Stray dogs problem.

[Impaler]

Have you guys read what we've been saying at all?

You want to protect your kids, but your choices to that regard are not the best ones. It makes us feel very heroic when we turn to violence or attempted killing in defence of family when the opportunity arises, but by so doing, we actually endanger those we're trying to protect.

It's like those videos you sometimes see online of the guy who stands up for his insulted girlfriend only to get both of them involved in a nasty fight that causes more physical damage to the girlfriend than had the guy taken the bigger option of walking her away from trouble. Yes, the guy fighting back looked manly, but he wasn't very wise and ended up escalating the situation, putting his girlfriend in grave danger.

You can do whatever you choose. But if you want to keep your family safe, you'll make smart decisions.

You're all good people, I know. It just seems that you've missed the point a bit.

I think you're the one who's missing the point.

Aggressive dogs get killed. Period. I don't give a shit if you want to whine about it, if a dog bites someone -- ANYONE -- it dies.

Humans >> dogs.

[engerim]

just pay someone to collect and terminate them. stray dogs have no special rights in Taiwan

[Ex Animo]

If I am simply walking and a dog comes within a foot of me aggressively it can expect a strong reaction. I won't kill it, but will scare it or bruise it (unless it's a pitbull, eh TM ). I would be doubly so for any family member. Why should I wait for it to bite me?

Make sure there is someone nearby to help after this gets you or your kid bitten. There are YouTube videos showing why the reaction you would use is exactly the right one to make the situation worse for you and your family. I'd make sure I didn't escalate the problem, but then that comes with experience. There's a reason why I encounter hundreds of times more stray dogs than most of you and have yet to get bitten by any loose ones (other than a mum who nipped my ankle as I carried her pup away).

Dogs in the public area should either be 1. leashed or 2. trained very well. Stray dogs should not be there, it is a failing of society to have these poor guys running around starving and unhealthy and acting like pack animals where people want to exercise. I have fed stray dogs and stray cats, but ultimately they are a sad nuisance and should be eliminated....and the whole society approach to pets should be revolutionised to one where people are responsible for the animal for its whole life (chips, pet DNA, license, just guesses, I'm not an expert). Stray animal are there for a reason, and simply helping a few does not address the overall problem.

Absolutely.

Back on topic-Stray Dog is right for this situation-take out the females, neuter the rest is the first approach. Then moving the feeding of them much further away, and giving them some type of rudimentary dwelling to protect from the rain and cold, much further away. Good luck to the OP, I'd hate to have that problem outside my home.

No. Neuter all. Take away only the truly aggressive ones. Never heard of the neutering-only-males-and-taking-away-females approach, and can't see how that would work anyway. It's certainly not what I would advocate. Intact males tend to be the most anti-social; some groups do target females, but this is purely to limit the number of pups as quickly as possible, but it does little to address (and may actually worsen) the anti-social behaviour that most people complain about.

And I'm Ex Animo, not Stray Dog. ;-)

I think you're the one who's missing the point.

Aggressive dogs get killed. Period. I don't give a shit if you want to whine about it, if a dog bites someone -- ANYONE -- it dies.

Humans >> dogs.

Yes, we've had that reaction already, and it's been responded to (whine-free ).

just pay someone to collect and terminate them. stray dogs have no special rights in Taiwan

This has been addressed at quite some length on Forumosa already, and is why so many are now educated as to why that's not the best course of action if you want to see no more strays on the street. You can search the Pets and Animals forums for all the info.

Enjoying all the barking!

[bigduke6]

Have you guys read what we've been saying at all?

You want to protect your kids, but your choices to that regard are not the best ones. It makes us feel very heroic when we turn to violence or attempted killing in defence of family when the opportunity arises, but by so doing, we actually endanger those we're trying to protect.

It's like those videos you sometimes see online of the guy who stands up for his insulted girlfriend only to get both of them involved in a nasty fight that causes more physical damage to the girlfriend than had the guy taken the bigger option of walking her away from trouble. Yes, the guy fighting back looked manly, but he wasn't very wise and ended up escalating the situation, putting his girlfriend in grave danger.

You can do whatever you choose. But if you want to keep your family safe, you'll make smart decisions.

You're all good people, I know. It just seems that you've missed the point a bit.

I think you're the one who's missing the point.

Aggressive dogs get killed. Period. I don't give a shit if you want to whine about it, if a dog bites someone -- ANYONE -- it dies.

Humans >> dogs.

So, someone kicks or hits a dog, dog bites in self defence=kill dog? Does this mean a dog is aggressive?

99% of the stray dogs I have encountered are so shit scared of people they usually run away in terror.

The overblown reaction of 90% of the parents I encounter makes me laugh. Yes, teach your kids to be wary, but lets not go overboard.

Even when I tell parents its ok to pat my dog. they are still ready to flee with their kids in terror.

[Ex Animo]

So, someone kicks or hits a dog, dog bites in self defence=kill dog? Does this mean a dog is aggressive?

99% of the stray dogs I have encountered are so shit scared of people they usually run away in terror.

The overblown reaction of 90% of the parents I encounter makes me laugh. Yes, teach your kids to be wary, but lets not go overboard.

Even when I tell parents its ok to pat my dog. they are still ready to flee with their kids in terror.

You are right. But most parents would react badly if their child were bitten. That said, I say again, I don not advocate any sort of violence on animals. I applaud and support what the various animal groups in Taiwan do here, but stray dogs are a problem and it should be addressed. Humanely, if possible.

[Ex Animo]

Nice post, bismarck.

I think it's important to remember that the majority of people want the same result: no more strays. Getting more dogs off the streets and fewer becoming stray should be a priority for any group or individual wanting what's best for animals (and people).

[Petrichor]

Ex Animo, could you say what's the best thing to do if you're passing a stray dog and it starts barking aggressively? I always avoid eye contact and walk away slowly, but I don't know if there's a better way to deal with the situation. Plus I'd like to continue the way I was going.

[Ex Animo]

Thanks for asking.

Avoiding eye contact is great, and you should keep doing that, and also narrow your eyes as though sleepy, and look down at the ground as though interested in something there, as this is what a dog will do to appease another dog that could be seen as a threat. Stand still, tall, and confident, and just imagine to yourself that everything is cool and you're just standing your ground. It's actually best not to walk away until the dog does. They have a very short attention span and will soon lose interest in you and start to walk away. When you do the same, it's wise to back away, so that you can see (out of the corner of your eye) if the dog is approaching again, in which case you just stop again and repeat as above.

If you do this every time you go past the same dog, you should notice that the dog will stop coming out to challenge you anyway.

If the dog should get too close, take a look at the head. High or low, the dog means no harm, but if straight out, kind of like a border collie herding sheep, then you should take (calm) action. Hold something between you and the dog, such as a newspaper or umbrella, and you'll be amazed at how this diffuses the situation as the dog backs away. Give a short, sharp, deep, fourth tone, confident 'Ah!' and the dog will stop (I've used this to stop an aggressive dog I had on leash jumping up to bite my face). You could also try shouting 'Sit" or 'Down' in Chinese.

[engerim]

just pay someone to collect and terminate them. stray dogs have no special rights in Taiwan

This has been addressed at quite some length on Forumosa already, and is why so many are now educated as to why that's not the best course of action if you want to see no more strays on the street. You can search the Pets and Animals forums for all the info.

It worked very well in the Hsinchu neighborhood I was in.

Enjoying all the barking!

And their shit?

[Ex Animo]

I was at the council meeting where the decision was made to catch and kill, and it was made despite all warnings to the contrary from people such as the ai xin mamas who reminded the council that the method had been used for twenty-odd years in Hsinchu and the situation only got worse over those years. It doesn't work.