Tang Chia-lin and Chang Chih-wei, husband and wife dog lovers from Taichung, take their “eight babies” with them to travel around Hualien every year. When the eight dogs appeared in the fishing port on Oct. 23, they immediately caused a sensation among tourists. The cuteness that they displayed when they sat in neat rows, waiting for their photo to be taken, made it hard to believe that they used to be abandoned dogs. The public could not help but exclaim, “they are super cute!”
The “eight babies” used to be other people’s precious pets, but were subsequently abandoned. Fortunately, after a turn of events, they ended up becoming the beloved pets of Tang and Chang. The ten of them routinely arrange long-distance travel every year, and Hualien — the county of great hospitality — is one of the stops that they make. They have to overcome food and accommodation problems and find pet-friendly shops so that the dogs are no longer just “indoor pets” but can travel around and have a good time.
Tang said that Hualien’s big mountains and vast ocean make people want to slow down their pace and enjoy their leisure time; wherever the large group of “eight babies” travels, people are attracted by them and want to take pictures with them. Eastern Taiwan’s friendliness, culture and vastness make people want to keep coming back.
Photo: Wang Chun-chi, Taipei Times
攝影:記者王峻祺
(Liberty Times, translated by Ethan Zhan)
來自台中市的愛狗夫妻檔唐嘉臨及張智維,每年總會帶著「八寶」遊花蓮。八隻毛小孩十月二十三日一現身漁港,立刻引起遊客騷動。一見鏡頭竟會排排坐的乖巧模樣,看不出曾都是棄養犬,令民眾直呼「超萌的啦!」
曾是別人家中愛犬卻又被拋棄的「八寶」,幸運地輾轉成為唐嘉臨及張智維的心肝寶貝。一家十口每年固定安排長途旅行,擁有濃厚人情味的花蓮就是其中一站。他們克服吃住問題,找到寵物友善店家,讓狗狗不再只是「家犬」,也能享受「出遊樂趣」。
唐嘉臨說,花蓮的大山、大海,能停下步伐好好感受愜意的步調,「八寶」龐大陣仗,每到之處總會吸引民眾拍照合影,花東友善人文氣息及空間,讓人想一來再來。
(自由時報報導)
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