Dogs on Campus in Taiwan Universities

Among the many surprises of spending extended time on a university campus in Taiwan was seeing dogs wandering around inside the various buildings. I saw them in halls of student dorms, halls and common areas of the classrooms and wandering around outside on campus. Apparently this is the norm here. I’m not saying it is good or bad, but rather that I find it interesting because I had never seen this in western cultures. Perhaps this is only something that happens in Taiwan, or maybe it is common in Asia. I don’t know.

Later I began noticing posters around campus telling visitors and students not to feed the dogs, that they were cared for by a group of student volunteers. At Nanhua University, the group is called the Go Go Dog Volunteer Corps. This group feeds and cares for the animals on campus and by my estimates, this must be around a dozen or so animals. It is my understanding from info posted that all the dogs have also been nuetered. The dogs seem friendly and not really interested in begging for food, so I’m guessing they have not been fed by students who eat near the dogs.

I must say I am curious if the dogs are viewed as helpful to the academic environment in some way, or if having them here is part of the local culture much like respecting cows in India. I really have no idea, but despite my surprise, I supposed my thoughts are that I’m pleased to see the animals being cared for and not starving.