Popular Dog Breeds

By Maika Kon

Almost everyone has their favorite breed of dog. But do you know how many different breeds of dogs there are? There are 197 registered breeds of dogs and 350 in the world. Different dogs have different personalities, body types and faces. Dogs are very loyal and popular with first-time animal owners.

Coexistence with dogs has a positive effect on human physical and mental health. It was found that living with dogs secretes the happiness hormone (oxytocin) more actively. Dogs have a positive effect on a child’s mind and body. Dogs also have an impact on improving marital relationships and improving the health of sick patients. Which dog would you choose for your family?

First of all, when you say the word “dog” in Japan, most people probably think of Shiba Inu. Shiba Inu are now becoming very popular not only in Japan but also abroad. There are 6 breeds of dogs in Japan. The most popular is the Shiba Inu, the second most popular is the Akita dog, the third is the Hokkaido dog, also known as the Ainu dog, the fifth is the Kishu dog, and the sixth is the Shikoku dog.

These six breeds of Japanese dogs are becoming valuable in the present age even though there are many foreign breeds of dogs available. The six Japanese dogs are designated as national natural treasures and are treated with great care as they are unique to Japan.

The number of cases of abandonment of animals, where owners are unable to keep their pets due to impulse purchases, has decreased considerably compared to 10 years ago. However, the number of cases of elderly owners suddenly dying or being hospitalized has been increasing, and there has been a succession of consultations with local governments and animal welfare centers.

Recently, an increasing number of people are adopting dogs and cats at transfer events (meetings to solicit new owners for dogs and cats sheltered or housed at public health centers) held by local governments and animal welfare groups. However, in order to ensure that they are kept responsibly until the end, conditions such as age limits for owners are strictly enforced, so older people are advised to avoid pet stores. Therefore, older people are more likely to adopt puppies and kittens from pet shops.

Dogs are very cute and soothing to people, but sometimes their owners allow them to do dangerous things or cause tragic incidents. Take, for example, the case of an American Pit Bull Terrier. When the owner tried to open the front door of his house to go out, the dog ran away. The dog then bit a woman in the neighborhood on the arm and stomach, and then bit a male toy poodle she was holding, resulting in the death of the toy poodle. The woman was seriously injured. All such incidents involving dogs are the responsibility of their owners.