YOKOSUKA, Kanagawa Pref. -- "Love me, love my dog," say many pet owners. But for Satoshi Kabaya, it's the other way around.
He says Jiro, his 11-year-old shiba, has charmed thousands of strangers into donating more than 5 million yen during the pair's 100,000-km-plus pilgrimage on a 50cc motorcycle to collect aid for people in disaster-stricken areas.
Since starting in April 1994, the pair have made four round-the-country trips on the bike -- with Jiro's paws resting on the handle bars, his hind legs holding him erect -- raising funds for residents of Nagasaki, Hokkaido and Kobe.