From Despair to Devotion: How One Man’s Life Was Saved by His Dog—and Sparked a Sanctuary for the Forgotten
Twelve years ago, Hirotaka Saito stood at the edge of an irreversible decision. Financial pressure had reached a breaking point, personal struggles weighed heavily on his soul, and he was prepared to walk out the door and leave it all behind. But just as he reached for the handle, something unexpected happened—his dog, a 70-kilogram gentle giant, threw himself in the way. He wouldn’t let Saito leave.
It wasn’t just an act of animal instinct. It was love—raw, intuitive, and life-saving.
That moment didn’t just stop Saito’s next step. It redirected his entire life.
Today, Hirotaka Saito is not the head of a company. He’s not racing Ferraris or closing million-dollar deals. Instead, he runs Wansfree, a completely free animal shelter in Yaizu, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. The name, drawn from the Japanese onomatopoeia “wan wan” (woof woof), stands for a second chance—not just for the dogs he rescues, but for himself.
Saito’s shelter is unlike most. Wansfree specializes in “problematic” dogs—the ones other shelters often refuse. These are animals with pasts filled with pain: dogs that have been abused, neglected, or violently treated, and now struggle with aggression, anxiety, or fear. Most would be euthanized. But not here.
Saito has taken in dozens of dogs—and even a few cats—who had nowhere else to go. They come with trauma, some barely able to trust, others quick to bite out of terror. But where others see danger, Saito sees broken hearts in need of healing.
He knows what that feels like.
In the early days, he was bitten multiple times. Yet, instead of pushing the animals away, he drew closer. He studied their pain. He adjusted his approach. He offered patience, presence, and above all, unconditional love. He sees their trauma not as a threat—but as a cry for help.
“Even when they bite, it’s not malice,” he told a reporter. “They’re just scared. And I understand that feeling.”
Saito made a vow the day he started Wansfree: “I will spend all my money on dogs.” And he meant it. He sold his prized Ferrari, shut down his business, and funneled his entire life savings into the shelter. Every corner of Wansfree reflects that commitment—from the wide open spaces where dogs can run, to the quiet corners where the most traumatized ones can rest in peace.
Currently, Wansfree cares for around 40 dogs and 8 cats. But Saito has a dream—to expand his sanctuary to care for up to 300 dogs by 2028. It’s an ambitious goal, and one that will require enormous resources, time, and labor. But he isn’t deterred. The memory of his dog standing between him and death still fuels his determination.
“This is my purpose,” he says. “They saved me. Now I will save them.”
Beyond rescuing dogs, Saito is also helping people. He regularly shares stories of his shelter online, showing both the progress of the animals and the personal transformations they go through. These aren’t just tales of rescue—they’re stories of resilience. Of how creatures once labeled dangerous become calm and trusting with compassion. Of how patience can mend broken spirits. And of how love, even when hard-earned, can heal what once felt irreparable.
He hopes to challenge the stigma around aggressive or “problematic” dogs. “There’s no such thing as a bad dog,” Saito says. “Only dogs who’ve been badly hurt.”
At a time when the world often rushes to judgment, when profit is prioritized over compassion, and when trauma is hidden rather than healed, Hirotaka Saito offers something radical: time, space, and acceptance—for dogs and humans alike.
His journey—from a man at the brink of suicide to the founder of one of Japan’s most compassionate animal sanctuaries—is not just inspiring. It’s a reminder.
A reminder that even in our darkest hours, love can find us.
That healing is possible, no matter how broken we feel.
And that sometimes, it’s the ones we rescue… who rescue us in return.
Source:
Mainichi Japan – July 2024