Democracy Dies in Darkness

Doggy massages and canine quiche: A reporter unleashed among Japan’s pampered pooches

By
February 22, 2019 at 4:00 a.m. EST
Pets are pampered from Paris to Portland, but Japan is a country that takes dog ownership to another level. (Video: Simon Denyer/The Washington Post, Photo: Simon Denyer/The Washington Post)

YOKOHAMA, Japan — Ziggy sometimes seems like the only naked dog in our neighborhood.

He has a covering of curly white hair. But he doesn’t wear a jacket to make him look stylish, nor a coat to keep him dry and warm. He has no bandanna around his neck, nor a bow in his hair. He certainly doesn’t wear trousers, or dog diapers, and we don’t wheel him around in a stroller.