My name is Xihu (She-Who)!

Xihu is named after Xihuhui, the supermarket in Taiwan where she was abandoned. Her name in English would be something like "Sure," short for Surewell! (though the Chinese characters which make up her name mean something like "happy together," or "mutual joy!") Her name is pronounced "sheehoo" or "she who!" I pretend her name means "She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named," because in the beginning I resisted naming her at all: since she was a foster and I knew I would have to part with her, I tried to keep myself from getting too attached. It's too late for me: I really really love little Xihu, and it's too late for her: she knows her name and acts accordingly... I'm afraid our little Miss "She-Who" is under the impression that her name means "She-Who-must-be-obeyed!"

Xihu is a medium-sized dog; just under a year old. She is fully vaccinated and due to be spayed next week. "She-Who" has now grown into a beautiful, glossy-furred young dog. She's got the softest fur of any of the dogs here; it's satiny-black with speckles of brown. And she's got the lovely curling tail seen on so many Taiwan dogs. She's also got the famed smarts of the Taiwan dogs. She's spunky and sweet and so eager to please; all she wants is love.

Someone irresponsible left the puppy Xihu off out back of the Surewell supermarket for the employees to find. The people at the supermarket were really kind to her, but she kept trying to get into the store, and at night when everybody went home she would cry and bother the neighbors... she was becoming a problem and she wasn't safe there anymore!

Now she's staying in my home with 7 big dogs and she just loves playing with them. It turned out she's incredibly smart: she learns really fast, sometimes just by observing the other dogs. Everything she's learned so far she got in just 2 seconds, literally. If someone had the time to actually teach her, there's no limit to what she could learn!

She immediately learned to sit and lie down on command (she still loves to try her tricks even not on command, in the hopes that something good will happen anyway!) and she loves to play fetch.

In new situations, Xihu is slightly timid but very fun-loving once she feels comfortable.

From the very first she had a spunky streak to her; other puppies here have been a bit more retiring but even when Xihu first arrived,she didn't let the big dogs push her around at all. If her playfulness got too much for a big dog and one growled at her, she would lie down on her stomach semi-submissively, but bark all the while as if to let them all know she would cooperate but that she was not to be intimidated.

As she's grown bigger, Xihu has continued to react in the same way when other dogs stress her out. But now that she's a little bigger, sometimes her barky mouthing off and refusal to go belly-up passive can create a tense situation. She does well with playful dogs, both males and females, but when she is faced with pushy or assertive in-your-face type dogs, in her fear she becomes either very retiring, too afraid to move, or she barks high-pitched and non-stop at the dog she fears (which tends to escalate the tension!). I have been working with Xihu on her "issues;" she is usually able to stop the fear barking if I give her a clear command to do something else (like sit or go jump in her box).

All the dogs here really love playing with her, and she just adores playing with them and others she's met. She has a quite a crazy streak and she loves to lead all the dogs on mad chases through the house ("catch me if you can!"): whenever there's action in the house or the yard, she's the one in the middle of it. She's the first of the dogs to start playing in the morning and the last one to stop playing at night. Since she so loves to play all the dog games, I do hope she can go to a family where she will have another dog friend or two. At this point I think it would be best if her new companions are not the pushy types.

She is still young and still chewy... she's been growing up with a lot of playful dogs and she thinks it's okay to greet anyone and everyone with an open alligator mouth; she'll wrap her teeth lightly around any big dog's leg as a sign of affection, and when she's feeling playful or just happy, a sudden very gentle wrapping of her little teeth around my arm seems to be her way of saying : "Life is wonderful, let's play!" In the past I've known two young dogs who were as extremely mouth-oriented as Xihu; after they matured they seemed to just grow out of it. I think Xihu will outgrow her mouthiness too as she gets a little older; she's already much less mouthy than before. In the meantime, I'm working on teaching her "stop," and that it's not always appropriate to greet someone with your teeth, even if you do it ever so lightly. She's very gentle, and if you remind her to sit for attention instead, or to stop, then she will, but her mouthiness could be surprising to small children and people who aren't used to dogs. For this reason I think it would be best for Xihu to find someone who understands young chewy puppies and who will patiently work with her.

Xihu has a very loyal and loving streak to her. Even on cold sleepy evenings when the other dogs have found a cosy secluded spot to curl up in, Xihu has remained by my side, choosing to lie on the cold concrete right next to my chair rather than find a warmer spot farther away from me. She looks up at me with a question in her eyes; sometimes she even falls asleep with her head on my foot. She follows me wherever I go and is the only one to accompany me around if I get up in the middle of the night. So even though she loves to play with other dogs, she's also going to need some very close human companionship. I hope she can go to a home where she's allowed to live inside as a member of the family.

Xihu is a special dog: she's intelligent and always thinking. She is excitable but can control herself; if you ask her to "sit" or "lie down" she'll do it in such an earnest way that you'll giggle. She practically throws herself on the floor if I say "lie down," and if there's something she wants, she'll throw herself into an enthusiastic little sit or lie-down even before I say anything, in the hopes that it will work this time too. She gets her meals in her crate, and when it's time to eat she just hurls herself in there; sometimes her crate slides across the floor from the force of her entry. She does everything with such sweet and endearing enthusiasm and gusto.

Xihu loves to eat and she loves her meat, but she also loves to snack on greens and fruit! She happily munches away on apples and bananas, and actually is thrilled to take spinach and lettuce from my hand! None of the other dogs seem very pleased when I give them carrots or potatos, but Xihu loves it all.

Xihu always sticks close to me when we go to the beach. She is still a little skeptical of the waves and hasn't ventured into the water yet, but she loves to romp on the sand and run like crazy with the other dogs. She is the perfect off-leash puppy and always comes back when I ask her to.

Xihu is housetrained but may need a refresher course as she adjusts to her new routine and environment. She gets along with dog-savvy cats.

Xihu is still in Taiwan, waiting for her chance at happiness in the US. Arrangements will be made for Xihu to be flown to SFO airport once a home has been approved. Please email to request an adoption application. There is an adoption fee to help cover a portion of Xihu's medical and transport expenses.

In the photos, please note her curly tail! I really am so fond of her special tail... and her adorable stick-out ears... but I'm even more fond of her spunky, sweet personality. She's such a beautiful and special little creature, may she very soon have the chance to bring her spunk and brightness and joy and love into her perfect forever home!

According to the World Society for the Protection of Animals, Taiwan is among the worst places in the world for animals. There are at least 2 million stray dogs in Taiwan, many of them 2nd or 3rd generation strays. There are virtually no humane societies, shelters, or even laws prohibiting cruelty towards animals. Government-run dog pounds don't offer humane euthanization--instead, dogs are electrocuted, drowned, burned, or left to starve to death. Certainly very little if anything is done to curb the reproduction cycle. Strays and cruelty towards dogs are such a fact of life there that most people turn a blind eye. Horrible abuse cases such as that involving (WARNING -Graphic: ) "Thin-Necked Blackie"happen more
often than we like to think and right in the public eye.

Needless to say, the chances of survival let alone a life of happiness for a homeless dog in Taiwan is almost nil. Generally, dogs are not valued as companions and family members there as they are here. Small grassroots rescue teams in Taiwan like The Animal Rescue Team, Animals Taiwan,and Taipei Abandoned Animal Rescue Foundation work tirelessly to do what they can to give at least a small percentage of the millions of stray dogs a chance at a better life. And in the majority of cases, the only chance lies outside of Taiwan.