Taking Animal Rights International - TUAPA

I'm going to continue the dog theme from last week's post and tell you about the most amazing event that has happened to me in a long time. This past weekend, my boyfriend and I drove out to the Toronto airport where an adorable, sweet, bundle of love was waiting for us in the arrivals gate. We had decided months ago that we wanted to adopt a dog from Taiwan, and a lot of people thought we were crazy. But was it ever worth it, and the seemingly complicated process of bringing a dog from a foreign country was actually a breeze.

I found out about the Taichung Universal Animal Protection Association (TUAPA) through a classmate who recently returned from teaching english in Taiwan. She got involved with TUAPA while there and returned to Canada with three rescues. TUAPA is more of a sanctuary for dogs and cats then a traditional shelter. Currently TUAPA houses approximately 1000 cats and dogs and is a recognized charity running primarily off donations and adoption fees. The dogs run free during the day in a pack-like setting and the few volunteers they have try to give the dogs as much love as they can, although the dogs far outnumber the volunteers.

Living in Canada, where there are doggie spa's, pet psychics, pet acupuncture and massage therapists, dog bakeries etc., it's hard to imagine the life of a street dog in Taiwan. In Taiwan, most people do not spay or neuter there pets due to a stigma of  "turning your dog gay". For that reason, the government has struggled for years to control stray populations. It's not uncommon in Taiwan to see people poison dogs, shoot them like pigeons, or run them over with cars and passersby often do not even stop to take a second look at the hit dog. And unlike in Canada and the US where it is in vogue to adopt a dog instead of buying from a breeder, in many parts of the world people simply don't think like that. If they wanted to adopt a dog, they could just take one home from the street, so why would they bother paying for an adoption fee? Maybe the most horrifying threat that faces stray dogs in Taiwan is the fact that many people set bear-traps that snap shut on dogs' limbs, leaving many dogs with amputated limbs, missing ears, etc if they even survive the traps.

Clearly there is a huge problem in Taiwan and in many other countries around the globe with stray dogs. TUAPA was formed in 1994 to help address these problems by taking in hundreds of stray cats and dogs, spaying and neutering them, providing life saving health care and immunizations, and even rescueing pets from the local government kill-shelters. Since adoption rates with Taiwan are fairly low, TUAPA relies heavily on foreign adoption from Canada and the US. Of course, there are thousands of unwanted dogs waiting in shelters and foster homes in Canada, but there is arguably a greater need for protection in places like Taiwan. Many shelters in Canada have waiting lists for certain types of dogs (like small hypoallergenic dogs) and intense screening processes to ensure that the homes are suitable for the pets. TUAPA also wants to ensure the dogs find amazing forever homes, but they are more than willing to make the process as efficient and painless as possible for the dog and the adoptive family.

TUAPA chooses hundreds to make a list of the 50 most adoptable dogs suitable for the long "journey of love" to North America. These top fifty dogs are the sweetest, healthiest, and most likely to adjust to life in another country. You can choose from chihuahuas, poodles, great danes, and other purebred dogs as well as many more three legged, or one eared, mutts. They even have a youtube channel, run by volunteers where you can watch each dog interact with people and other dogs. For only a small donation of a few hundred dollars (they will pretty much accept any reasonable donation seeing as they truly want to find dogs forever homes and make room for new residents), the dog will be shipped with a volunteer passenger to the closest major city (Toronto, or Montreal etc). The dogs come spayed or neutered and up to date with all shots. My vet in Toronto was shocked to see how thorough the vetrinary care in Taiwan is. As the adopter, all you have to do is pick them up at the airport, where TUAPA volunteers will assist you with receiving the dogs. They come with a folder of medical records, a leash, collar, new blankets and you can even keep the crate if you wish (valued at approximately $200) or choose to donate it back to the organization. All in all, this organization does unreal work to make the world a more humane place for all animals.

One last thing. People kept telling me over the past couple weeks that "rescue dogs appreciate you more". I didn't really understand or believe these people, because all dogs as far as I'm concerned are loyal and loving to their families. But after having Wayne (that's him above!) for only 12 hours or so, I understood. The way he looks at me with those big brown eyes as he falls asleep on the couch half on top of me, I know that he is so happy to even have a warm place to call home and that he won't have to worry about scrounging for his next meal. Honestly, I think adopting a TUAPA dog is the best decision I've ever made.

***An english (and Canadian) version of the TUAPA website is in the works, and I'll post more information soon if anyone wants to get involved by donating, fostering or adopting ***