The Taiwanese mountain dog, also known as the “Formosan Dog,” was traditionally used by villagers in Taiwan to guard their houses and aid them in hunting expeditions. For a long time, however, the indigenous Taiwanese dog has been accorded a distinctly lowly status.
Originally a hunting dog bred in high altitude areas on the island by Aborigines, the semi-wild Taiwanese mountain dog was well-suited to the uneven topography of Taiwan’s mountainous regions, and able to move agilely through the lush bush.
The Taiwan Dog, as it is now officially known, mostly has black or earthy yellow fur, or is of mixed coloring. It will generally have a life expectancy of from 13 to 16 years old, but when well looked-after can live up to 20 years, or even older.
Photo courtesy of a reader
照片：讀者提供
A healthy adult male Taiwan Dog is between 48cm to 52cm long, and weighs from 14kgs to 18kgs. The adult female can be from between 43cm to 47cm long and weigh 12kgs to 16kgs.
Through the hard work over 20 years of the Kennel Club of Taiwan and lovers of indigenous Taiwanese dogs, the representatives of over 70 attending countries at the 2015 annual meeting of the Federation Cynologique Internationale (FCI) in Milan, Italy voted to officially name the indigenous Taiwanese dog the “Taiwan Dog.” At the same time, the FCI agreed upon the characteristics of the breed, acknowledging that the loyal nature of the dog made it suitable as a guard dog and a companion dog. This dog, which had been largely ignored up until this point, was finally given an official name: The Taiwan Dog.(Translated by Paul Cooper)
台灣土狗，又名「福爾摩沙犬」，是傳統台灣鄉下住民用來守護家園和協助狩獵的好幫手。然而，在大多數台灣人的心目中，台灣土狗的地位一直都很低。
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
照片： 維基共享資源
台灣土狗原本是台灣原住民在高海拔山區飼育的一種半野生獵犬，能夠在崎嶇不平的山路上健步如飛，也能輕易地穿梭於山區茂密的叢林灌木間。
台灣土狗今日已正式定名為「台灣犬」，毛色多為黑、土黃或混合花色。通常，台灣犬的平均壽命約為十三至十六歲。不過，如果細心飼養照顧，牠們可以活到二十歲，甚至更久。
健康的成年公台灣犬體長約有四十八到五十二公分，體重則為十四到十八公斤之間。成年的母台灣犬體型較小，體長約為四十三到四十七公分，體重則落在十二至十六公斤之間。
經過社團法人台灣畜犬協會以及台灣原生土狗愛好者長達二十年的努力，在二○一五年於義大利米蘭召開的世界畜犬聯盟全球會員國大會上，台灣土狗獲得七十多個與會國家代表投票認可，正式命名為「台灣犬」。同時，世界畜犬聯盟也在台灣犬的品種特性上達到共識，認為其忠心耿耿的天性適合擔任守衛犬和陪伴犬的職責。今日，這類以往經常遭到我們忽視的狗狗，終於獲得一個國際承認的正式名稱──「台灣犬」。
（台北時報林俐凱整理）
Many consumers are guilty of filling drawers or closets with old laptops, cellphones, fitness trackers and other electronic devices once they are no longer needed. It’s hard to know where to recycle such items, or it seems costly and inconvenient to do so. The world generates millions of tons of electronic waste — also called e-waste — each year. According to the UN’s most recent estimate, people worldwide produced 62 million metric tons of e-waste in 2022, and only about 22 percent of it was properly recycled. The US’ Environmental Protection Agency estimates that less than a quarter of e-waste is
You’re sitting in class when a classmate asks to borrow a pencil. It seems like a small favor, so you agree without hesitation. The following week, the same classmate asks to share your notes. Later, they request help with a group project. You agree each time — after all, you helped out the first time — but before you know it, it has become automatic. This scenario demonstrates the “foot-in-the-door technique,” a psychological concept that shows how agreeing to small, acceptable demands makes it easier to accept larger ones later on. The name for this strategy comes from door-to-door
Continued from yesterday（延續自昨日） https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang Gig Tripping “Gig tripping” combines concerts with travel. People fly to see their favorite artists perform — usually abroad—and spend a few days sightseeing before or after the show. While die-hard fans have done this since the 1960s, the post-pandemic travel boom changed the game. Even people who aren’t superfans are now booking international concert trips because they want to make the most of travel opportunities. This trend exploded in the US, as the math makes sense. Domestic concert tickets are so costly that flying abroad for the show plus tourism expenses often matches or even beats the price
A: The four-day Tomb Sweeping Day long weekend begins Friday and will run until Monday. Are you going to sweep your ancestors’ tombs? B: I did in advance last weekend, so I can go to Kaohsiung to see the musical “The Phantom of the Opera.” A: Wow, is “Phantom” touring Taiwan again? It debuted in 1986, so this year marks the 40th anniversary of the show. B: And it’s not just touring Kaohsiung starting March 31, but also Taipei starting April 21 and Taichung starting May 26. A: “Phantom” is one of the world’s Four Major Musicals. I’ve seen all of them, except “Les
RSS