Hi Forumosa!
It’s amazing to get on here and see that so many people are concerned about Taiwan’s animals.
Three weeks ago, I met a dog with a rusted metal trap clamped on his front paw. (for more details about that little saga, visit air.freeshell.org/?Rehoming:_Ado … ida_Victor this link appears not to work correctly and can’t get it to work so just search ‘oneida victor’ on the site and you should be able to find him)
After some drama, and a lot of help from friends, we got him to the vet and got the trap off. My buddy Jody (who deserves a shout out! Thanks Jody!!!) took the dog home for over 2 weeks. Now, Jody is having a major surgery and can not care for the dog any longer- so I brought him to my house. I have two dogs and one cat already, and let’s just say that my landlord (who lives downstairs) is less than amused. As are my neighbors, who go into an uproar of bemused Taiwanese every time I walk past with a new dog (let’s just say my house has been a revolving door for strays, rescues, and pets who need sitters since I moved in 2 months ago).
Anyways— we are ACTIVELY looking for a home for sweet Vic in America. What we need now is a foster home for him, where landlord, foster ‘parent’, chatty neighbors and Vic can co-exist peacefully.
Vic is a dog transformed-- when I first saw him he looked so dejected, he looked timid and insecure, his tail was always between his legs, and he was skinny as a skeleton. Now he is bounding, playful, social and sweet. It’s amazing what a little individual attention and affection can do for a dog.
About Victor (aka Vic, Vickles, Vicky, Vicalicious, O.V., sweety boy, pumpkin head etc.):
He’s a big guy, with pretty orange fur, floppy ears and a long skinny tail. I don’t know what ‘breed’ he is, but a lot of people say he resembles a golden retriever.
This dog has stolen my heart. He is hilarious, cute, smart, and HUGE. I made it clear early on that he would get no attention from me unless he was sitting peacefully. Now every time I stroll into the room he sits immediately. This is not because I give him treats when he sits- he does it purely for love and affection.
Vic is quite large by Taiwanese standards, and very strong, full of energy, and behaves like a puppy (trusted sources put him at about 2 years old but judging by the way he bounds joyfully around my house, I have my doubts). Walking him is difficult- I’m not going to mince words here. This guy would do best with a yard and an equally enthusiastic playmate. I don’t feel like my small apartment is satisfying his wanderlust. However, when he wanders he’s been respectful of all of my stuff- hasn’t destroyed anything yet. I’ve let him free on the beach (tsk tsk tsk) and he wandered for 20 min before coming back to me. So after he knows you you could probably let him off the leash in an appropriate area.
He’s great with other dogs so far- on the initial greeting he snapped at one of my pups but I think it’s because they met on a somewhat narrow walkway. Now he’s loving my two dogs, but hasn’t got the full benefit of play because my female dog was just spayed and I worry about her stitches and my male dog…let’s just say he’s a bit constipated because Oneida Victor gave up his bone and my male dog got a double serving-- so with both my dogs under the weather, Vic hasn’t gotten to be as rough and tumble as he’d like. But yeah, so far, very friendly with dogs and people he’s met. My male dog is also pretty weak because he was hit by a car before I found him and has a bad limp-- but Vic is still good to him. In fact I think my male dog idolizes him. I think his ideal living situation would be with an extra energetic dog (if you’ve got a pup that you wish would play all day and get worn out by the time you come home from work, Vic is your man. Trust me, two dogs can be better than one my friend…)
Anyways, I could probably write about this dog all day-- if you want to read more about his rescue, visit the AIR site (linked above). I should have him out of my place by the 7th if my landlord doesn’t approach me sooner (sometimes it’s a blessing that we can’t communicate without a translator). I’d really like him to continue progressing with supportive and stable training.
Please message me (camikayadair@gmail.com) if you or anyone you know can foster and give this guy some love.
Thank you thank you- and reading this forum made my day, because so many other people care about animals.
:aiyo: