Tokyo pet stories
On Saturday, May 9, 2015 I passed a woman and young child on Nakano Avenue near here. That’s a major thoroughfare. They were walking their dog. It was one of those small dogs that are the most popular pets here. I noticed that this dog had paralyzed hind legs and its hind legs were supported by wheels while its front legs trotted along really fast to keep up with the pace that the woman was pulling it along the sidewalk. It’s the sort of thing you see on TV but never see in real life. The dog was sick or had an accident but the family was keeping it out of love by using a sort of dog wheelchair. The sight reminded me of another strange pet sighting I had on Nakano Avenue a couple years ago. Also in the dark evening, I was walking home from somewhere when I saw a woman riding towards me on the sidewalk with an animal standing in her bicycle basket. I looked at it and thought “That’s a strange looking dog.” But when she got closer to me I realized that it wasn’t a dog, it was a monkey standing up in the basket as she pedalled along the sidewalk. It was wearing a collar and a leash, so I knew it was a pet animal. Once, many years ago, I saw a young man on the street with an iguana on his shoulder. I assumed it was his pet. But I question the idea of having a pet iguana because if you take care of it and keep it healthy then the animal will live about 100 years. Oh, well.