When you enter the Bali shelter, there is almost no odor from the semi-open corrugated-steel enclosures where the dogs live. Three times each day, keepers inspect and clean the enclosures, so you rarely see any dog feces anywhere. When a stranger comes in, dogs large and small, wagging their tails, start barking frantically. Only the "old veterans" are used to this kind of thing, and just keep lying where they are in the sunshine. Because the canines are regularly shorn, their fur is smooth and glossy. All the dogs live in "co-ed dorms" (they have all been spayed) except for newcomers, sick dogs, and those in training, who get single or double "studio apartments."

Affinity tests that have one end...

Which is really man's best friend?

Each enclosure has a large basin that is periodically refilled with dog food, so the dogs rarely fight over kibble. It's just that stray dogs who come from all over don't necessarily know how to get on socially with strangers, so to avoid fighting, the enclosures have small elevated platforms to serve as "demilitarized zones."

All the dogs here have been through tests to judge their affinity for human relationships, and only about 30% are deemed ready to leave the shelter on "outings" with sponsors or to be permanently adopted. Some sponsors have never seen so many dogs in their life, and become anxious and frightened on "family visits," so a staff member will take them up on to the flat roof of the enclosure to see the "animal show."

When you look closely, most of the dogs here have a happy, satisfied expression. One exception is "Scarface," known for the "murderous" look in his eye. Scarface will bite people, and even his bark is frightful. Yet even he has a sponsor, who happens to be the well-known film director Deng Anning.

What's this, two pigs in a doghouse?! "Fifi" was brought in as a cute little miniature pig, but is now a fat old fogy. The other, "Lil' Porker," was brought here from a veterinarian when she was only two months old. The story seems to be that her owner was a small boy whose father threatened to "walk out on the family" if a pig were raised in the house, causing Lil' Porker to be abandoned. Now she's so fat she can't get out of the doghouse, and just sits with her butt facing the dogs, who in turn don't make any effort to encroach on the space of the pigs.

With soulful, innocent eyes, Xiaobai, a dog at the Bali dog shelter, awaits the next time her adoptive owner comes to take her out to play.

Bitter tears of stray dogs Need more love to dry

Each dog here has its own heartrending story. Shelter staffer Ms Sun points to two sisters, "Banana" and "Little Yeller," and says that they used to live in the mountains, where they were fed from time to time by a kind-hearted but poor woman. Later the old woman became seriously ill, and the dogs were on their own. By the time they got to the shelter, Little Yeller had skin disease, with patches of mange all over her body (so she picked up the nickname of "Topographical Map Girl"), while Banana was a nice dog but terribly timid. But after becoming the roommate of a Lab with cataracts called "Old Treasure," Banana began looking after Old Treasure and became more outgoing and upbeat, even playing with people.

An elderly Chiba named Maomao, who can no longer move around very well, is the only dog in the place with an international data chip and is therefore the only one able to leave the country. The owner, a Canadian, wanted to take the dog back home, but his landlord in Canada told him he couldn't have a dog. He couldn't face having Maomao euthanized, so he took him to the APA shelter.

Volunteer worker "Brother Pei" is a Taiwanese businessman working in mainland China. He comes back to Taiwan only once every four months, but never fails to report for duty at the shelter when he does. Brother Pei loves big dogs, but he lives in an apartment building and his building committee won't let him keep any such dogs. "So I just shift my love for dogs to here!"

Of the more than 500 dogs at the center, Brother Pei can identify at least 100 by name. The reason he loves to come here to watch and play with the dogs is that "there are always surprises when you interact, and for every unit of kindness you show to them, they pay you back with ten!" He adds that previously his understanding of dogs was limited to "companionship," but after going through the dog training course he now "communicates" with them, a change in attitude that he has even applied to his human interactions.

"To love them means you have to try to understand them," says Brother Pei. For example, it often occurs that dogs eat feces and seem "impervious" to change. Some dogs just seem to like the taste, with the feces of humans-who enjoy a rich and varied diet-a real "delicacy." If at such times the owner merely gets all excited, the dog will think the owner is happy, and will be encouraged. The correct response is to keep a level tone of voice and turn the dog's attention elsewhere, such as by taking out a toy to catch his eye, and to reward the dog when it resists temptation.

Then there are dogs that eat feces out of anxiety. For example, if a dog has been punished for defecating where it should not, thereafter the first thing it will think of after defecating is to "get rid of the evidence." At times like this the owner should quietly praise the dog after it defecates in the right place, then use a toy or snack to attract its attention, in order to gradually eliminate the excessive anxiety the dog feels about feces.

"Dog addict" Brother Pei keeps dog food in his car at all times for whenever he might spot a hungry stray. Once he saw a puppy that was shaking, his body covered with skin disease. After examination, shots, and de-flea-ification, the dog-named Dingding-was settled at the center. Within a couple of months Dingding had grown into a beautiful dog, even participating in a "Pets Celebrate the New Year" event. Finally he struck the fancy of a mother and daughter who applied at once to adopt him for life. Brother Pei kept track of Dingding for over a year after that, and found that the dog continued to be happy and well behaved; it is now living a very contented existence, a radical change in fate.

Games, not tricks Behavioral learning that sticks

Dog training is one of the core activities at the shelter. The goal is not to teach dogs to do tricks, but to "play games" that create ingrained improvements in the dog's behavior. Staff member Wu Ming-chine relates that stray dogs have had their fill of abuse and pain, and are usually timid and fearful. Therefore the best approach is to interact with them by playing with toys, throwing balls for them to chase, and so on, until they lower their defenses, at which point you can start from scratch to cultivate in them a sense of trust and affection for humans. After training, some dogs even master the "etiquette" of eating, riding in cars, or even lining up to wait for crossing lights when they go out in a group. When they go with their owner into a fast food restaurant, they can even sit for two hours watching people eat fried chicken without getting agitated.

Early on Saturday morning, before training class begins, Wu Ming-chine washes and massages "Little Obedient" and takes him out to dry in the sunshine. Little Obedient used to be one of the shelter's headache dogs, earning the moniker "Little Gangster." He never did as he was told and was ready to fight at the drop of a hat. Ming-chine began calling him "Little Obedient" in hopes that a different name would improve his behavior.

Following the trainer's commands, LO responds to "lie down," and Ming-chine praises him loudly "Wow, that's great!" while the dog happily looks around, moves his ears, and wags his tail. Even walking is a skill to master. With one command from the trainer, Little Obedient lives up to his name and "does what Mommy tells him," walking in little steps right alongside Ming-chine. But what happens to LO when Mommy is ringing up her purchase in the 7-Eleven? Just look at him sitting quietly and patiently. A beefstick appears before his face? A lot of dogs, in the absence of any commands from master, will grab it and run far away, but LO turns his head away to do everything he can to distance himself from temptation, looking the very model of good breeding.

Stray dog, what do you want? How about a lifetime home...

Little Obedient's progress makes Ming-chine aware of her own shortcomings. Stubbornly sticking to methods of her own devising, she had never managed to make LO genuinely willing to follow directions. Then, after a month of professional training, when the trainer told LO to "go find Mommy," the dog "didn't come looking for me!" says Ming-chine with a sigh. She felt deeply saddened and it was quite a blow to her. "It turns out he wasn't happy to be with me at all!"

Ming-chine began to reflect on the way she had been interacting with LO. She discovered that she had repressed him in many ways, demanding too much of him, and was overprotective, so that LO didn't dare try things and couldn't express himself naturally. LO simply "pretended" to wag his tail and be happy when he saw Ming-chine, but in fact was not genuinely interested.

After realizing these things, Ming-chine began to spend time talking to Little Obedient and playing games with him, praising him whenever she sensed even a small amount of progress, with the result that LO began to improve rapidly. At the same time, she observed a change in herself, no longer only finding fault with people but also taking notice of the feelings and efforts of others.

Ming-chine says that right now most of the dogs at the shelter are medium or big dogs, so there is little chance of them being adopted for life. But the sponsors under the "You adopt them and we'll take care of them" program don't care about looks. Even buck-toothed, color-faded old hounds have sponsors. It's just that in such cases the sponsors have to be psychologically prepared because such dogs may fall ill and die, so you are more likely to receive "funerary notices" for such dogs.

One of the shelter's "future stars," a Labrador named "Arnold," fell ill and died just last month from poisoned feed. Not only did he have a full complement of sponsors, there was a possibility that he could have been "promoted" to become a search-and-rescue K9. Just as the APA was preparing to launch a blog featuring Arnold in the leading role, Arnold fell ill and died, leaving everyone in tears.

Brother Pei, who was with Arnold right at the end, still cannot speak about it without his eyes getting red-rimmed. But the peaceful, clear look in Arnold's eyes before he passed away seemed to be saying: "Don't be sad, I am content." Thinking of Arnold having died surrounded by those who loved him most, Brother Pei feels a little less sad. After all, allowing every dog at the center to feel happy right up to the last minute of life is really what the shelter is all about.