating_in_Japan