A female Rottweiler found living on a dried-up riverbed in Taichung City finally found a temporary shelter after meeting Chien Hsin-yu, a dog lover who spent nine months befriending her. Chien, who has already adopted four stray dogs, calls the Rottweiler Nana. Nana was discovered three years ago living on the dried-up riverbed, probably abandoned by her previous owner.
The 30-year-old Chien said she heard dog lovers talking about a “legendary dog” who had been washed away many times by floods, but always managed to return. They started to visit her at the riverbed, but the dog was very defensive. She would bark angrily as soon as she saw anyone, and didn’t even care when food was deliberately left for her.
Chien started to befriend Nana in August last year. At first the dog responded coldly, but in March this year Chien used a strongly-flavored chewing bone made of cowhide to attract the animal, and that is how she succeeded in winning the dog’s confidence.
With restoration work on the riverbed starting recently, Chien warned that Nana’s territory might be washed away once the flood season arrives. To prevent Nana being washed away for good, on May 4 Chien made up her mind to rescue her. At noon that day, she went to the riverbed and repeatedly called for Nana. The dog slowly approached Chien standing next to an excavator that helped Nana ashore.
A vet, surnamed Wang, who neutered Nana said that the dog didn’t have a microchip, so it’s likely that she was abandoned while still a puppy. According to the vet, Nana is between three and five years old and smaller than normal, but she is lively and active. Wang found after examinations that Nana is infected with heartworm disease, and needs two month’s of treatment to be cured.
Chien said since Nana had a lot of visitors at the riverbed, she put an announcement there on the afternoon of May 4 to say that the dog had been hospitalized. Chien felt particularly touched when a mother and her daughter went to the vet’s clinic and contributed to the medical costs. The clinic also agreed to carry out the treatment at half price.
Hou Su-mei, another dog lover who cares about Nana, visited her animal friend during the week when the dog was hospitalized. Hou said she started visiting Nana three years ago when she was walking her own dog. During a flood in July two years ago, she drove by the river to find Nana, but all she saw was the floodwater. The good news came three days later, when Nana was seen swimming back to safety.
The vet said Nana had been taken away from the riverbed before but that she would always return, probably because she felt safer there. When she gets out of the hospital, Nana will be kept at the company where Hou works. Chien says she already has four dogs and Hou has five, so Nana can only stay at the company temporarily. Chien recently took Nana to an animal adoption event in Taichung City in the hope of finding a new owner who would really be able to take care of her.
(LIBERTY TIMES, TRANSLATED BY TAIJING WU)
一隻遭棄養河床的羅威納母犬，防衛心重，三年來，愛狗人士無法靠近，家裡養了四隻流浪犬的簡妡宇，花了九個月時間與牠培養感情，還替牠取了名字「Nana」，讓牠終於肯讓人接近，順利營救上岸。
三十歲的簡妡宇說，民國九十六年時，愛狗界相傳麻園頭溪有隻「傳奇狗」，屢次被大水沖走又游回，紛紛前往關心，但Nana防衛心超重，一見人就又吼又叫，他人只能遠觀，就算食物礎b一旁，Nana也採取高姿態、不理不睬。
去年八月開始，簡妡宇天天前往、與Nana培養感情。Nana先是以一貫的冷漠回應，直到今年三月，她利用香味較重的牛皮骨誘引，才打開Nana的心防。
近日河道整理、沙洲變小，簡妡宇擔憂汛期將至、Nana將無處可躲，決定救援，四日中午在簡妡宇的呼喚聲中，Nana慢慢接近簡妡宇身邊的怪手，最後順利被怪手救上岸。
為Nana結紮的毛毛動物診所王姓獸醫師說，Nana並未植入晶片，可能是幼犬時就遭棄養，年齡約三至五歲，體型較一般羅威納犬小，不過很活潑好動，經檢查患有心絲蟲病，將進行約二個月的療程。
簡妡宇說，很多人天天去看Nana，因此四日下午她在溪邊張貼公告，讓眾人知道Nana已住院，當天傍晚就有媽媽帶小孩到診所贊助醫療費，讓她很感動，診所也半價優惠。
Nana住院一週，默默關心牠三年的侯素美也前往關心。侯素美說，三年前就看到Nana在溪底，她遛狗時都會繞路去看看牠，二年前，發生七一八水災，她開車去找Nana，卻只看到洪水，所幸三天後有人看到Nana游回來，讓她十分欣慰。
獸醫師說，Nana曾被救上岸又跑回，可能習慣該處較有安全感，出院後暫住在侯女士的公司；簡妡宇說，她已養了四隻流浪狗，侯女士也養了五隻，公司只能作為中途之家，因此她日前帶Nana到台中市市民廣場參加認養活動，希望找到善待牠的新主人。
（自由時報記者囿y霖）
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