Friday 9 December 2011

Animal Protection 2

Previous entry on this subject here.
"Dogs that I saw being tested for distemper, already showing clear signs, were left in the intake area next to puppies and other dogs being adopted out. We tried to explain to the staff that dogs testing positive for distemper need to be quarantined, but no one would listen."
I'm not surprised: a trip to the animal "shelter" can be as good as a death sentence for a dog in Taiwan, and canine distemper is very common. Shao Bai (小白) came down with canine distemper two months ago - but he recovered because he was very lucky to have me on his side and some very hepful Taiwanese friends of mine (although recently he has been wheezing, which could be a sign of relapse - I will take him in again and put him back on the vitamins).

A Taiwanese friend of mine does voluntary work at a "shelter" in Tainan County (I say "shelter" in inverted commas because actually they are little more than a means for parents to save face in front of their children when throwing away their dog) and he tells me they are simply overwhelmed by irresponsible Taiwanese people dumping their dogs because they can't be bothered to look after them anymore. This happens every day. So when Larisa Duravetz writes...
"It is time for the government to recognize this problem and make serious changes to the conditions of their shelters."
... she fails to grasp the root of the problem; the rotten condition of shelters is merely a symptom, and having the government spend money to clean them up and impose fines on the people who dump their erstwhile pets isn't going to work (for several reasons: the money will not be made available and is stolen in any case; the fines will be unenforceable since people will just dump their dogs on the street instead of taking them to the "shelter"; and the steady flow of abandoned dogs will just continue to overwhelm the shelters anyway even if they are cleaned up because there aren't enough people willing to adopt).

The root of the problem is the absence of personal responsibility. In the first place there are various economic and psycho-cultural reasons for why Taiwanese people abandon their dogs (basically, owning a dog is a low priority and is therefore easy to abandon when money becomes tight). For many Taiwanese people, a dog is a status marker as much as it is a pet, hence the relative popularity of small and "cute" pedigree breeds whilst the shelters, streets and parks are invariably teeming with mongrels. That is why so many dogs cannot find owners and are abandoned - nobody wants a mongrel except for the few people (such as myself) who already have one (or several). Moreover, there is a strong tendency among the older generations in Taiwan to regard dogs (even pedigrees) as pests. Another friend of mine, who has since moved to Taipei, told me many stories of her parents being upset and uncooperative when she came home with a puppy at her daughter's request.

In fact, it was just this afternoon that another Taiwanese friend of mine was telling me that the old people who occupy my local park in the morning have called the government to come and take away the remaining strays at the park whom I have looked after for a long time now*. Their complaint is that they can sometimes see the dogs defecate and that they tear open the garbage bags. Of course the dogs shit, what else are they supposed to do? I'm already going to the park three times a day and cleaning up after them, but I cannot be there 24/7. As to garbage - I'm the one who has to clean it up! Last night I had the bamboo rake and dust pan out because there were nappies (diapers) covered in baby excrement lying around in front of the garbage can! And why? Because the lazy bastards who dump their garbage in the park late at night can't even be bothered to put the black bag into the garbage can because that would involve lifting the lid. And why does this even happen at all? Because the people dumping their garbage in the park do so because the garbage collection service arrives in their neighborhood whilst they are still at work (newsflash: not everybody works the 8-5 shift). The answer to that would be to privatize the garbage collection to let people choose from a menu of different times and to pay a monthly bill accordingly. But no... it's more convenient to just dump stuff in the park like other people dump their dogs - and if the dogs make a problem, oh well we can just murder them can't we?

Needless to say, I am not going to allow that to happen.

*Picky for three years, Black & White for two plus change, and the three pups Coco, Shao Bai and his brother Wan Wan (Coco's brother Da Bao has since died whilst at the vet, which is another story).

8 comments:

  1. I found your website from Ozsoapbox. I wanted to comment that I understand how you feel (not about the poop cleanup, but pet-irresponsibility) when it comes to Taiwanese people.

    It is ONE of the most frustrating things I've dealt with since arriving in Taiwan (Taipei) in mid-June of 2011. As an American, we LOVE pets. We recognize them as our best friends.

    It is a shame that Taiwanese people don't share the same thought. I've told people that I would understand if this were a third-world country. That would provide at least a 'reason' as to why animals aren't prioritized as much as they are in the United States.

    I lose brain cells when I attempt to explain WHY and HOW this problem exists. And if Taiwanese people don't take the initiative (e.g. pet education)... how are they going to move forward? They can't even get pet ownership right.

    The ONLY thing my uncle will say when the subject of pet ownership is brought up is, "Don't raise a cat/dog. Not good." It makes me just want to bash him in the face.

    I've explained (TRIED TO) to him that this problem is man-made. "You cannot just ignore it" as I have told him many times. If it isn't solved down, the problem will down from generation to generation.

    Anyhow, it is 4:45AM. End rant.

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  2. Imagine that: individual responsibility. I remember being taught that as a young boy and having it pounded into my skull again and again through experiences and lessons. I wonder: do most people today have no experience and learn no lessons--or do they just not want to?

    It's a shame what people do to each other and to animals. It's an even bigger shame when they--and others (you've alluded to several recently)--expect other people and animals pay for it just because individual perpetrators either don't think they have any responsibility or are unwilling to face it.

    Kudos on the post. I wish I were reading more like it. Instead, I find most people simply willingly passing blame and responsibility.

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  3. The answer to that would be to privatize the garbage collection to let people choose from a menu of different times and to pay a monthly bill accordingly.

    All you really need is a "trash man" who collects the trash (for a fee) and then delivers it to the truck at night. But who wants to pay a fee, however small, when a convenient dumping ground exists nearby?

    Also, I would venture to guess that the relative popularity of small dogs is probably more an issue of convenience than "status". 6-kg dog vs 18-kg dog, which is easier to care for? Presents less of a threat? Creates less noise? Takes up less space?

    If you could magically shrink these strays by a factor of 2 to 3, there would be no shortage of adopters.

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  4. "But who wants to pay a fee, however small, when a convenient dumping ground exists nearby?"

    I know - see the second comment I left at Oz's place this afternoon. That has to be disincentivized somehow...

    "6-kg dog vs 18-kg dog, which is easier to care for? Presents less of a threat? Creates less noise? Takes up less space?"

    Oh that's arguable...

    First, pedigrees are more likely to carry genetically inherited problems than mongrels, and the mongrels are usually in the 15kg+ range so that means with a small pedigree you're likely to be shelling out more in medical costs than with a larger mongrel. However, it might depend on when they are adopted. Shao Bai, for example, is a mongrel but only perhaps one or two generations away from pedigree. He has been living at the park for six months since he was abandoned (although obviously with me taking care of him and the rest of them), but recently I've had him at the vet's with distemper and again just this afternoon actually to have a tumor removed (he's sitting next to me on the sofa as I write this).

    Second, and this is a certainty, the smaller dogs are much noisier (both more often and higher pitch) than the bigger dogs.

    Third, I wouldn't regard a 15kg-18kg dog as a threat (certainly not to an adult), unless perhaps it had been reared badly. That might be more of a concern with a 30kg-40kg dog like a doberman or german shephard. But the point about space is valid, and also the greater need for exercise.

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  5. Right but what about the more basic forms of care like feeding, cleanup and bathing? Smaller dogs need less food, and create less waste. They can be manhandled (or more likely woman-handled) with ease.

    I don't really know much about dog breeds in general and barking frequency but I would assume that a larger dog is capable of generating an overall louder bark. This gets into what I meant by "less of a [apparent] threat [to others]". As you've pointed out on your blog, people unfamiliar with dogs tend to be easily intimidated by them. The larger the dog, the more they get intimidated.

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  6. "Smaller dogs need less food, and create less waste."

    Speaking of which, Shao Bai just pissed himself without warning on my sofa, the little sod! He just had surgery this afternoon though, so I can hardly blame him.

    "...a larger dog is capable of generating an overall louder bark."

    That's true.

    "The larger the dog, the more they get intimidated."

    Also probably true. There's a Taiwanese guy I know who has a 100+ pound Doberman; she's fine with me and my dog and I can play with her, but if she were to get a little too rough with another dog... bit of a problem. I haven't seen them at the park for a long time now.

    Owning a properly big dog in Taiwan is always going to be very difficult, but most mongrels are only in the 30 to 40 pound range. And a lot of kids in Taiwan are, I believe, taught to fear and/or despise dogs - I see it every now and again at the park and try to have a word with the parents when I can: girls screaming merely because they saw a dog, or boys following the dogs and throwing stones at them - until they catch me looking at them.

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  7. Hey,
    I came across your blog and enjoyed reading it. I wanted to comment on your response to my letter in the Taipei Times, and I wanted to let you know that I agree with you completely: personal responsibility and attitudes towards animals are the root causes of Taiwan's dog problem. However, my letter was particularly in response to the recent protests specifically targeting the conditions of government shelters. I want to respectfully clarify that I was not writing in regards to the root problem.

    Horrendous shelters are just one part of a very big animal issue in Taiwan, and they shouldn't be ignored. I also wanted to highlight the seriousness of Canine Distemper, as it is rampant in the Taoyuan shelter (which is the gov. shelter I'm familiar with). Cleaning up its shelter facilities is one of MANY steps the government must take. Adopting out dogs with Canine Distemper should not be taken lightly as they can easily pass on the virus to healthy dogs. It is highly contagious and since many dogs in Taiwan (including beloved pets) aren't properly vaccinated, this could essentially cause a serious outbreak. The shelters cannot be left in the state they're in, and the truth is that people do adopt dogs from them(however small the numbers may be). Adopters aren't even aware this virus exists...so often sick animals are sent home with unsuspecting families. This is problematic for a number of reasons...though I think I'm now being long winded and since I can go on forever about this subject, I'll wrap up.

    I don't know how to solve the animal issue in Taiwan; cleaning up shelters? actually imposing fines? banning the sale of pets? strictly screening and requiring licenses for pet owners? requiring pets be vaccinated, spayed/neutered? admitting there is a problem!? all of the above??
    I do believe the more awareness created the better.

    I am very sorry to read that your dog has contracted distemper. As I mentioned in my letter, I have lost 4 dogs to this virus, even with the best and most extensive treatment from a number of vets. My heart goes out to you...I know its not easy.

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  8. Larissa,

    "However, my letter was particularly in response to the recent protests specifically targeting the conditions of government shelters. I want to respectfully clarify that I was not writing in regards to the root problem."

    OK, sure.

    "Horrendous shelters are just one part of a very big animal issue in Taiwan, and they shouldn't be ignored."

    Agreed. Clean, well run shelters would be better.

    "I also wanted to highlight the seriousness of Canine Distemper, as it is rampant in the Taoyuan shelter..."

    Yes I agree - I also think it would be better if more people were aware of this (especially those taking care of dogs at shelters.

    "...one of MANY steps the government must take..."

    And here is where I disagree; the reflex call for government action. Outsourcing responsibility to the government is precisely what perpetuates the absence of personal responsibility which we both agree is the root of the problem.

    "I am very sorry to read that your dog has contracted distemper."

    Actually, my dog is fine (vaccinated). It was one of the puppies (Shao Bai, see post above) somebody dumped at the park back in the spring that got distemper. He recovered from that about a month ago, but then this weekend just gone I had him at the vet's to remove a tumor in his left shoulder.

    I'm wondering how many more problems he is going to have...

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