Mitch Takes Brief Self-Guided Tour of Japan
I thought American people loved their dogs...but apparently Japanese people love their dogs even more! Almost everyone has a dog, although the average Japanese dog weighs 10 pounds or less. So, people take them everywhere! They have baskets on their bikes especially for their dogs. They are allowed in stores, most of which sell dog clothing of all sorts and more treats and toys than you can imagine! There are even dog parks in our neighborhood where at 5PM daily people gather with their dogs to socialize.

Well, there is one rule only when it comes to dogs. They must be on a leash. Especially 45-pound dogs like our Mitch, who could eat most Japanese dogs as a mere snack. We already knew this rule, since the same is usually true in the States. However, Mitch decided to test it this week! Mitch was outside in our small fenced yard, and as usual, he would bark loudly as dogs walked by along the path by our house.

Before I knew it, I heard our doorbell ring and stepped out onto the balcony to see a Japanese neighbor standing at our front gate with guilty Mitch by his side--on the other side of the fence, of course! I shouted out, "gomen nasai, which means "I'm sorry" and ran downstairs to get him.

I immediately let Mitch inside the gate and kept saying, "gomen nasai" and "arigato" (thank you) over and over. I glanced down the length of the fence and realized that Mitch had jumped up on our old, rusty fence and had pushed open a piece of it and jumped down to the path. As I surveyed the damage to the fence, the Japanese neighbor was lecturing me in Japanese. I finally said to him, "I don't understand." He paused for a minute while thinking and said, "Your dog...(pause)...free. Not allowed." I said, "I know, I didn't know he got out. It won't happen again."

Mitch's self-guided tour of Japan was short lived! He's relegated to the balcony for a while. He almost looks remorseful! So, I guess we won't make him wear any funny dog clothes afterall.