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Published: March 19th 2008
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This was Xiao Bai When Lao-puo first Brought Her Home.
The expression "as sick as a dog" didn't come from nowhere. I’m not kidding. Things are very strange for foreigners living in Taiwan, but I never thought I would ever strike such a bargain with anyone.
Lao-puo Suzanne devotes a lot of time and energy to the well being of unwanted and ownerless dogs and cats—of which there is no shortage around here.
Things turned out well for little Ling-Ling, the (face-only-a-mother-could-love-and-maybe-not-even-her) little French bulldog I brought home the other week. Our vet was able to find a home for her, with some kind people who already have another dog.
Another street dog was not so lucky. You know the kind of dog I mean—when left to breed indiscriminately, all dogs will end up with short hair any colour, and will weigh about 10 kg. There are scores of such dogs around the city, unwanted and sick and hungry, some walking on three legs after getting hit by cars, and others hairless and scratched raw. They have infections and half-healed fractures and skin diseases, and parasites, and their condition is most piteous. Oddly, they never seem to be vicious.
If I had my way I’d round up all the dogs running at large and cull them, but kind-hearted
Xiao Bai Two Months Later
"Three hots and a cot", along with proper care and love, worked their magic. foreigners and Chinese Buddhists disagree with me about that. If I were the entrepreneurial type, I’d ship the healthy ones back home to Canada, sell them as Formosan Lugo Hounds, and make a fortune from the unsuspecting dupes. (“Lu Go” means ‘street dog” in Chinese.)
Anyway, a Formosan Lugo Hound flopped himself across the street from our place sometime Saturday night, and was still there late Sunday afternoon. Lao-puo took it food and water, and we had a look at it. The poor thing was skin and bones, with a hind leg that didn’t work, and nasty infections in the pads of two of his feet. There was nothing for it but to go to the vet for a muzzle (dogs are likely to bite if injured), and get him in for a medical exam. The dog had a kneecap (patella) that wouldn’t stay in place, and was malnourished and dehydrated. The vet said he could fix the dog up, but we both agreed that there was no point. The dog would be on antibiotics while regaining strength for the necessary surgery, and in a cage for days or weeks post-op. After that ordeal, the chances of anyone wanting
Taking my Pals out for a Spin
Xiao Bai doesn't honk in the car either. She just sleeps, and looks around. Toby, in the front, gets away with being a pain because he's so little and cute. Lao-puo found him too, but he was a lost pet as opposed to a street dog. to look after him were not encouraging. He was at death’s door anyway, we couldn’t take him even if he lived, so we asked the vet to put him down.)
1800 NT dollars later (about $58.00 Cdn), the vet asked what we wanted to do with the dog. It seems the veterinary practice has no way to dispose of the remains, (as if we do!) and the cremation service is 4500 NT dollars. We put the dog in the trunk, and drove towards home wondering how to bury the body. Suzanne suggested I call my friend Frank, the minister who runs the alcohol and drug rehab centre in the country just north of Beipu (where the airport is), and he agreed that we could lay the dog to rest out there. I knew that Frank would not accept a donation, so I told him I’d do a sermon for him the Sunday after Easter (it's going to be on forgiveness). When we arrived, the fellows had already dug a little grave in the headlights of the van, and it was done.
That’s it, until the next pair of little eyes begs for human help.
No, that’s not it. We kept one Formosan Lugo Hound, our Xiao Bai “Little White (dog)” who is everything a dog should be. She is quiet, loyal, affectionate without being sucky, and she never strays, barks, scares people, or wrecks stuff.
You can help. Even if you don’t want a dog yourself, try to think of someone who does.
Kind-hearted people here raise money to get the dogs rabies-vaccinated and neutered, with a clean bill of health in every respect. Volunteers take the dogs as excess baggage on the plane home. Volunteer donations cover the cost for that. Anyone who wants a dog need only go to the airport and pick it up - there is no quarantine period coming from Taiwan and going to Canada (not sure about the U.S).
I hope to get several hundred responses to this blog post, from people who want a dog from Taiwan. Many have already been adopted and do make lovely house pets. There’s just too many of them here for the local demand to keep up to the supply.
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just mako
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that was so generous of u *bows i always wanted to help stray dogs in my hometown too but so far i can only give em food to eat. if i had my own home id prob adopt em with lots of love keep up ur good deeds!