The Heartwarming Story of Shane

PETA Asia-Pacific senior campaigner Ashley Fruno and Isabelle Gallaon-Aoki from Animal Friends Niigata have been working in Japan, seeking out animals in trouble or simply in need of food.

While Ashley, Isabelle, and the rest of the team were visiting evacuation centers on Friday to hand out dog and cat food because of the severe shortage and to ask for any leads on animals who may have been abandoned, they heard a very touching story about an Akita dog named Shane.

When Shane’s guardian heard the tsunami warning, he had rushed to warn his neighbors after letting Shane out into the yard. Then, he raced back toward his house to get his dog, but the tsunami was approaching as fast as a jet plane and he was forced to flee to the local school on higher ground. He gave up hope of ever seeing Shane alive again.

Six hours later, someone staying in the center said they saw a dog outside. The man rushed outside to look, and it was Shane! He had never been to the school before, but somehow his instincts led him there.

Shane had swum through the water to get back to his guardian. He must have clung to floating debris, as he had cut both his elbows on something.

The team left Shane’s guardian with instructions on how to clean the dog’s wounds and some ointment to ward off infection. They were also able to provide fuel to a local veterinarian, who will return to check on Shane and provide his guardian with antibiotics to ensure that his wounds heal.

Please consider helping animals like Shane by making a donation to the PETA U.S. Animal Emergency Fund, which provides grants to organizations that do rescue work, including PETA Asia-Pacific.