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Authorization For Services
Veterinary
care is authorized for animals owned by persons eligible to receive medical
care from the Department of Defense. A
valid SOFA status identification card is required before services will be
performed.
Important News
All personnel must transfer their pet to a new owner if they are not PCS'ing with that pet.
Contact the Veterinary Clinic at 959-1300 for specific guidelines on transfer of ownership.
If a sponsor leaves without transferring their pet to a new owner, they could be charged with pet abandonment.
Breeding Policy
U.S.
Army regulation prohibits provision of veterinary care to clients that breed
their pets for profit, whether the pet to be bred is male or female, or
whether the offspring is intended for sale or production. Clients who engage
in breeding of their pets will have all veterinary privileges revoked, and
their command will be notified.
Children Policy
For
numerous health and safety reasons, bringing children under the age of 12 years
old into the veterinary clinic is not recommended. Please note that your
children's behavior and safety while in the clinic is your
responsibility.
Children may not be left unattended at
any time.
Missed
Appointments
If you are unable to keep a scheduled appointment, please notify the
veterinary clinic 24 hours prior to your appointment. Clients who do not
notify the clinic 24 hours prior to their appointment will have the
appointment privileges revoked for a period of no less than 3 months.
Pets in the VTF
While in the Veterinary Treatment Facility, all dogs must be on a short leash or a carrier, and all cats must be in a carrier. If your pet is not on a leash or in a carrier, you will be loaned a leash for a dog and a carrier for a cat and notified that you are required to have this type of equipment for future visits. You are responsible for cleaning up after your pet. There are suitable cleaning materials located in the waiting room.
Payment For Services
Payment is due when services are rendered. Acceptable forms of payment include cash, personal check, Visa, and Mastercard. The veterinary clinic operates as a
Non-Appropriated Fund Organization and receives no monetary support from the
U.S.
government. Off Base Dog Registration
All US SOFA status personnel stationed on Okinawa must register their pet with Okinawa Veterinary Services located at Kadena Air Base building 731 (959-1300). All dogs, cats, and ferrets must be microchipped and must be vaccinated annually against rabies virus. Personnel living on a military base may have up to two pets (two dogs, two cats, or one dog & one cat). Breeding of pets, intentional or accidental, is prohibited. Personnel found to be breeding pets stationed on Okinawa will not be authorized veterinary care through Okinawa Veterinary Services. Personnel breeding animals on base may be removed from family housing.
Information for US SOFA Personnel in Japan Living Off-Base with Pets
All US SOFA personnel in Japan residing off-base with pets must register their pets with their local city government office. The initial registration fee is approximately ¥3000. An annual ¥550 rabies vaccination tag is also required for dogs and cats living off-base. The registration and rabies tag must be attached to the dog collar. The list of city offices on Okinawa is listed below:
| Off Base Dog Registration |
| CITY |
ADDRESS |
TELEPHONE |
FAX |
| NAGO CITY |
905-0006 1710-3 UMUSA, NAGO CITY |
098-052-0003 |
098-052-1563 |
| ONNA SON |
904-0492 2451 ONNA, ONNA SON |
098-966-1205 |
098-966-8089 |
| GINOZA SON |
904-1392 296 GINOZA, GINOZA SON |
098-968-8501 |
098-968-5037 |
| KIN CHO |
904-1292 1 KIN, KIN CHO |
098-968-2460 |
098-968-3283 |
| YOMITAN SON |
904-0392 2901 ZAKIMI, YOMITAN SON |
098-982-9214 |
098-982-9210 |
| OKINAWA CITY |
904-8510 26-1 NAKASONE CHO, OKINAWA CITY |
098-939-1212 (REPRESENTATIVE) |
098-934-0609 |
| URUMA CITY |
904-2292 1-1-1 MIDORI CHO, URUMA CITY |
098-973-5594 |
098-973-6065 |
| KADENA CHO (CHOMINKA) |
904-0293 588 KADENA, KADENA CHO |
098-956-1111 (REPRESENTATIVE) |
098-956-1440 |
| CHATAN CHO |
904-0192 226 KUWAE, CHATAN CHO |
098-982-7033 |
098-982-7715 |
| KITANAKAGUSUKU SON (SEIKATSUKANKYOKA) |
901-2392 426-2 KISHABA, KITANAKAGUSUKU SON |
098-935-2233 (REPRESENTATIVE) |
098-935-3488 |
| NAKAGUSUKU SON |
901-2493 176 TOMA, NAKAGUSUKU SON |
098-895-2131 (REPRESENTATIVE) |
098-895-3048 |
| GINOWAN CITY |
901-2710 1-1-1 NODAKE, GINOWAN CITY |
098-893-4140 |
098-893-4410 |
| URASOE CITY (KANKYOHOZENKA) |
901-2501 1-1-1 AHACHA, URASOE CITY |
098-876-1234 (REPRESENTATIVE) |
098-876-8585 |
| NAHA CITY |
900-8585 4F 2-3-1 MEKARU, NAHA CITY |
098-951-3229 |
098-951-3230 |
| NISHIHARA CHO |
903-0220 112 KADEKARU, NISHIHARA CHO |
098-945-5013 |
098-946-6551 |
| YONABARU CHO |
901-1392 16 UEYONABARU, YONABARU CHO |
098-945-7244 |
098-946-4597 |
| HAEBARU CHO |
901-1195 686 KANESHIRO, HAEBARU CHO |
098-889-1797 |
098-889-7657 |
| NANJO CITY |
901-1292 807 NAKAMA OZATO, NANJO CITY |
098-946-8981 |
098-946-8896 |
| TOMOSHIRO CITY |
901-0292 854-1 ONAGA, TOMISHIRO CITY |
098-850-5520 |
098-850-5820 |
| YAESE CHO |
901-0401 1318-1 KOCHINDA, YAESE CHO |
098-998-8203 |
098-998-1144 |
| ITOMAN CITY |
901-0392 1-1 SHIOZAKI CHO, ITOMAN CITY |
098-840-8124 |
098-840-8154 |
| **To register and obtain a dog license, please contact the respective office in your area. The dog license will cost around Y3,000 and is only done once. A rabies tag must be purchased once a year off base for around Y550. Please take a signed rabies certificate from the clinic to receive the tag. |
Okinawa’s law requires all pets to be under the owner’s control at all times. When walking dogs in public, they must be on a leash. JDVC strongly recommends that extendible (flexi) leads NOT be used for walking dogs, as the use of these can quickly result in a dog getting outside the range of human control and into trouble. A 6-foot or shorter, nylon or leather lead is optimal for all dogs.
The Okinawa government also strongly recommends that all owners of fighting or large breed dogs take additional precautions to protect the public against mishaps. Okinawa defines “fighting dogs” as pit bull terriers and Tosa-Inus; it defines “large breed” as any dog over 55cm in height. A translation of Okinawa’s rules and recommendations may be found here.
If you own a large breed dog, especially one that “looks like” a pit bull or Rottweiler-type dog, PLEASE be especially diligent in ensuring your dog is well-mannered, maintained under an adult’s control, and NEVER allowed to roam off leash (even if the dog is under voice control). A single incident of a large breed dog outside the owner’s control, even if there is absolutely no threat to humans at all, could easily result in the requirement for ALL large breed dogs to be muzzled -- or even to a total ban of one or more breeds! It is absolutely imperative that large breed dogs and their owners be the epitome of good citizenship.
There are many organizations and references that can help with tips about responsible pet ownership. Other tips about responsible pet ownership can be found at:
http://www.akc.org/public_education/responsible_dog_owner.cfm
http://www.badrap.org/rescue/responsible.cfm
Participation in dog fighting by US SOFA personnel is not authorized and will be punished to the fullest extent under UCMJ authority!
Important Information for Dog Owners Living on a USMC Base
In accordance with MCO 11000.22 Chapter 6 dated 11 AUG 09, Pit Bulls, Rottweilers, Canid/Wolf Hybrids or any canine breed with dominant traits of aggression or mix of the above mentioned breeds are prohibited from Marine Corps installations. Owners of these dogs who currently live on base may apply for a waiver from the base commander through their chain of command providing that their dog has passed a temperament test (such as the AKC Good Citizen Test) within the past two years. If you are planning on PCSing to Okinawa and have one of the banned breeds, you should make plans to leave your dog with a friend or family during your move. There are limited resources in Japan and Okinawa that perform these temperament tests so you may have to fly back to the US to complete the testing. The US Army Veterinary Command is not responsible for the Marine Corps regulation. On the contrary, VETCOM endorses the position of the American Veterinary Medical Association which supports legislation directed against individuals exhibiting dangerous behavior and NOT against breeds or classes of animals. Okinawa Veterinary Services does not have the capability to perform behavioral testing nor can they perform breed identification for legal purposes.
MCO 11000.22 USMC Domestic Animal Control
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