Financial squeeze exacerbates Taiwan’s stray dog problem

The stray dog problem in Taiwan is a disgrace. They all need to be rounded up and destroyed. They are a nuisance and there is no good reason for keeping them alive, as they are a feral species and damage the environment. I cannot ride my bicycle in Taiwan without being chased and attacked by stray dogs. Please Taiwan, get rid of them while we still can. Soon there will be too many and the problem will be beyond our ability to solve.

you're an idiot.

How can you say such a thing? Yes they are a disgrace but WHO put them there? To condemn them to death is just so convenient and shows the ignorance that people like you have. Have some pity on the poor animals.

I have been to Taiwan before and this was the thing I really hated about it. The only reason Hong Kong is better than Taiwan is because there are no stray dogs there; otherwise Taiwan would be a far better place. If Taiwan is going to be a 1st world, 21st century place, get rid of those dogs. That was the only reason I hated Taiwan. The person making the comment about being attacked by stray dogs while riding bicycle I agree with. These irresponsible dog owners should be jailed for 20 years. The person who commented that about being an idiot is an idiot himself; if he were smart he would have proposed a solution. Get rid of the dogs. It's better if it can be done without killing them, but if it can't go for it. Human survival and being able to freely move around without fear is more important than a stupid dog's life.

Things could start to be better if people adopted dogs instead of bred them. If enough people decided to do that, things could get better.

I want to survive, and other people, too. But animals should be able to survive, too. It seems unfair to me that one living being gets priority over the other. Some people get priority over others and humans usually always get priority over animals because they have the most control. It is sad, because animals can't get others to stand up for them like humans do.

I'm not happy that the bicycle person was attacked--it was dangerous for the person, but then think of what sometimes happens to the dog. The dog might get killed because someone complained it was dangerous and unlike a human the dog couldn't ask for help and help would not be given. People can't understand what animals are thinking or feeling (we can't even fully understand other people that way), and when people get too close or even are nearby, of course things like that will happen sometime.

Animals aren't out to get us--animals are mostly victimized by us. Both of us can fight back against the other, but usually the animal dies instead of the person. I don't want to die either. Because that might be impossible isn't a good enough reason to give up. The first, second, third, fourth, or even hundredth try nothing might happen but nothing will if people stop trying. It's like when the place you were going to on the weekend was closed but it might be open later or the next day. One living being should not have to die because it's impossible for both to live--people can keep trying to make things better for all the people.

Atiko, I am debating, but I hope I have not and do not come across as arguing, or saying that you do not know anything because we disagree. I just would like to ask if you really believe that a dog's life is stupid. If so, then I'll only say that I believe that is sad. Even if dogs (and other animals) can't talk to us or do everything that humans can, they aren't stupid, and their lives are definitely not stupid. Life for some living beings has become so downplayed that no one cares for it anymore.

What if someone hit a dog and just yelled at the dog that he/she was stupid for getting in the way while the dog was lying there dying, not understanding what that human was saying, and no one helping him or her? I realize many people have used this, but think if a human, or your friend or family member, was in the road dying after being hit. People would be calling an ambulance or trying to stop traffic or give the person CPR. People keep going when animals are hit. I think that, just because no one can help me decide what is right, I would feel disappointed in myself if I thought a life was stupid, no matter whose it was. Other people are responsible and decide for themselves, and so will keep going in their opinions, and I hope I will stick with mine and be happy when people talk to me about theirs.

I have been a biker for almost 15 years, and NEVER EVER been chased by a dog. Eventually, I was chased by a thief who wanted to steal my bike. Go back (Hong Kong) where you came from because TAIWAN dogs don't welcome YOU.

YOU are SELFISH and STUPID too.

I had two stray dogs with me for 6 years and roaming around the park of Chung Ho and I feed other dogs every morning even when it’s raining. Maybe someday, when we meet, introduce yourself as BUSH MAN and I'll kick your [expletive deleted].

The solution is that people do not buy dogs from breeders or pet shops but adopt dogs instead. Neuter your pet if necessary. And there should be an education campaign about this.

Shame on you, you filthy-stinky s*o*h, you and your races will all be mutilated and fed to the wild.

There are 2 things Taiwan really needs to do. Upgrade the sewage system and spay and neuter all the stray dogs.

Something must be done to prevent people from dumping pets. It really should be a criminal offence. This is just as callous as it is disgusting. The second thing that must be done is to find a way to deal with all the pets out roaming around now. Local adoption, perhaps an organized community care. Whatever happens, dogs need to be kept apart from traffic in order to prevent all the horrible injuries we all see so often.

I have been chased by dogs while on my bike from time to time and strongly believe that the government must do something about the stray dog problem. It is a nuisance. If the former owners can be identified, they should be punished. However, if the dogs are causing a hazard (and they most certainly are), the situation needs to be taken care of.

I am disappointed at the vitriol I have seen in some posts. Can't we at least disagree agreeably?

This sure is a problem but by simply killing the animals you will never get rid of them. There will always be someone who gets tired of his "best friend" and abandons him. It needs a change in the way of thinking e.g. better adopt animals and don't buy from breeders just because they are so cute when they're puppies...
The first step to deal with this problem is to sterilize the animals so they won't be able to breed.
Just by the way.. some cities in France in Italy got the same problem with dogs and cats, I wonder how they handle this problem~