STORY: When the earthquake hit on July 28, Tomoko Takaoka, a native of Japan’s southern city of Kumamoto, it felt much stronger than the last major one in 2016.

All the furniture at her workplace fell over as the building shook violently. The 31-year-old factory worker ran outside.

Once she reached home, although her house escaped structural damage, her belongings had fallen everywhere, and the electricity and running water had stopped. She also couldn’t reach her parents. And then there were the other two important members of her family—her chihuahua “Ku” and chihuahua-poodle mix “Sheri” who desperately needed her care—and a temporary home.

Takaoka could find plenty of evacuation centres to stay in, but none of them accepted evacuees with pets. Eventually, she settled for her car for the first night, which proved difficult, especially in the gruelling summer heat of southern Japan.

Eventually, social media posts led her to find a place that allows evacuees and their pets to take refuge—an animal hospital in downtown Kumamoto.

“They're just like family to me. I'd like to stay with them as much as possible. They're so very important to me,” said Takaoka, clutching Ku and Sheri tightly from her tent.

According to Takaoka, Ku and Sheri occasionally get excited when they encounter new “friends” in the shelter’s designated dog room, but she does her best to calm them. She hopes to return home once water and electricity resume.

Ryunosuke Animal Hospital started accepting evacuees with pets in the last devastating earthquake to hit Kumamoto in 2016—and immediately opened their doors again when the quake hit on Tuesday (July 28). They converted classrooms in their veterinary nurse training school into temporary housing for evacuees, with separate rooms for owners of cats and dogs.

“During disasters it's only natural for dogs and cats to stay together with their families. But people who don't own pets don't necessarily want to be with them. They worry about fleas, odours, allergies, and noise. Pets are often viewed negatively, which is why many evacuation shelters often don’t allow people and pets to stay together,” said hospital director Ryunosuke Tokuda.

According to Tokuda, his animal hospital has capacity for up to 100 people and their pets. On Wednesday (July 29), they hosted a total of 26 evacuees and their pets, but the number has gradually dwindled down as water and electricity have resumed.

“The problem is that pet owners don't want to evacuate and leave their pets behind, they want to stay together. That's why shelters that allow pets are absolutely necessary,” Tokuda added.

The death toll from the powerful earthquake that hit southwestern Japan earlier this week rose to 36 on Friday, the Kumamoto prefecture government said in a statement. Thousands still remain without power or running water—with many of them taking refuge in evacuation centres in affected areas across the prefecture.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

SHOWS: KUMAMOTO, JAPAN (JULY 31, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

1. 31-YEAR-OLD FACTORY WORKER AND EVACUEE, TOMOKO TAKAOKA, CARRYING HER TWO DOGS, CHIHUAHUA "KU" AND POODLE-CHIHUAHUA MIX "SHERI", INTO EVACUATION SHELTER ROOM IN RYUNOSUKE ANIMAL HOSPITAL MARKED BY LAMINATED SIGNS FEATURING DOG IMAGES READING (Japanese): “DOGGIE ROOM”

2. TAKAOKA TAKING OFF SANDALS AND STEPPING INTO HER PRIVATE TENT WITH HER TWO DOGS

3. VARIOUS OF TAKAOKA CUDDLING KU (LEFT) AND SHERI (RIGHT) IN HER TENT

4. (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) 31-YEAR-OLD FACTORY WORKER AND EVACUEE, TOMOKO TAKAOKA, SAYING:

“This time (when the earthquake struck) I was at work, and I felt shaking even stronger than before (in 2016). All the furniture fell over, and it was a really terrible situation. It was scary.”

5. KU AND SHERU PEAKING OUT FROM THEIR TENT AND BARKING

6. TENTS IN EVACUATION CENTRE’S “DOGGIE ROOM”, UPSOUND OF KU AND SHERI BARKING

7. (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) 31-YEAR-OLD FACTORY WORKER AND EVACUEE, TOMOKO TAKAOKA, SAYING:

“I couldn't (come home) right away to get hold of my valuables. And I was worried about these dogs too, but what was especially hard was that I couldn't contact my parents.”

8. VARIOUS OF TAKAOKA CUDDLING KU AND SHERI IN HER TENT

9. (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) 31-YEAR-OLD FACTORY WORKER AND EVACUEE, TOMOKO TAKAOKA, SAYING:

“I couldn't use electricity or running water, and I was worried about heatstroke. Since I have dogs, I initially spent the first night sleeping in my car, but that got a bit difficult. Eventually I found out through social media that this place allows people and their pets to stay, so I came here.”

10. FOOD AND DRINKS ON SHELF IN TAKAOKA’S TENT

11. TAKAOKA INSIDE HER TENT

12. (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) 31-YEAR-OLD FACTORY WORKER AND EVACUEE, TOMOKO TAKAOKA, SAYING:

“They're just like family to me. I'd like to stay with them as much as possible. They're so very important to me.”

13. VARIOUS OF TAKAOKA SHUTTING HER TENT

14. TAKAOKA, AS SEEN THROUGH TRANSLUCENT CURTAIN ON HER TENT WITH KU AND SHERI

15. SEPARATE ROOMS FOR EVACUEES WITH DOGS AND CATS MARKED WITH DOG AND CAT SIGNS

16. CAT SIGN READING (Japanese): “ROOM FOR KITTIES”

17. DIRECTOR OF ANIMAL HOSPITAL RYUNOSUKE, RYUNOSUKE TOKUDA, WALKING PAST VOLUNTEERS TOWARDS ROOMS DEVOTED TO HOSTING EVACUEES AND THEIR PETS

18. SIGN READING (Japanese): “EVACUATION CENTRE FOR PETS AND THEIR COMPANIONS”

19. VARIOUS OF TOKUDA INTERACTING WITH VOLUNTEERS ASSEMBLING TENT

20. (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) DIRECTOR OF ANIMAL HOSPITAL RYUNOSUKE, RYUNOSUKE TOKUDA, SAYING:

“During disasters it's only natural for dogs and cats to stay together with their families. But people who don't own pets don't necessarily want to be with them. They worry about fleas, odours, allergies, and noise. Pets are often viewed negatively, which is why many evacuation shelters often don’t allow people and pets to stay together.”

21. VARIOUS OF TOKUDA INTERACTING WITH DOG BELONGING TO HOSPITAL STAFF

22. (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) DIRECTOR OF ANIMAL HOSPITAL RYUNOSUKE, RYUNOSUKE TOKUDA, SAYING:

“We've been known since the Kumamoto earthquake ten years ago because we accepted evacuees with pets at that time. People in Kumamoto already know this place exists. Nowadays, if anybody posts information on social media, word spreads very quickly. We don't really have to advertise—people just come.”

23. VARIOUS OF VOLUNTEERS INTERACTING WITH DOG BELONGING TO HOSPITAL STAFF

24. (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) DIRECTOR OF ANIMAL HOSPITAL RYUNOSUKE, RYUNOSUKE TOKUDA, SAYING:

“The problem is that pet owners don't want to evacuate and leave their pets behind, they want to stay together. That's why shelters that allow pets are absolutely necessary. People want to evacuate their homes, but they don't want to abandon their pets, so they desperately search for places like this.”

25. VARIOUS OF STATUE OF DOG IN VETERINARIAN’S WHITE COAT HOLDING CAT OUTSIDE ANIMAL HOSPITAL RYUNOSUKE

26. TRAFFIC IN FRONT OF KUMAMOTO CASTLE

27. KUMAMOTO CASTLE

28. VARIOUS OF WALL ALONG KUMAMOTO CASTLE THAT WAS DAMAGED IN JULY 28 EARTHQUAKE