Session #3-1 What Living with Pets Reveals (Part 1)

Our guest this time is talent Tsutomu Sekine. Mr. Sekine, a pet owner himself, also hosts the new program "Pet Kingdom: Wanda Land " (airing Sundays, 9:30 AM - 10:00 AM, ABC/TV Asahi Network), which began on October 5th. He discussed his experiences living with his beloved dog, Lyle, and what is necessary for a society where humans and pets coexist, with Think Pet Project member Rei Nagi.

Meeting His Beloved Dog, Lyle

Nagi: Sekine-san, your current Golden Retriever, Lyle, is your first pet, right? Actually, my earliest pet experience was also with a Golden Retriever we had at home since I was little. I remember he was incredibly energetic and often kept me on my toes. How did you meet Lyle?

Sekine: About ten years ago, there was a TV show where young comedians lived with dogs. Suddenly, two dogs—a Golden Retriever and a Mameshiba—appeared at Kazuki Iio's house. Iio is part of the comedy duo "ZUN." I ended up naming the Golden Retriever. I combined "Iio" (飯尾) – "I" (飯) meaning "rice" and "O" (尾) meaning "tail" – to name him Lyle. He took great care of the dog, and it grew very attached to him. However, Iio-kun was still single and living alone at the time, and after the show ended, he simply didn't have the means to keep the dog. Since my daughter Mari, who I often brought to visit Iio-kun's place, had become very close with Lyle, we decided to take him in.

Nagi: So the show was the catalyst. Weren't you nervous about getting a pet for the first time?

Sekine: My wife was fiercely against it at first. "I'll end up being the only one taking care of it, so I don't want it," she said (laughs). But since Mari really wanted to keep him, we took my wife to visit Iio-kun's place. Then, my wife's attitude completely changed (laughs). Lyle has such a friendly personality, and with his handsome face—perfectly chosen for TV—she was instantly smitten.

Nagi: When I hear pet owners talk about how they met their pets, quite a few say it was a fateful encounter at a pet shop they happened to stop by. As an animal lover, I totally get that feeling of love at first sight. With a handsome guy like Ryule, that one-shot charm must have been even more powerful.

Sekine: He really is a heartthrob. Local pet owners often tell me they want his seed (laughs).

Walking time deepened the bond with my daughter

Nagi: Since Ryu came into your home, I imagine there have been various changes for you and your family. Could you share an episode that stands out?

Sekine: I became completely obsessed within less than six months. I loved Lyle so much I kept telling him, "Marry me!" My wife thought that was creepy, so I thought, "Oh, maybe it's because we're both males," and then I said, "I want to become a female and have your babies!" Even then, my wife still said it was disgusting. So I said, "Then I want to become Matsuzaka beef and be eaten by you!" At that point, my wife was just stunned. For me, it was a natural expression of affection born from my feelings for Lyle, but I guess it does seem abnormal to others (laughs).

Nagi: There's definitely that part where you lose your cool because you care so much about your pet (laughs). How about changes in your family?

Sekine: When we first got Lyle, Mari was in high school, right in the middle of adolescence. But every morning, walking Lyle and going to school together, we'd laugh and talk about all sorts of things. So I think we avoided a lot of that typical father-daughter tension. Later, Mari told me, "That walk to school saved me. It got me pumped up to go to school every day." Maybe the fact that my daughter and I still get along so well is thanks to Lyle.

Nagi: Having a pet definitely helps ease tense family moods and fosters gentler feelings, right? Pets can help convey things you might not dare say to your partner, or just listening to you can bring such relief and calm.

Sekine: Exactly. Lyle always approaches us with completely flat emotions, no games, just pure, straightforward feelings. It makes us naturally open up too, and he teaches us the importance of being genuine. I'm filled with gratitude toward Lyle. I think, "Thank you for being born. Thank you for coming to our home."

Nagi: That's truly a wonderful relationship. I hope we can convey the beauty of having such a pet on our new show "Pet Kingdom: Wanda Land," where I'm serving as MC.

Popular manga artist Momoko Sakura is handling the program's character design and theme song lyrics!	Pochinosuke and Nyānyan

Sekine: Yes. We plan to invite many guests who love pets and hear all sorts of stories. We'd be thrilled if both pet owners and those without pets feel comforted and inspired to keep going.

(Continued)

※The second part of the interview will be updated on Wednesday, October 15.