I wanted to pass it along as I had a number of people ask me about the dogs in the photograph. There were 19 total dogs with the breeder. It doesn't seem like they were left behind to fend for themselves but details are brief and I am not going to speculate. All of the 19 Shelties have now been rescued from the area and are staying with Japanese Shetland Sheep Dog Rescue. The owner was contacted before removing the dogs from the Exclusion Zone and they know that their dogs have been removed and aware of their current location. Thank you all for your concern for all of the animals seen in the videos and pictures seen from Japan.
About Shetland Sheepdogs:
The Shetland Sheepdogs or Shelties are an outstanding companion dog and are intensely loyal. They are lively, intelligent, trainable, and willing to please and obey. Shelties are loving, loyal, and affectionate with their family, but are naturally aloof with strangers; for this reason Shelties must be socialized. The Shetland Sheepdog Standard from the AKC allows them to be reserved to strangers, but they should not show fear. Shelties do well with children if they are reared with them from an early age; however, their small size makes it easy for a child to accidentally injure them, so supervision is necessary. Exercise caution when considering an adult Sheltie for a family with young children; they may not be compatible.
The herding instinct is strong in many Shelties. They love to chase and herd things, including squirrels, ducks, children, and if an owner is not watchful, cars. Shelties love to run in wide-open areas.
Shelties usually love to play. They do best with a sensitive, attentive owner. The Sheltie is, above all, a herder and likes to be kept busy, although their activity level usually coincides with their owner's level. Shelties also are very smart, making them highly trainable. Shelties are very good with children. Neglecting a Sheltie's need for exercise and intellectual stimulation can result in undesirable behaviors, including excessive barking, phobias, and nervousness. Fortunately, the reverse is also true: annoying behaviors can be lessened greatly by an hour of exercise that engages the dog with its owner.