lonely traveler
History
of stray dogs
Regarding the appearance of stray dogs, it originated because people started to abandon them. But, you might ask, when did they start to be part of our life?
It all began when pet dogs and pet cats started to popularize in the 60s; it’s not just because the economic structure in Taiwan changed, but also because pets have begun to play a more essential role in Taiwan’s society. On the other hand, this means that people who are able to have dogs and cats can also signify their wealth and social status. Therefore, due to the development of the domestic animals’ economy, there are more people in the middle class, leading to the population growth of dogs in Taiwan.
Furthermore, in the year of 1972, because the idea of “living room can be used as a factory” became most Taiwanese people’s working mode, a lot of people also developed their side hustles. A lot of these side hustles involved pet reproduction and reselling, therefore, a lot of people gained profit by domestic pets’ sales. The amount of pet dogs increased rapidly. And in the late 1970s, pet dogs were in every household.
However, problems have actually come behind the harmony with pet dogs, which is the succession of stray dogs. Puppies became particularly popular, leading to sales being limited and low-stock. However, once the puppies grow past their youth, people often abandon them. Also, at the time, people had no awareness of the environment, dog protection, or just animals in general. They simply traded pets as general goods, and did not realize that they also lived, like humans also do. They are so easily abandoned, it is difficult for them to have a good master.
There are many reasons why stray dogs are regulars on the street. Reasons such as the owner not being able to afford their expenses or carelessly losing their dogs. Eventually, the stray dogs began to cross-breed, and this created a vicious cycle, visible on the streets.
Finally, there are more dogs on the streets than the environment can handle, affecting the environment, residents and local animals. Such as environmental sanitation issues, noise pollution issues, conflicts between stray dogs and cats and wild animals, social security issues, disease transmission issues, traffic safety issues, and dog and cat abuse issues. These problems have been around since ten years ago... (by Julie)