We were alerted to the issue of homeless Goldens in Taiwan through an email from a young rescuer named Rita. Taiwan is very population-dense and people don’t have a lot of room to live in. Folks are getting into a ‘dog fad’ over there, and the most popular dogs are the smaller breeds, although some are purchasing large-breed dogs. When folks find that living in close quarters with a dog isn’t necessarily all it’s cracked up to be, the dogs either go the ‘asylum’ (Taiwanese terminology for a shelter) where they’re routinely euthanized after 7 days, or get turned out on the streets. Rita and her people are more involved in rounding up street dogs, getting them fixed up and then adopted out. Apparently they’re having good success in getting street dogs to more responsible owners, but the large breed dogs are tough, since homes/apartments are so small, so bigger dogs don’t have the same opportunities.Rita and MJ do not have a rescue organization, per se, but are just two dog-loving young ladies who want to make a difference. Rita and MJ are in their early twenties, and apparently have been rescuing dogs for some time. Despite huge odds and with an amazing level of effort, these young ladies are doing incredible things without many resources.After further research and reference checks, the Board of Directors agrees to assist Rita's effort by finding these long-distance Goldens homes in the U.S. The project kicks off with Ben, Lulu and Rose and a volunteer traveling companion boarding a plane in Taiwan...
