Other Names: Formosan Mountain Dog, National Dog, Takasago Dog, Taiwan Canis, Taiwanese Canis.
The Taiwan Dog is a breed of small or medium dog indigenous to Taiwan. These dogs are also known as the Formosan Mountain Dog, Taiwanese Canis, Taiwanese Native Dog or Takasago Dog. They are well-adapted to the uneven and thickly forested terrain of Taiwan, having become a semi-wild breed prior to the arrival of several colonial reigns and foreign powers. Notwithstanding these adaptations, Formosans retained the potential to be trained and are now used as hunting dogs, guard dogs, stunt dogs, rescue dogs, or simply as companions. Formosans are classified into one medium type and two small types. However, now the pureblooded Formosan Mountain Dog is edging closer to extinction, due to limited conservation efforts of the Taiwanese and their government.
History
Four catastrophes
There are four catastrophic events described by Dr. Sung Yung-yi that have been critical in the development of the Formosan Mountain Dog: the Dutch settlement of Formosa, the Japanese rule, World War II and the Kuomintang Era.
The Dutch settlement
In 1624, the Dutch established a commercial base at Tayoan, the colonial capital (present-day Anping in Tainan). After the Dutch made Taiwan a colony, they began to import workers from Fujian and Penghu (Pescadores) as labourers, many of whom settled there.
The Dutch military presence was concentrated at a stronghold called Castle Zeelandia. The Dutch colonists imported a hunting dog (known as the “Flying Dog” to Taiwan and started to hunt the native Formosan sika deer (Cervus Nippon Taioanus) that inhabited Taiwan. The Dutch East India Company established a trading post whose main business was the export of sika skins to Europe. During the six decades of Dutch activity, 2,000,000 to 4,000,000 sika skins were exported to Europe, contributing to the eventual extinction of the subspecies on the island. The “Flying Dog” was thought to be a Greyhound or an English Pointer.
Exporting was reduced when the Dutch were forced out of Taiwan in 1684 but continued throughout the Qing period with a switch to Japan as the major export market.
During the settlement, the Dutch hunting dogs started to crossbreed with the Formosan Mountain Dogs; this was the first time that foreign breeds had influenced the Formosan Mountain Dog. Furthermore, the Dutch prohibited native tribes from owning dogs, slaughtering large numbers of indigenous dogs.
The Japanese rule
The Qing Empire was defeated in the First Sino-Japanese War of 1894–95. When the Treaty of Shimonoseki was signed on April 17, 1895, Taiwan was ceded to Japan, which sought to transform Taiwan into the supply-end of an extremely unequal flow of assets. The Japanese made efforts to exert full control over the aborigines, the first time this had ever been carried out. The means of accomplishing this goal took three main forms: an anthropological study of the natives of Taiwan attempts to reshape the aborigines in the mould of the Japanese and military suppression. During the Japanese occupation, Taiwanese aborigines were under repressive rule and the Formosan Mountain Dogs were intensively crossbred with Japanese dogs, due to the Japanese government relocating many remote high-mountain villages closer to administrative control (Takekoshi 1907:210–219). Furthermore, Japanese immigrants massively explored the east coast, currently called Hualien and Taitung Counties. The east coast expeditions further provided a chance of crossbreeding Japanese dogs with the Formosans.
World War II
At the end of World War II, for military purposes and preventing the U.S. Army from landing on the east coast of Taiwan, Japan started to build the Central and Southern Cross-Island Highway. During the construction, there were military dogs travelling with the highway workers, German Shepherds. This led to crossbreeding between the Formosans and the military dogs. If it were not for these strategic constructions, the Formosans may have had a chance to preserve their bloodline high in the mountains. Furthermore, during this period, there was evidence showing that the Japanese military launched a massacre to reduce the population of the Formosan Mountain Dog. However, the true reason for this may never be known.
Dr. Sung Yung-yi told a New Taiwan journalist: “Formosan dogs are very smart and agile, but they are more primitive animal and do not want to be caged. For example, during the birth period, they will find a cave and usually will not return until a few months later with their puppies. Another example will be the masters do not need to provide a lot of foods for them, they have the habit of finding their own foods. These were the reason Formosan was called the “barbarian dog,” by Japanese. Using sanitation as an excuse, the Japanese military launched a large-scale massacre of Formosan to reduce the local dog population.”
During the time when the Japanese military was building the Central and Southern Cross-Island Highway, they were constantly encountered by the aborigines. The aborigines launched numerous assaults to the Japanese military bases. During the assaults, Formosan dogs also gathered and hunted down Japanese military dogs, leaving a bloody scene in the morning. For revenge, the Japanese military killed every Formosan dog they saw to reduce the population.
The Kuomintang Era
Dr. Sung Yung-yi believes that the true reason that led to the Formosan Mountain Dog’s near-extinction in the dog-eating culture. It was brought in along with the Chinese Nationalist Party’s retreat in 1945, due to the loss to the Soviet-supported Communist Party of China (led by Mao Zedong) at the end of the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1945.
Furthermore, after Taiwan was handed over to the Kuomintang, the son of Chiang Kai-shek, Chiang Ching-Kuo, successfully reformed Taiwan as an economic little dragon (Four Asian Tigers); he was credited for the Taiwan economic miracle and has served as a role model for many developing countries. Nevertheless, great economics came with a great price; with economic development and open society, businessmen from around the world started to introduce high-priced foreign dogs and Japanese dogs into Taiwan. With a lack of conservative and pet care knowledge, many foreign dogs were abandoned and started crossbreeding with the Formosan Dogs. Dr. Sung believes that these are the two true reasons that affect the Formosan Mountain Dog’s living space and the space for existence.