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FEATURE: Adoption of strays program benefits dogs and students

"Students ... learn how dogs become strays and that they should not abandon their dogs if they love them."

Wang Chun-ching, Kaohsiung Concern Stray Animal Association director

For Ping-cheng (秉程), a 12-year-old student with autism who is in the special education program at Kaohsiung City's Ding Jin Junior High School, learning to express emotions has never been easy.

However, his school days have been brightened since Pipi, a stray dog, came along.

The eight-year-old stray has been able to bring Ping-cheng out of his shell and the two are now best buddies. Pipi's help with Ping-cheng earned the dog a special scarf during a ceremony held by the city government on Dec. 20 and official recognition as the "dog of Ding Jin."

Nine other stray dogs were also recognized as part of the city government's "Loving Dog on Campus" program.

The trial program, launched by the Livestock Health and Inspection Laboratory of the city's Economic Affairs Bureau, aims to ease the city's stray dog problem by finding dogs homes on school campuses.

Statistics released last year by the lab show the number of stray dogs it captured and housed each year had increased from about 2,000 a few years ago to 5,000.

Former bureau director Jason Hung (洪富峰) said last June that the lab had euthanized about 300 dogs a month over the past decade.

An unofficial estimate by the city's animal rights groups last May put the number of stray dogs euthanized by the lab over the past 10 years at 36,000.

Kaohsiung Concern Stray Animal Association director Wang Chun-ching (王春經) said there are about 8,000 strays in the city now.

"We should treat school adoption of strays as a serious project," City Government Secretary-General Hau Chien-sheng (郝建生) said. "We hope to provide them with room for survival on campuses. They can be taken care of inside the schools and they can also help ensure campus security."

Five junior high schools -- Ding Jin Junior High, Wu Fu Junior High, Hsing Jen Junior High, Chung Shan Junior High and Minzu Junior High -- have adopted a total of 10 strays.

A technical specialist at the lab, surnamed Chiu (邱), said the agency began the project last October.

Chiu, who developed the program, said the 10 strays in the trial had been evaluated by animal experts to ensure they enjoyed interacting with people.

But the adoption program is not simply about finding homes for stray dogs on campus. The lab also educates those people who will directly interact with the canines -- teachers and students in particular -- to prevent the dogs from being mistreated.

School staff -- mostly counselors -- were required to attend dog-care classes before the adoption program began, Chiu said.

The best part of the program is that students have the opportunity to learn to respect life, he said.

"The program helps students understand that stray dogs are friendly," Chiu said. "Students can come in close contact with them. Pupils will learn that they shouldn't be afraid of the dogs just because they are strays."

Schools can design courses to teach students the right way to interact with dogs, Chiu said, adding that the lab will conduct regular follow-ups to ensure the dogs are in good hands.

Animal protection organizations have praised the project.

"Students can learn to be responsible pet owners. They learn how dogs become strays and that they should not abandon their dogs if they love them," said Wang, whose association rescued a black dog -- a female named "209" -- that had been living on the freeway divider on a stretch of the Sun Yat-sen Freeway last year.

"I believe some students may still bully the strays on campus, but at least schools can correct their misbehavior right away," Wang said.

Wang urged the city officials to require every school in Kaohsiung to join the adoption program, even though "some principals are prejudiced against strays."

"It is very difficult to change parents' perception of strays ... but at least we can start by changing children's perceptions," she said.
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