An Important Notice in Reference to BARK the Dudes and You.

To whom it may concern...

Please take the time to read the original message if you have not already.

I'm bringing this back up as a result of the overwhelming amount of
phone calls I receive from foreigners who make their intentions clear
to "put their pets to sleep" if they can not find homes for them
before they have to leave Taiwan.

Firstly, all of us with BARK are animal lovers. That's no secret, and
naturally, we do not appreciate phone calls from people who threaten
to kill their pets if we do not help them; if we do not take
responsibility for their pet upon their departure from Taiwan.

Secondly, we do not believe nor support putting animals to sleep.
Besides, that is just a fancy way to tip toe around the harsh reality
that "putting a pet to sleep" is nothing short of killing your pet.
After all, going to sleep entails that one would later wake up...

This dog will wake up:

Mind you, he's a homeless dog...

Thirdly, we see animals in need daily, and I'm sure most of you
witness the same just about every day, too. This said, if we have the
choice between saving your pet because you are considering killing
him/her, or helping a sick stray, the choice is rather simple, and as
mentioned, sick strays are abundant.

It doesn't really matter if you purchased a pet from a pet store, or
if you rescued your pet. The bottom line is that owning a pet should
be for life.

That being said, we do understand that in some cases, foreigners do
face extenuating circumstances which leaves them little choice but to
leave their four-legged friends behind. However, in most cases it's
just irresponsible pet ownership. We all know that. Few people are
willing to fork out money and go through all the paper work in order
to bring their pets "home" with them.

To conclude, I have some advice for you. Please remember that your
stay in Taiwan will less than likely exceed the lifespan of your pet.
Think before you buy a pet. Are you willing and capable of assuming
responsibility for an animal considering the cost and efforts involved
in taking an animal back to your home country? If not, then maybe you should not buy a pet. Rescue an animal instead and do not consider it your "own" pet. Look at it as if you are just helping an animal in Taiwan and post the animal up for adoption as soon as it is healthy and ready to be re-homed.

It can take over a year to find a home for a fully grown adult mutt.
Although you may not realize it, to wait until a few months prior to
your departure to start looking for a new home for an animal you
rescued can, and most likely will not work out. So if you choose to
help a stray, I say good on you, but do not adopt it unless you are
sure that you will bring that animal home with you. Re-home "your" pet ASAP, and if it works out, then you can always rescue another one if you like to have a pet at home.

In other words, if you own a pet but do not plan to bring it home with
you, then start trying to find it a home at least a year before your
departure and be willing to part with your friend early instead of
ending up thinking about killing it because you love him/her so much
and you would not want to see him/her go back on the street. Do your best to find your pet a home as you would if you had to be on a plane tomorrow.

And remember, you can always foster one of our pets. It’s a great alternative for transient foreigners.

If you need help and information to re-home an animal, do not hesitate to contact us. We can help. We also have heaps of solid information about taking animals to many countries such as Canada, England, Australia, South Africa, and more. It's really not that difficult, by
the way, and it's not THAT costly.

Best regards,

Chris
Co-Founder
BARK