Happy International Dog Day!
When I was four years old, my father bought a German Shepherd puppy from a place near our home called âThe Dog School.â
The three of us siblings were so excited that we ran through our narrow hallway, laughing with joy.
His name was Aldo. We were told that his name came from his parentsâ names. His full registered name was Roland Von.
From that day on, we had so many wonderful days together.
He was a puppy, and we were children.
We played together every single day, and every day was filled with happiness.
But one day, Aldo was put into a covered truck and taken somewhere.
We didnât understand it at the time, but he was actually being taken to a dog training facility â the âDog School.â
I will never forget what I saw when we went to visit him a month later.
Aldo stood beside a stern-looking trainer, clearly confused and frightened.
The trainer shouted, âHeel!â
And immediately, he kicked Aldo in the face with his knee.
I remember feeling confused, shocked, heartbroken, and devastated.
And I could see the same feelings in Aldo.
The innocent, energetic dog who had played with us every day was no longer there.
I was so shocked that I donât remember much of what happened after that. But his training continued for another four months. Apparently, the trainers even told my father that it wasnât enough and that they wanted to extend his training.
When Aldo finally came home, I stayed by his side as much as I could.
But he remained frightened, often looking as though he were on the verge of tears.
There was a patch on his forehead where the fur had fallen out. When we looked more closely, we found a round bald spot with a wound that had not yet healed.
He had become afraid of people.
One day, while we were out walking, he suddenly tore the work clothes of a man passing by into pieces.
Fortunately, the man wasnât injured.
Perhaps Aldo had been reminded of the trainer.
Japan has gone through several major pet booms, and today, many people have dogs as part of their families.
There are now many dog trainers in Japan who teach through praise and positive reinforcement, rather than punishment. This is becoming the mainstream approach.
However, there are still some police-dog training facilities where strict, old-fashioned methods remain.
And sometimes, people who are keeping a dog for the first time become interested in harsh training methods from overseas, including methods that rely on punishment.
I want to do whatever I can to help create a world where no dog anywhere is subjected to violence simply because a human doesnât understand how to teach them.
Music is one of the things I can do.
This is why I make music for dogs and for the people who love them.
MARUCO
#InternationalDogDay #DogsDeserveBetter #AnimalWelfare #PositiveReinforcement #StopAnimalAbuse #DogMusic #MARUCO