"Chirori, the Therapy dog"'s monument

This moving monument to Chirori, the first Japan's official Therapy dog, can be seen in Tokyo (1-13-20 Tsukiji, Chuo). The monument was promoted by Toru Oki. "When he visited the US as a blues singer in 1976, he found out about therapy dogs and how they can be properly trained to help people. In the 90s, Oki adopted an abandoned dog named Chirori who became Japan’s first therapy dog. Chirori became a fixture around hospitals, helping patients recover faster by lifting their spirits and being a source of joy. Chirori changed the way people look at abandoned dogs"¹.

• Photos by Jonathan Reinarz‎ (February 2018)

• Locate the item on this Google Map

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Footnotes

1. Ida Torres, "Therapy-dog trainer plans to adopt and teach Fukushima’s abandoned dogs", Japan Daily, April 23, 2013