crime

Ex-pet shop employee arrested for dumping dead dogs in Tochigi

28 Comments

Police in Nasushiobara, Tochigi Prefecture, have arrested a former pet shop employee for dumping the dead carcasses of more than 70 dogs in rivers and mountains.

The suspect, identified as Masaki Kimura, 39, has been charged with violation of the animal protection, river management and waste disposal laws, police said, adding that he turned himself in at a police station in Utsunomiya on Nov 11, NTV reported.

The case came to light on Oct 31 when the bodies of 45 small dogs were discovered along the Kinu River in Utsunomiya. Another discovery was made on Nov 5 when 27 dogs, eight barely alive, and 19 dead, were discovered in the mountains near Nakagawa.

Following his arrest, Kimura was quoted by police as saying that he acquired the dogs -- miniature dachshunds, toy poodles and corgies -- from a breeder in Aichi Prefecture with the intention of selling them. He said he had been paid 1 million yen by the breeder.

However, he said that while he was transporting the dogs in wooden crates, many of them died. "I didn't really know what to do, so I thought I would just dump them," he said.

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28 Comments
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Yeah, right. More like, "He couldn't find a buyer for them while they were still young and cute, and since outlays for food were ruining him, he killed them."

9 ( +14 / -5 )

This guy needs to be "dumped" straight in a prison's psychiatric ward. Sick individual

2 ( +8 / -6 )

Another crime "solved" by the culprit turning himself in.

It must be a very easy job to be a policeman here. Just sit in the koban waiting for the villains to come to you.

In any case, I confidently expect to see this scum get a slap on the wrist with not a day of jail time.

-4 ( +7 / -11 )

Well, I hope the Police know what to do with him.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

What this guy did was terrible, but I hope it puts the spotlight on Japanese dog breeders. This guy disposed of his unwanted dogs illegally, but I'm sure there are more dogs disposed legally. Either way it's cruel for the unwanted dogs.

14 ( +15 / -1 )

Kimura received 1 million yen from the breeder to take care of the dogs and he dumps them.

6 ( +7 / -1 )

Old, diseased, in general poor health, these were not dogs that anyone would expect to be able to sell on by the dozen. Kimura is lying through his teeth. The breeder paid him 1 million yen to dispose of unwanted dogs the hokenjo no longer accepts. This is what I predicted when this story came out.

The animal breeding industry needs much, much stricter regulation, with every breeding animal properly registered, premises inspected regularly, every litter accounted for and registered and every puppy microchipped. Breeders found keeping animals in poor conditions, failing to provide proper health care, breeding individual animals too often and failing to find proper homes for animals too old to breed, should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law and banned from keeping animals ever again once they get out of prison.

20 ( +21 / -1 )

Yo Boy !! This is not China !!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Wel, dog gone! This is pretty weird! Gotta love his pitiful attempt at an excuse. He took the million yen and blew it in pachinko then let the dogs starve to death and dumped them. However, don't let this one case point a finger at Japanese. Puppy mills are everywhere around the world and very few of them have any scruples. Most of them are worse than chicken batteries. Sadly, there is a lot of moneyto be made from the domestic pet trade. One of my mates makes a lot of only importing pedigree dogs from Australia, especially fox terriers. However, they are not from a puppy mill. They are from a reputed breeder. Australia got very tough on dog breeders over 20 years ago. I think it's high time Japan did the same.

7 ( +11 / -4 )

He should have just gone on Alibaba and sold them to dog farmers in Korea and Vietnam.

-12 ( +1 / -13 )

Utter BS! You don't ship living, expensive cargo in wooden crates and pay in advance someone you ask to sell. This was a dump by the breeders, clearly, but will the J-cops or law here become any stricter as a result? I doubt it. And what will this guy get? a fine, tops, easily covered by the breeders if need be. Hell of a lot cheaper than continuing to keep them and hope for a buyer, so why bother, right?

5 ( +8 / -3 )

Rubbish! He thought he could turn a quick buck selling dogs, but realized its not as easy as he thought and dumped the poor dogs.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Rubbish! He thought he could turn a quick buck selling dogs, but realized its not as easy as he thought

He is a former pet shop employee, he knows exactly what kind of dog sells - cute, fluffy, cuddly 7- or 8-week old puppies. Not 5 to 10 year-old ungroomed, diseased adult dogs in poor condition. He took the dogs off the breeder's hands on the understanding he would dispose of them.

6 ( +6 / -0 )

What a worthless scumbag. I don't expect the penalty will be much, sadly - likely a fine much less than his profits for killing and dumping these poor mutts.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way it's animals are treated.” (possibly Gandhi but this is up for debate)

6 ( +6 / -0 )

It must be a very easy job to be a policeman here. Just sit in the koban waiting for the villains to come to you.

In any case, I confidently expect to see this scum get a slap on the wrist with not a day of jail time.

Highly likely, as turning yourself in apparently "shows remorse". The exception to that rule was Ichihashi

2 ( +4 / -2 )

Zero points for doing what he did, however I give him a point for coming forward to take a hit for doing what he did. That does show some back bone and willingness to atone for the misdeed after a serious lapse in moral judgement. There are a great many who would not step up to the plate. I somehow think he will never ever do that again.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

He should have just gone on Alibaba and sold them to dog farmers in Korea and Vietnam.

Alpha, that's not even remotely funny. Some of us find that practice horrific.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

The guy feels guilty, turns himself in & then LIES his A$$ off!

I hope the cops in the meantime have high tailed it to this Aichi ""Breeder"" & have its staff in custody for some severe questioning as they sure as hell sound guilty, question is will the keystones do so, I bloody hope so!

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

I am rather from the countryside and never thought of buying a pet. Pets are living creatures. You don t pay me for breeding, do you women ? So should be the same.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

JPrin

You might want to re-phrase............???

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Please never buy from a pet shop.

There are plenty of animals waiting in shelters for their forever homes.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Jprim, you don't get paid??????

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I think that this is just a tiny peek into the world of humans using animals for profit. There must be thousands of reputable breeders and pet store owners in Japan that don't get in the news. But there are also people like this who want to sell puppies on a corporate level. This is the byproduct of that business. As a society we are all responsible for this kind of stuff. In this case people who adopt pets from shelters and rescue agencies wouldn't be held accountable but for those of us who expect there to be adorable puppies and kitties every month of the year depending on our desire to buy them we have to accept that this kind of horrible byproduct is unavoidable.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

for those of us who expect there to be adorable puppies and kitties every month of the year depending on our desire to buy them we have to accept that this kind of horrible byproduct is unavoidable.

Those of you who expect there to be adorable puppies and kittens every month of the year depending on your desire to buy them need to take a good long hard look at the impact of your desires - and change them. This 'byproduct' is totally avoidable, and needs to be avoided.

In any case, there are adorable puppies and kittens year round, in the shelters. (The adjective is superfluous. All puppies and kittens are adorable.)

As a society we are all responsible for this kind of stuff.

I agree with this. As a society, we need to put a stop to it.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

In a country that kills animals soon after capture, I am pretty sure the waste disposal crime outweighs the animal cruelty charge. I bet he pays a hefty fine and that is all. RIP doggies!

1 ( +1 / -0 )

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