Pets First Holdings Co., Ltd.
Pets First Group CSR activity “Pets always come first project” The 13th Pets First hearing dog was born through assistance dog training support!
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Pets First Holdings Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Mekuro-ku, Tokyo, Representative: Nobumasa Masamune, hereinafter referred to as Pets First Group), which has the philosophy of “Pets always come first,” is undertaking the CSR activity “Pets always come first project.” Since 2016, we have been supporting the training of assistance dogs for the Japan Assistance Dog Association (Asahi Ward, Yokohama, Representative Director: Yoshiko Park, hereinafter referred to as the Japan Assistance Dog Association). At the 39th Certification Examination for Assistance Dogs for Physically Disabled Persons held on March 3, 2024, the 13th “Pets First Hearing Dog” was born. *1
*1: Pets First Hearing Dog is a hearing dog that was created with our support. ■Introducing the 13th Pets First hearing dog “Chako-chan”
Hearing dogs are assistance dogs for the physically disabled that play a role in supporting the comfortable and safe lives of
hearing-impaired people. It listens to the sounds that are necessary in daily life, such as door chimes and mobile phone ringtones, on behalf of the user, and notifies the user when a sound is heard by various actions such as touch or guidance.
At the 39th Certification Examination for Assistance Dogs for Physically Disabled Persons, “Chako-chan”, which our group helped raise, successfully passed the examination and officially started working as a hearing dog.
[Ochako-chan Profile]
[Image 1: https://prtimes.jp/i/64020/28/resize/d64020-28-c58f9888a0a49661f2b1-0.jpg&s3=64020-28-71cc9f4e0d1a9991c9be429ad2262973-2725×2333.jpg] ■Name: Chako
■Gender: Girl
■Dog breed: Toy poodle
■Hearing dog certification date: March 3, 2024
■Personality: Oriko is highly observant and has excellent grades. Although she doesn’t bark unnecessarily, her loving mother doesn’t allow other dogs.
A spoiled brat who becomes extremely jealous when loved.
■Characteristics: Large for a girl.
Ochako was a rescue dog whose owner gave her up due to unavoidable circumstances, but the Japan Assistance Dog Association recognized her potential as a hearing dog, and after about a year and a half of training, she was certified as a hearing dog. Currently, we are working as an important partner who lives with hearing-impaired users and supports them in their daily lives.
■Pets First Group’s assistance dog training support activities Pets First Group collaborated with the Japan Assistance Dog
Association and began supporting the training of hearing dogs in 2016. The “Hearing Guide Dog Training Project” was launched with the idea of creating a social contribution unique to us that connects over 20,000 pairs of pets and customers each year. In order to provide hearing-impaired people with hearing assistance dogs, we support the training of 12 hearing dogs so far, and in 2022 we will also support the training of a service dog.
Furthermore, our group also donates puppies that are candidates for hearing guide dogs, contributing to the spread of hearing dogs, of which there are currently only 52 in Japan. *2
*2: From the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare “Actual number of assistance dogs for physically disabled people in FY2020 (October)” (https://www.mhlw.go.jp/content/12200000/001163864.pdf)
▼Main support content of Pets First
Donation of candidate dogs
We provide puppies that are candidates for hearing assistance dogs to the Japan Assistance Dog Association, and six of them are now active as Pets First hearing dogs.
Training support for hearing dog candidates
We provide support during the training period for candidate dogs that have already been recognized as suitable and have begun training. ■Comment from Inaba, partner of hearing dog Ochako-chan
[Image 2: https://prtimes.jp/i/64020/28/resize/d64020-28-e8cf5a8624742313b400-2.jpg&s3=64020-28-fab8261fc63ccccb45468e4f49f4e3944-2549×2349.jpg] I requested a hearing dog, and after a year and a half of training in listening and basic movements, Ochako became my hearing dog. Ochako hears sounds for us who are deaf and is very helpful as she alerts us to the sounds of the alarm clock and intercom every day. However, more than just being a hearing dog, Ochako is an important member of my family, and she is an irreplaceable person who comforts me with her sweet personality.
I hope that as hearing dogs become more popular and understood, we will one day realize a society where if you see a dog wearing a hearing dog’s cloak on the street, it will be understood that its partner is deaf.
Finally, we would like to express our gratitude to Pets First for supporting Ochako. Thank you for your continued support.
■Pets First Diversity Promotion Team Hearing dog user Junko Fukunaga comments
[Image 3: https://prtimes.jp/i/64020/28/resize/d64020-28-cda910a8d6f57dbd3b4c-2.jpg&s3=64020-28-55c8f9b5410720983b23d13579c901c5-1337×1625.jpg] We are very happy that new hearing dog users were born this year thanks to Pets First’s support.
Being unable to hear is difficult to understand just by looking at it, and there are many inconveniences in communication and daily life. My partner Marco is also a Petz First hearing dog. Marco was raised by the Japan Assistance Dog Association with the support of Pets First and came to me.
Having Marco around has improved my quality of life and increased my social participation as a sign language teacher. Currently, I am working as a member of Pets First.
We hope that new users and Ochako-chan will participate in society together and help raise awareness of assistance dogs.
We hope that with the support of Pets First, as many assistance dog users as possible will be created in the future.
■Comment from Yoshiko Park, Representative Director of Japan Assistance Dog Association (Public Interest Incorporated Foundation)
[Image 4: https://prtimes.jp/i/64020/28/resize/d64020-28-6af4fa4bbf9badb9638c-3.jpg&s3=64020-28-24a04824fabfacacaef6c2f8d43044b6-326×394.jpg] Thank you very much for your continued support, including training hearing dogs and hiring assistance dog users for people with disabilities. Thanks to your support, we were able to create “Pets First Hearing Dog (Chaco)” this year as well.
Hearing dogs are dogs that contribute to the more independent social participation of hearing-impaired people who have a variety of difficulties in their daily lives due to their disabilities being difficult to discern from their appearance and their inability to hear (hard of hearing). Only 52 animals have been certified to play this wonderful role in Japan.
Our association will continue to foster as many hearing dogs as possible and lend them free of charge to people with hearing impairments.
We would like to once again express our gratitude to Pets First for their support in raising “Hearing Guide Dog Chaco” and ask for your continued support in the future. thank you very much.
[About the Japan Assistance Dog Association]
The Japan Assistance Dog Association is the only public interest incorporated foundation in Japan approved by the Cabinet Office that cross-disciplinaryly trains, certifies, and educates the three types of assistance dogs (guide dogs, service dogs, and hearing dogs). It is a corporation run by a diverse group of people, regardless of their disability, gender, or origin, who are able to demonstrate their abilities without being divided into those who support or those who receive support. Our association was established in 2002 with the enforcement of the Act on Assistance Dogs for Persons with Physical Disabilities. The number of assistance dogs that we have fostered and loaned out free of charge to date is 121 (42 guide dogs, 25 assistance dogs, and 55 hearing dogs as of April 2024). Our assistance dog breeding business does not end with lending assistance dogs to users; we provide regular follow-ups while they are working as assistance dogs, and after they retire, they are taken in by the association.We take care of each dog after they are born. We are responsible for our lives until we die.
■What is the Pets always come first project?
The Pets First Group has been working on the CSR activity “Pets always come first project” since 2011 with the concept of “making all pets smile.” In addition, we receive 1,000 yen for each pet adopted at P’s-first, operated by the Pets First Group, and all proceeds from the transfer of rescued dogs and cats are used as funding for our activities.
In addition to support and awareness activities for assistance dogs, the Pets Always Come First project also includes activities such as free microchipping for general pets, adoption of rescued dogs and cats, and industry-academia collaboration with universities regarding intractable diseases in pets. We are carrying out various initiatives to realize a society where people can live healthy and happy lives. ■Company information
[Company name] Pez First Holdings Co., Ltd.
[Location] 9F Orix Meguro Building, 1-24-12 Meguro, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-0063 [Capital] 100 million yen
[Number of employees] 1,263 (including 70 veterinarians and 55 pet nurses *including outsourced work) as of the end of April 2024 【others】
●Fostered 13 hearing dogs and 1 service dog for the Japan Assistance Dog Association (Public Interest Incorporated Foundation)
●Pets First Animal Hospital website (https://pfirst-ah.jp/)
●Pets First Group recruitment site (https://recruit.pfirst.jp/) ●Newsletter archive page (https://www.pfirst.jp/newsletter.html) ●Monthly Pet Report (https://www.pfirst.jp/protected_monthlyreport.html) ■Contact information
[About the contents of this publication]
Pets First Co., Ltd. Public Relations Department
(Telephone number: 03-6417-3503/E-mail: pr@pfirst.jp)
Person in charge: Kasuya, Nishikawa
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