DOGS ARE AMAZING

Japan should use dogs’ abilities for practical purposes
much more

Dogs’ abilities are plenty and amazing
　　　　　What is the first thing popping up in your mind when you hear the words ‘dogs’ abilities’? The sense of smell? The sense of hearing? The loyalty to their owner? There are so many of them.
　　　　　The dogs’ sense of smell is 100,000 times better than that of human beings’. It can be said that the sense of smell is the crucial way for dogs to learn everything in the world. About their sense of hearing, they can recognize wider range of sound waves than human beings can. It is also said that dogs understand humans’ emotions and feelings. Dogs have been our friends for about 30,000 years. They have had various advantages by communicating with human beings and vice versa.

There are a lot of examples to practically use their abilities
　　　　　There are a lot of examples to practically use their abilities or relationship with them for human society: The drug detective dogs at the airports, the blood sugar level warning dogs, the epileptic seizure warning dogs, the librarian dogs, the corrective project for drug abusers and criminals, the physical and psychological rehabs for seniors, and so on.
　　　　　The project *1POOCH in a youth correctional center in Oregon, US should be especially mentioned. The facility is for young males who commit a crime such as drug abuse, rape, injurious assault. In the facility the rescued dog project has been carried out for more than two decades. Only a few selected inmates can join the project. Each of them takes care of a dog at a time, trains it, and sends it to an adopting home. Participating in the project, they learn how to build relationship and self confidence: some of them know for the first time what to love, be loved, feel for somebody else, be patient, and do good things for somebody else are like. They ease their own anger, pain, and loneliness. They forgive themselves. They have confidence and hope in themselves. In fact, those who joined the project show a significantly lower rate of repeating crime.
　　　　　*2The librarian dogs are so heartwarming. They support children who have reading disorder. A dog sits by to listen to the kid who is practicing to read out a text. The kid has no fear of being criticized about his/her mistakes of reading. The existence of the dogs brings about a great efficiency for the improvement of kids’ reading ability. And libraries with dogs are much fun, aren’t they?

For prevention of COVID 19
　　　　　I have read some articles that at some airports in Europe, *3the covid detection dogs play the important role. They can smell out the infected people by sniffing the cloth that the passengers wiped around their neck with. The accuracy is more than 90%. The time that was needed for the training dogs was only one or two months. There is little possibility for dogs to get infected with the disease.
　　　　　Not only at the airports but other places and events, the covid detection dogs are used more and more. For example, the detection dogs were used for screening fans who came to the basketball match.

Japan should use dogs for the practical purposes much more
　　　　　I am hit by the only cases in other countries rather than in Japan when I search dog-related projects on the internet. Japanese labs and institutes seem not to research using dogs as much as the other countries do. Supporting dogs for the blind, the deaf and the people with another challenge are also very few.
　　　　　The Japanese government should encourage researchers to study using dogs’ abilities for the practical purposes much more. For example, dogs (also cats) should be used to promote the elderly’s physical and psychological health. The covid detection dogs should be used for screening at the mass people gathering events such as the sports and the concerts. There should be more projects in which the employees work with their own pets in the office and that makes a better environment in work places and lessen their stress.
　　　　　It is the time now to prove the fact that the human beings and the canines are good friends for long time.

REFERENCE

*1 Project POOCH
https://pooch.org

*2 librarian dogs
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4763282/

*3 Covid detection dogs at Helsinki Airport, September 2020
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/sep/24/close-to-100-accuracy-airport-enlists-sniffer-dogs-to-test-for-covid-19