Monkey Dogs Training Display
7th December 2009
To publicise the activity of "Monkey Dogs", or dogs employed to chase monkeys away from agricultural land and back up into the surrounding mountains, a training display was held yesterday at Shinano Omachi train station square.
Omachi city was in 2005 the first city in the whole country to introduce a team of "Monkey Dogs". To help manage the cost of running the scheme the dogs are housed and kept by farmers in the area. At the moment 17 specially trained dogs are in place living on nearby farms and in each of these farms they have been effective in curtailing the damage to crops caused by monkeys.
At yestersdays display 15 dogs were on show and paraded in front of the station. Then at the station square Ryuyu Isomoto, a representative of Azumino Dog School in Azumino city, led the dog owners as they lined up and walked their animals and practiced giving them orders.
Mr Isomoto said "At each location where we have a Monkey Dog they are able to chase away invading monkeys".
by Minorino Nakazawa
モンキードッグＰＲへ訓練披露
2009年12月7日
| 市内のモンキードッグが集まって行われた訓 練＝大町市のＪＲ信濃大町駅前広場で The "Monkey Dogs gather outside JR Shinano Omachi train station square for training. |
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農地に出没したサルを山奥へと追い払う犬「モンキードッグ」事業をＰＲしようと、大町市は６日、ＪＲ信濃大町駅前広場でモンキードッグの訓練を披露した。
同市は２００５年度に全国に先駆けて同事業を導入。市が費用を助成するかたちで主に農家の飼い犬をモンキードッグへと育てている。市内では現在１７匹が活動し、各地で農作物被害の抑制に効果を上げている。
この日は、市内の飼い主１５人が参加し、モンキードッグを連れて駅前までパレード。広場では、訓練施設「安曇野ドッグスクール」（安曇野市）の磯本隆裕代表の指導で、飼い主と並んで歩かせたり、命令通りの動きをさせる服従訓練を行った。
磯本さんは「各地に点在するモンキードッグが、一つの線となってサルを追い払うことができれば」と事業の拡大に期待していた。
（中沢稔之）
