Dog Culture

This is rather frustrating and upsetting... I refer to the dog culture here in Taiwan. Dogs are seen as family guardians. Protectors of the home. Watchers of children. Something to be discarded freely when the family feels like it no longer wants it. Done many of the side streets in Taipei you'll find at least a couple of dogs -- mixes usually -- just hanging around or wandering from one lingering smell to another. It's so sad to see. These alley dogs are terribly skinny, dehydrated, and sick to some extent or another.

Families just discard them at a whim -- probably when the dog gets too big for the already cramped urban living space that is most of Taipei. It makes sense that everywhere you look there are stray dogs, because there's no curb on breeding. Taiwan hasn't picked up on the whole -- spay and neuter your pets idea. It really breaks my heart and angers me to see these animals treated this way.

Not all dogs are treated this way. Some have wonderful loving families are treated very nicely. But I must say that seems a minority thought around here.

Very sad...