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Members of the overseas delegation, photographed at Tokyo's Palace Gardens. From right to left: Mr Ed Eames (USA), president of the International Association of Assistance Dog Partners IAADP, accompanied by his wife Toni and their golden retriever guide dogs, Keebler and Latrell; Allen Parton with the dog that adopted him at the conference; Devon Rogers with her Labrador guide dog Oak (Canada); Janice Justices and her crossbreed hearing dog Cajun (USA); Jill Exposito and golden retriever hearing dog Uriah (USA), with Ms Moto Arima, president of Japan Hearing Dogs.
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A MEDIA scrum of flashing cameras and TV crews greeted Allen and Sandra Parton when they arrived at Japan's Narita Airport, though this time Allen was minus his faithful friend Endal, the usual source for such a media interest. How come?
Well, as part of a world-wide contingent, Allen and Sandra Parton were invited to be the UK representatives in the overseas delegation to address the first assistance dog conference to be held in Matsumoto in Japan.
"I was stunned and very honoured to have been invited to attend this conference in Japan" Allen said. But the down side, sadly, because of the quarantine regulations, was that his faithful Canine Partner Endal was unable to accompany him this time.
Other members of this delegation included Mr Ed Eames (USA), president of the International Association of Assistance Dog Partners IAADP, accompanied by his wife Toni and their golden retriever Guide dogs, Keebler and Latrell; Devon Rogers with her Labrador Guide Dog Oak (Canada); Janice Justices and her crossbreed Hearing Dog Cajun (USA); Jill Exposito and golden retriever Hearing Dog Uriah (USA).
Ms Moto Arima, the president of Japan Hearing Dogs for deaf people and the conference organiser, said that she was "so delighted to have gathered together such a powerful and influential group of representatives from around the world". She hoped that the ensuing publicity would raise the public profile of assistance dogs in Japan and would only work to promote the cause. This would be a real beginning in the move towards the integration of assistance dogs into Japanese society and way of life, she said.
Despite being welcomed to Japan in the midst of a typhoon, the entire group managed to arrive at Narita airport safely and all on time. The group was immediately ushered into a press conference, the first of many that the group would be asked to do during the visit.
Day one of the conference started with the delegation meeting over 200 school children and local assistance dog partnerships from Matsumoto. This meeting was held in the town's historic and famous hall. "I think the meeting with the children was the most nerve-racking point of the visit. Children always manage to ask that one question that throws one off the rails. On this occasion the children let us off very lightly and we all gave a sigh of relief," Allen confided.
Day two of the conference then moved to the dramatic setting of Matsumoto's brand new Opera House where over 120 guide dog, hearing dog and service dog users from all over Japan were in attendance. The conference then settled down to discuss more serious issues and problems that were affecting them in their homelands.
Allen Parton stated in his keynote address: "It strikes me that an adequate support system is not put in place in the provincial areas in many countries. I really hope that our exposure here will serve as an opportunity to bring about a positive change in how they perceive assistance dogs."
Day three included Japan's first-ever parade of assistance dogs, which Allen was invited to lead from the Matsumoto's Opera House to the famous Castle (pictured left). The day concluded with a gala dinner held in honour of the overseas delegation with over 500 guests.
The closing speech concluded that meetings such as this could only help promote around-the-world awareness that assistance dogs have a place in every culture and country. Together the world's assistance dog partnerships have a very strong voice and are able to make governments and legislators listen to their needs.
The group then headed back to Tokyo in readiness for another action-packed day.
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| Sandra and Allen Parton in front of the dog ice sculpture at the official dinner. |
The final day of this week-long visit for the delegation consisted of a whirlwind tour to various Government and Ministry buildings around Tokyo, where they were introduced to Japan's health minister and members of the Japanese congress.
In the absence of a very missed Endal, Allen said there was a positive note about this trip - being able to have a daily doggie fix with so many dogs in the group! Mid way through the visit Allen was partnered with a Japanese hearing dog that had decided to adopt Allen and the two were seen together in many of the newspaper reports and TV interviews that took place. What Endal would have thought of his temporary overseas replacement will have to remain conjecture!
