About Us

What does OAARS do?

The Okinawan-American Animal Rescue Society works to rescue and pamper abandoned, mistreated, or lost animals in Okinawa, Japan. OAARS assists local no kill shelters, such as Cherubims, through food donations, blankets, toys, grooming, providing many forms of volunteer services, and many other things. Our most recent endeavors include assisting our fourth shelter, Sweet Home, where goats, dogs, an other animals are sheltered. OAARS has been featured in several magazines, including Stars and Stripes (One, Two), This Week in Okinawa, Japan Update, and the Marine Corps website. OAARS has aided many animals in finding a good home. Dogs from Onna Village were cared for and made miraculous recoveries due to the hard work and love provided by OAARS. A large portion of OAARS' members foster a pet and donate a substantial amount of their time to bettering the lives of abused and lonely animals. OAARS is a non-profit organization approved by MCCS and Base Command. It was established as a formal organization in July 2004. It is a new and blossoming organization that has already accomplished a great deal to improve animal welfare.

Why does OAARS help?

Only ten percent of the animals that are brought to the Okinawa Animal Prefecture Animal Protection Center will survive. These animals are only given five days to live and then are then placed in a giant incinerator with several oven doors. They are put to death in a gas chamber. Cats are even less likely to live. They are tightly packed in four foot cages. In 2003, 8,666 dogs and cats were taken into the shelter. 521 of them were lost animals and were found by their owners. 301 animals, mostly puppies and kittens, were given a new home. The rest of the animals were killed. There are few opportunities for these animals to lead a happy life after their owners have abandoned them. In order to leave a pet at a shelter, it costs the owner $125 and the pets must have a microchip in addition to having all of their vaccinations up to date. Even with all of these fees and requirements, the shelter may become overcrowded and the animal will still be killed. If a pet is placed on the street, the owner can incur a $3,000 fine and the animal faces the high possibility of being gassed. Adult dogs are not even put up for adoption in this situation. Despite these depressing facts, many PCSing families leave their pets behind to face these consequences. OAARS hoped to help make micro chipping mandatory so that owners are held accountable for their pets and now microchipping is mandatory. We also hope to make spaying and neutering animals mandatory in order to reduce the amount of feral and homeless animals. While fighting for these issues, OAARS will continue to help animals in need. The cruelty that these animals face is depressing. The question is not, then, why do we help. The question is, how could we not?

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