It has been about a week since I learned about what happened to Wang Wang.
Over the past few days, every time I come across posts about Wang Wang on Facebook, Instagram, or Threads, tears well up in my eyes without me even realizing it. I haven’t had the courage to watch any of the videos. Just reading people’s descriptions of what happened has been heartbreaking enough.
Every time I think about this little dog, who reminds me so much of my own dog, Cappu, my heart aches. I can’t stop wondering how much pain she must have endured. She was forced to live in a storm drain while doing everything she could to care for her three newborn puppies. In such a big city, there wasn’t even a small corner where she and her babies could simply exist in peace.
She should have been someone’s beloved family member—sleeping safely at home, playing without fear, and growing up surrounded by love. Instead, this tiny little soul had to fight every day just to survive while protecting and raising her three babies. The thought that she was still so young herself makes it even more heartbreaking.
This tragedy has reminded me how important both animal protection laws and compassion education truly are.
Laws can help discourage cruelty, but they alone cannot prevent tragedies like this from happening again. The real solution begins with teaching children to respect all living beings and to understand that animals can feel pain, fear, and love just as we do. When people learn empathy from a young age, they are far less likely to see harming another living creature as entertainment.
Family education also plays an essential role. From the responses reported about the children’s parents, it is difficult not to feel concerned about the values being passed down. This tragedy is not only about the loss of one innocent dog—it also reflects what can happen when children grow up without learning empathy and respect for life. When someone is unable to recognize another living being’s suffering and instead finds it amusing, it reveals a deeper problem that deserves serious attention.
Children need guidance, and parents have a responsibility to teach kindness, accountability, and respect for life. The values we teach at home shape not only our own children but also the society they will one day become part of. Many heartbreaking tragedies show warning signs long before they happen. Through better education, stronger awareness, and early intervention, perhaps some of them can be prevented.
Lastly, I want to leave these words for Wang Wang.
I hope you are no longer in pain. I hope you no longer have to worry about finding food or protecting your babies every single day. If there is another life beyond this one, I hope you are reborn into a loving family where you will always be cherished, protected, and never have to suffer again.
And if fate ever gives us the chance to meet in another lifetime, I hope you can become one of my own dogs. I promise I would spend my whole life loving and protecting you, so you would know that there are still many people in this world who truly care.
Rest in peace, Wang Wang.
Lastly, I’d like to share a photo of my own dog, Cappu, sleeping peacefully on his back. Seeing him so relaxed and feeling completely safe reminds me that this is the life every dog deserves. Looking at him has brought me a little comfort during these difficult days as I mourn for Wang Wang.
It’s been over two months since I arrived in the U.S. Now that our new life has finally settled, I want to record this unforgettable chapter — our family’s journey across the world. Bringing five dogs from Taiwan to America was truly a huge project. Forget the cost — just preparing the documents, confirming flight details, and going through all the procedures already gave me countless headaches. What kept us going was the belief that we must bring our babies home safely. After nearly 14 hours of flight and 5 more hours of driving, we finally made it to our new home in Winona, Minnesota.
Winona is a quiet small town in Minnesota with very few Asian residents. There are no direct flights from Taiwan, so in the past we usually flew Taipei → Seattle (12 hrs) → Minneapolis (3 hrs), then drove another two hours to reach my in-laws’ home.
But with five dogs, connecting flights meant unpredictable risks. After comparing many routes, we finally found the perfect option — EVA Air’s direct flight from Taipei to Chicago. Though the flight took 14 hours, it avoided all transfer issues. From Chicago, we drove another 5 hours to reach home.
Since we were traveling with five dogs, I double-checked every single document. I even made a “Pet Travel Binder” with a clear table of contents for both airline staff and U.S. customs. Each document had two copies (one original + one photocopy), so we could hand them over immediately without waiting for anyone to make copies.
必備文件清單 / Required Documents for Pet Travel to the U.S.:
🐾 寵物登記 Pet Registration
💉 狂犬病預防注射證明 Rabies Vaccination Certificate
🏥 寵物輸出健康證明 Health Certificate from Licensed Vet
🧾 輸出動物檢疫證明Veterinary Certificate for Exportof Live Animals
🇺🇸 美國 CDC 寵物登記表單 CDC Dog Import Form
🎫 狗狗機票 Pet Airfare Confirmation
🧳 航空籠與水瓶 Pet Crate & Water Bottle
看似簡單的清單，但要重複五次，真的會讓人頭昏眼花！ It looks simple, but imagine repeating this five times! It was honestly overwhelming.
You can complete pet registration by scanning your dog’s microchip at any veterinary clinic — the process is quick and simple. However, always make sure the chip can still be successfully read, as a faulty or unregistered chip could cause boarding or customs issues later.
Our 14-year-old Cocobean ran into this exact problem — her chip couldn’t be scanned! After trying several devices with no luck, we had to re-implant a new one, which thankfully only cost about NT$500. It was a small hiccup, but a good reminder to check every dog’s chip well in advance.
✳️ Tip: Visit your vet 1–2 months before departure to test all your pets’ microchips — that way you’ll have enough time to replace or update any that can’t be read properly.
The rabies vaccination must be administered at least 28 days before departure — otherwise your pet won’t meet the boarding and import requirements. Although all five of our dogs still had valid vaccinations, we decided to renew them before flying to ensure the certificates fully covered our travel dates and avoided any potential customs issues. It cost a bit extra, but it gave us peace of mind knowing everything was perfectly valid.
✳️ Tip: Keep the official rabies vaccination certificate issued by your vet — it should clearly list your pet’s microchip number, vaccination date, and the veterinarian’s signature.
We chose Ren-Ai Animal Hospital in Taipei, which has extensive experience handling international pet export procedures. The health certificate must be issued by a licensed veterinarian within 5–7 days before departure, confirming that the pet is healthy and free from infectious diseases or parasites. Once you obtain this document, bring it to the Bureau of Animal and Plant Inspection at Songshan Airport to exchange it for the official Animal Export Quarantine Certificate, which is required for your pet to board the flight.
✳️ Tip: The inspection office usually only accepts applications during regular weekday hours. It’s best to call ahead for an appointment to avoid long waits or delays caused by holidays.
The Animal Quarantine Certificate must be applied for within seven days before departure. We scheduled both the health certificate and quarantine process on the same day — in the morning at Ren-Ai Animal Hospital, and in the afternoon at the Animal and Plant Quarantine Office at Songshan Airport.
The vet at Ren-Ai kindly helped us prepare all the documents and even made the appointment in advance, so the whole process went smoothly. The only part that took longer was at the airport, where the staff needed over two hours to input all five dogs’ data — probably because we had so many! 😅
Here’s how the process went: After registering at the counter and submitting the paperwork, the staff checked each dog’s information. Then we were asked to bring each dog inside to be weighed and have its microchip verified, ensuring that every record matched.
Since EVA Air allows a maximum of two pets per passenger, we asked a friend to help bring Oatie under his name, and prepared his passport and personal seal for the paperwork.
To our surprise, the processing fee was very affordable — NT$100 per person, so for three people we only paid NT$300 total.
✳️ Tip: If you’re traveling with multiple pets, make sure to schedule your appointment early and allow plenty of waiting time at the airport — it can take longer than expected.
The CDC Dog Import Form can be completed online in about 10 minutes, and you’ll receive a confirmation email shortly after. Be sure to print the entire PDF confirmation — two of our dogs were stopped at customs because the printouts were incomplete! Thankfully, showing the email on my phone resolved the issue.
You’ll be asked to provide:
Owner’s personal details (name, address, contact info)
Each dog’s microchip number, date of birth, and vaccination record
Flight and arrival airport information
A clear copy of the rabies vaccination certificate
The process is quite simple, but make sure all documents are clear and consistent with your other paperwork, or your submission might be rejected. I recommend submitting the form 2–3 weeks before departure in case of weekends or system delays.
We flew EVA Air directly to Chicago — each flight only allows up to 5 pets, so we literally took the last available spots! 😆 Always call the airline ahead with your dogs’ weight and crate dimensions to secure their booking.
費用計算 / Fee Breakdown:
每隻寵物（含籠）32kg 內：USD 460 (two charge units)
32–45kg：需加價
超過45kg：無法托運
One pet crate weighing up to 32kg (dog + crate) costs USD 460 (2 units). If it exceeds 32kg but under 45kg, there’s an extra charge; above 45kg, it cannot be shipped.
我們家 Latte 本體 21kg，但籠子買太大（100L）又放了床墊，導致超重，只好現場多付兩單位費用，當場有點傻眼💸。 Our Latte weighs only 21kg, but his crate was huge (100L) and had a bed inside, so we went overweight — and had to pay extra on the spot 💸.
My encounter with Marshmallow actually happened before I even decided to volunteer with Jin-Wang-Wang. I first came across their post about 10 adorable puppies in Keelung looking for forever homes. The moment I saw the photos, Marshmallow and Skittles caught my eye right away.
Although I knew deep down that we had no room to adopt a fifth dog — especially since we’re planning to immigrate to the U.S. next year (and a family of two can only bring four dogs) — I still felt the urge to go meet these cuties in person. So I signed up to volunteer, just with the simple intention of helping out and seeing the pups.
My first volunteering experience was at the Yuanshan Flower Expo Market. That morning, the weather was surprisingly pleasant, and I felt lucky to meet sweet little Marshmallow (by that time, Skittles had already been adopted). I was still thrilled just to see Marshmallow in person — it made me look forward to volunteering even more.
Of course, there were many other adorable puppies at the event, but I’ll admit I had a soft spot for Marshmallow. I didn’t show it outwardly though — as a volunteer, my mission was to help all these little ones find loving homes, not to play favorites.
My second time volunteering came a week later, this time at Jianguo Flower Market. Once again, I went with a heart full of excitement, especially hoping to see Marshmallow again (and of course, all the other pups too).
To my delight, Marshmallow was actually at the adoption event this time — and even better, he was in the volunteer zone where I was assigned to care for the puppies! (My heart did a little happy dance.) Of course, I couldn’t make it too obvious, so I made sure to play with all the puppies equally. I still remember some of their names — Peach Blossom, Sweet Chestnut, and Black Lulu (who had a bit of a habit of picking fights with the others). They were all adorable in their own ways.
Being able to spend more time close to Marshmallow made me so happy… but then I noticed something troubling — he kept having diarrhea, and it looked like there was blood. Not long after, Dr. Chen (the vet Jin-Wang-Wang works with) arrived and confirmed that Marshmallow had contracted canine coronavirus and was also infected with Giardia. My heart broke for the little guy. He looked so fragile.
Toward the end of the adoption event, I overheard Meixue (the founder of Jin-Wang-Wang) talking to a paid foster about taking Marshmallow home for medical care. Without thinking twice, I immediately offered to foster him myself — I just blurted it out! (And inside, I was bursting with joy.)
And just like that, sweet little Marshmallow came to stay at my house for a while.
On the first day, I was worried about the risk of him infecting my four resident dogs, so I arranged for him to stay in our basement temporarily — thankfully, it’s spacious enough. At night, I slept downstairs with him. That’s when I realized he also had a cold, something like kennel cough. He had dry, hacking coughs that sounded like gagging but with nothing coming out — and the sound was eerily like a goose honking. It was the first time I had ever encountered something like that.
Wanting to prove to Meixue that I could be a responsible foster parent, I made sure to document everything: I sent regular photo updates, kept a record of his urination and bowel movements, his energy levels, and his appetite. Truthfully, I had already grown very fond of him — I just couldn’t help it. Sadly, despite our bond, I knew deep down that our time together would be short-lived.
Marshmallow was amazing. On his very first day at our house, he instinctively knew how to pee and poop in the right spot — no training needed. Just like my Latte when he first arrived! My admiration for Marshmallow grew even more in that moment.
On the second day, his coughing worsened. I began to feel guilty, wondering if giving him a bath that first night had made things worse. But when I brought him home, he had been scratching a lot and had a strong doggy odor — likely from being in the kennel for a while. Since I was bathing my four dogs that day anyway, I bathed him too.
Thankfully, the third day brought sunshine, so I took him to see the vet and let him stretch his legs in the park for some fresh air and sun. The vet said it was probably just a bit of bronchial inflammation from eating too quickly — nothing serious, and he’d be fine with medication. I was so relieved! Eleven years ago, when I raised my own Latte as a puppy, he was never this fragile — in fact, he was tough as a little ox. Even now at age 11, he’s still going strong.
By the fourth day, the moment I had been dreading finally arrived. Meixue messaged me the night before to let me know that, after reviewing several adoption applications, one had been approved. She asked if I could meet with the potential adopter.
As I read through the information she sent, my heart was full — I was genuinely happy that Marshmallow had found a family who seemed perfect for him. His road to happiness was just around the corner. But at the same time, I couldn’t help but feel a little sad. Our time together had been so short… and now it was almost time to say goodbye.
Still, I reminded myself: this is what fostering is about. I had to learn to let go.
On the fifth day, I had come to terms with it emotionally and was truly, sincerely happy for Marshmallow. But his health issues still lingered — his coughing and bloody diarrhea hadn’t improved. At a follow-up vet visit, we weighed him: only 2.14 kg. That shocked me. Out of curiosity, I reached out to other fosters who had adopted his siblings from the same litter — one pup had already grown to 5 kg! (What were they feeding him — super kibble? 😆)
In the days that followed, I also noticed Marshmallow’s back legs were a bit wobbly. After checking with others, I learned it could be due to malnutrition during his illness — his tiny body simply hadn’t been absorbing enough nutrients. It broke my heart to see him like that.
That evening, even though it was drizzling outside, I didn’t hesitate. I headed out immediately to buy him a tube of nutritional paste — anything to help his frail little body get stronger.
A Flicker of Recovery — and a Gentle Reminder of Love
On the eleventh day of fostering, Marshmallow’s poop had finally solidified — no more blood, no more watery mess. That alone felt like a huge victory. His cough still lingered, but there was definite improvement. I continued giving him medication for both Giardia and the cough, but deep down I couldn’t help comparing him to Latte, who was also a tiny pup 11 years ago. Latte had never been this frail. What was going on with Marshmallow’s little body? I worried about him constantly.
On the twelfth day, his cough had finally cleared up completely, and his poop was in perfect shape — such a relief! Even though his new mom was scheduled to take over soon, I still wanted to be 100% sure he was fully recovered. I decided I would take him for a full check-up at the vet the next morning.
That day also happened to mark the two-year anniversary of when my beloved Mocha became an angel. I brought Marshmallow with me to Dog’s Footprint (狗腳印), a place that holds deep meaning for us. I found myself silently hoping that next year, when we return to the U.S., we’ll be able to bring a Golden Retriever or a Border Collie mix like Leilei with us — a way to pass on the love I’ll always have for Mocha to another dog in need.
While we were there, I happened to spot a golden retriever named Sam, sitting weakly on a chair. His frail frame and tired eyes made me think he must be very old. But when I checked online, I was shocked to find out he was only seven or eight years old. Mocha didn’t look nearly that worn out when I first adopted her. What on earth had Sam been through to end up like this?
My heart broke for him. Whatever had happened, no dog deserved to be in such a state.
On the thirteenth day of fostering, I packed up a fresh sample of Marshmallow’s morning poop right after breakfast and headed to the clinic. To test for Giardia, a fresh stool sample is essential. At the clinic, the vet placed the sample under a microscope to look for any remaining parasites. We also ran tests for both parvovirus and coronavirus — just to be safe.
Thankfully, all the results came back clear. Marshmallow had finally recovered completely!
It was such a relief — not just for him, but also for me. I no longer had to keep my four resident dogs separated from him. I had been so anxious the whole time, worrying that his Giardia or coronavirus might spread to them, even though they were all fully vaccinated.
By the fourteenth day, I noticed some progress in his weak hind legs. He seemed a bit more stable than before. I realized that during his illness, he had likely spent a lot of time lying down to rest, which may have made his back legs a little underused and sluggish. He didn’t like to walk much — unless he couldn’t see me and would cry while searching, or when he wanted to play with my four pups. Otherwise, he’d prefer to sit or lie down whenever possible.
So, whenever the weather was nice, I’d take him out with my pack for some gentle walks — hoping to help him regain strength and confidence, step by step.
The sixteenth day marked my last night with Marshmallow.
My heart was filled with a swirl of emotions — I was genuinely happy that he had found a loving forever home, but I couldn’t help the deep sadness that came with saying goodbye. Just like every night over the past two weeks, I held him close as we drifted off to sleep — one last time.
On the morning of the seventeenth day, I took Marshmallow and my four dogs out for a walk together and snapped a few final photos. Although Cappuccino and Latte were their usual grumpy selves toward the little one, I was incredibly grateful for Hazelnut and Cocobean — two sweethearts full of maternal love. Hazelnut kept Marshmallow company during playtime, while Cocobean snuggled with him during naps.
At 11 a.m., Marshmallow’s new mom arrived, right on time, to take him home. And just like that, my very first foster journey had come to a successful end.
As soon as I returned home, I cried — of course I did. But I reminded myself: no goodbyes are forever, and every beginning starts with a farewell. I will always carry Marshmallow in my heart. I truly wish this little bundle of joy who briefly lit up my life nothing but a lifetime of happiness.
🐶💕拿鐵有個超級小粉絲——就是小來福！ 每次我們出門散步，只要鐵鐵一出現，小來福就會立刻啟動「跟屁蟲模式」一路跟前跟後，甚至跟到我們回家！😂 小來福是一隻大約2歲的馬爾濟斯，是住在公園附近的阿婆飼養的乖寶貝。阿婆常常讓他無牽繩自由跑跳，雖然看他開心，我心裡還是會有點擔心他走丟，或者遇到不友善的狗狗。 🐶💕 Latte has a little fan—and his name is Lai Fu! Every time we go out for a walk, the moment Latte appears, Lai Fu turns into his little shadow. He follows us everywhere, sometimes even all the way home! 😂 Lai Fu is a two-year-old Maltese who lives near the park with an elderly lady. She often lets him roam freely without a leash. While it’s sweet to see him so happy, I can’t help but worry he might get lost or run into a not-so-friendly dog.
Chalk&Paw 