Known for his brand of Taiwanese rap music with strong social and political messages, Taiwanese rapper Dog-G (大支) is also an advocate for the humane treatment of stray animals.
Dog-G said that when he was younger he did not care much for cats. However, in 2009, he came upon an injured cat that was dying on the street.
“When I was caring for that injured cat, I realized what it must be like to be a parent. I was going to send the cat to an animal shelter, but I later learned that if the pets there do not find new owners within seven to 12 days, they will be euthanized, which I felt was very cruel,” he said.
Photo courtesy of Dog-G
“So I thought of taking care of him for a few days. Once I started, it became my responsibility to look after the cat for the rest of its life,” he said.
Later on, he discovered that cats were badly mistreated in some regions of Taiwan, abused by their owners or poisoned.
In a bid to raise public awareness about the plight of abandoned dogs and cats, Dog-G said he began writing and singing rap songs about them.
He also began encouraging the public to adopt pets from animal shelters instead of buying them from shops and to neuter them, so stray animals would not be killed.
“I am pushing the message that people need to care about stray animals. Each time, it may influence some individuals. So I will take up any opportunity to spread the message,” he said.
“I talk about caring for stray animals when conversing with friends, when performing on stage and at award ceremonies. I utilize every occasion to get the message across. You never know when someone will get the message, and he will influence people around him. The change could make a big difference,” Dog-G said.
The rapper now has more than 10 cats in his studio.
“The healthy ones have been adopted. Those with me now are the ones with health problems and needing the most care,” he said.
In 2011, he won best “Rhythm & Blues Single” for his song The Final Morning at Taiwan’s Golden Indie Music Awards.
The song was written to portray the experience of a stray cat.
“Our final encounter could be my shadow disappearing from a dark alley. I do not have a name. I’m a transient, a late-night shadow on a wall. Please let me be, I won’t impede you. I’m a stray cat. Maybe this is my final morning. The cats’ calls are getting weaker. Maybe we are not all invincible supermen, but we can light up a little lamp in our room for them,” he sings.
Dog-G also helps with TNR (Trap, Neuter and Release) efforts. He spends up to NT$40,000 a month for the cat neutering program. While some have asked him to start a donation drive for these efforts, Dog-G said he does not accept donations.
“With donations, there are problems in how the money is allocated. I just want to do what I can on my own,” he said.
To raise awareness of the plight of stray cats, Dog-G has produced three short DVDs, for which he recruited fellow rapper MC HotDog, entertainer Wang Tsai-hua (王彩樺), singer Yang Lie (楊烈) and Democratic Progressive Party Chairman Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌).
He first gave away the DVDs with his album. Later he put them online so more people could see them.
“I want to let people know that when you save a stray animal, the relationship is more than just between pet and owner. You become its savior. It is a much closer, more intimate relationship,” he said.
POLAM KOPITIAM CASE: Of the two people still in hospital, one has undergone a liver transplant and is improving, while the other is being evaluated for a liver transplant A fourth person has died from bongkrek acid poisoning linked to the Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) restaurant in Taipei’s Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said yesterday, as two other people remain seriously ill in hospital. The first death was reported on March 24. The man had been 39 years old and had eaten at the restaurant on March 22. As more cases of suspected food poisoning involving people who had eaten at the restaurant were reported by hospitals on March 26, the ministry and the Taipei Department of Health launched an investigation. The Food and
The long-awaited Taichung aquarium is expected to open next year after more than a decade of development. The building in Cingshui District (清水) is to feature a large ocean aquarium on the first floor, coral display area on the second floor, a jellyfish tank and Dajia River (大甲溪) basin display on the third, a river estuary display and restaurant on the fourth, and a cafe and garden on the fifth. As it is near Wuci Fishing Port (梧棲漁港), many are expecting the opening of the aquarium to bring more tourism to the harbor. Speaking at the city council on Monday, Taichung City Councilor
A fourth person has died in a food poisoning outbreak linked to the Xinyi (信義) branch of Malaysian restaurant chain Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in Taipei, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) said on Monday. It was the second fatality in three days, after another was announced on Saturday. The 40-year-old woman experienced multiple organ failure in the early hours on Monday, and the family decided not to undergo emergency resuscitation, Wang said. She initially showed signs of improvement after seeking medical treatment for nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, but her condition worsened due to an infection, he said. Two others who
Taiwanese should be mindful when visiting China, as Beijing in July is likely to tighten the implementation of policies on national security following the introduction of two regulations, a researcher said on Saturday. China on Friday unveiled the regulations governing the law enforcement and judicial activities of national security agencies. They would help crack down on “illegal” and “criminal” activities that Beijing considers to be endangering national security, according to reports by China’s state media. The definition of what constitutes a national security threat in China is vague, Taiwan Thinktank researcher Wu Se-chih (吳瑟致) said. The two procedural regulations are to provide Chinese