Taiwan Dog enthusiasts apply for purebred status

A Formosan Mountain Dog is pictured in Taipei County on May 5, 2007. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE TAIWAN MOUNTAIN DOG BLOG

A breed of man's best friend may soon carry the name "Taiwan" and become the nation's first indigenous canine species to be internationally recognized, earning admission qualifications to competitions around the globe, Kennel Club of Taiwan (KCT) secretary-general Shih San-te (施三德) said.

The breed, called the Taiwan Dog (台灣犬), is also known as the Formosan Mountain Dog or Formosan, Shih said.

The dogs' recognition would come as a result of efforts by a group of Taiwan Dog enthusiasts, Shih said.

"[The enthusiasts] filed for new species certification to the FCI [Federation Cynologique Internationale] in 2004. The certification process generally requires a 10-year observational period to make sure that the genetic makeup and physical traits of the dogs are consistent," he said, adding that FCI was the "UN for dogs," dealing with the promotion of purebred dog recognition and nomenclature.

"This means, for example, because on our application we stated that a typical Taiwan Dog is about 52cm tall, and a male adult is under 18kg, an observational period is held to make sure that the traits stay the same even after generations of breeding," he said.

"It is not uncommon to hear stories of Taiwan Dogs saving their owners or alerting them to danger and it is said that three of the dogs were enough to fight a bear."

Shih San-te, secretary-general of Kennel Club of Taiwan

Taiwan Dogs have been documented for more than a century, and traditionally were used by Aborigines as hunting dogs, he said.

"However, few Taiwan Dogs today are purebreds -- because of the lack of recognition of the breed, Taiwan Dogs have been commonly cross-bred with other species over the past decades," Shih said.

Today's Taiwan Dog, therefore, is the result of "genetic modeling" by their breeders according to historical documentation of what original Taiwan Dogs used to look like, Shih said.

"Modern Taiwan dogs sport squarish physiques, long legs, short hair, sickle-shaped tails, and standing ears tilting 45 degrees outwards -- the results of 20 to 30 years of breeding and genetic shaping," Shih said, adding that the dogs would have to maintain these traits to pass the FCI observation period.

But what sets Taiwan Dogs apart from other breeds is their personalities, Shih said.

"Taiwan dogs are character-ized by their unparalleled loyalty, alertness, power and intelligence," Shih said.

"A Taiwan Dog would not be amiable to strangers -- it is not uncommon to hear stories of Taiwan Dogs saving their owners or alerting them to danger and it is said that three of the dogs were enough to fight a bear" he said.