Yilan man charts unexpected path to ‘Olympics of Dog Sports’
Yilan man charts unexpected path to ‘Olympics of Dog Sports’
2023-11-19
This September, Eli the Belgian Shepherd made a triumphant debut at the "Olympics of Dog Sports," the FCI-IGP World Championship in Slovenia. But behind this four-legged champion is an even more remarkable story, that of his trainer Wu Chien-hsing. Wu is not a professional dog handler by any means. He runs a small guesthouse in Yilan, and he didn’t especially like dogs as a younger man. But in 2009, his life was forever changed by a stray dog. Today in our Sunday special report, we bring you a heartwarming tale of friendship, commitment, and an unlikely journey to the global stage.
Ms. Luo is at the airport bright and early. She’s here not for a celebrity but for Eli the Belgian Shepherd, who’s returning from an international competition.
In September, Eli and his owner Wu Chien-hsing traveled to Slovenia to compete in the FCI-IGP World Championship, where they won a medal.
Hailed as the Olympics of Dog Sports, the FCI-IGP World Championship is made up of three trials: tracking, obedience, and protection. If a dog fails to score at least 70 points in any one trial, it is eliminated.
Wu Chien-hsing
Dog handler
Especially with the test of chasing after an escaping suspect – other dogs might need to take five or seven steps before chasing him down and apprehending him. But my dog doesn’t. My dog can do it in just three steps. So the audience was amazed. They were amazed at how fast my dog could apprehend a suspect.
This was Eli’s first-ever appearance on the global stage, and Wu is not a professional trainer. He runs a small guesthouse in Yilan County.
Wu has managed the guesthouse for over a decade now. As a young man, he wasn’t especially fond of dogs and had never owned one of his own. But in 2009, he and his now-fiancée found a stray on the street. That was how Latte came into Wu’s life, changing it forever.
Wu Chien-hsing
Dog handler
We picked her up in Jiaosi. She was very weak and sickly. She had so many diseases, and we treated them, spending four months and NT$40,000, NT$50,000. After that, she was living a good life, and so we started to do some things with her to give back to the community.
Wu got Latte certified as a therapy dog. Together, they went to social welfare organizations and long-term care centers to bring joy to children and the elderly.
Wu Chien-hsing
Dog handler
My dog, she led me into the world of dogs. The second thing is, she was very smart. I even taught her to speak. She could say, “I love you.”
But all dogs die too soon. Latte passed away in 2017, leaving her family heartbroken. To heal his grief, Wu began using his guesthouse as a foster home for small strays. He quickly realized that not all dogs were as easy as his beloved Latte.
Penny Chang
Wu Chien-hsing’s fiancée
We took in a dog that had behavioral issues. We ourselves got hurt. We wanted to rehabilitate it so that it could be adopted. Naturally we didn’t want the dog to get adopted and then be returned immediately.
To give each dog its best chance at a new family, Wu ventured into the world of dog training.
Every week, he went to a canine training school in Sanxia, New Taipei. He started out with basic pet training. After getting certified, he moved on to specialized fields like rescue and police dog training.
Kevin
Canine training school instructor
At the time, Eli hadn’t been born yet. We assigned to him a “dog assistant,” a dog that was already well-trained. The point wasn’t for the dog to be trained, but for Chien-hsing to be trained. The dog trained him.
Wu Chien-hsing
Dog handler
I had a Belgian Malinois named A, a big strong dog. At the time I felt that whenever A was on a leash, it was like trying to control a bull. I couldn’t do it. The dog weighed 40-something kilograms and walked on my left, so of course I held the leash in my left hand. Once time after a day at the school, I couldn’t even lift my left arm.
Wu pushed on, weathering scrapes and bruises. To better understand dogs, he would even fall to the ground to imitate their movements.
Wu Chien-hsing
Dog handler
You have to know how your dog feels and how difficult a task is for them. Instead of whipping them or punishing them or criticizing them, you have to guide them to accomplish a task.
Using praise, not censure, Wu hit his stride in dog training. But then tragedy struck again when his faithful “dog assistant” died suddenly from a heart attack.
Penny Chang
Wu Chien-hsing’s fiancée
I saw that he was deeply distressed. It was the first time I’d seen him cry. He just held the dog and sobbed. Because that dog was truly exceptional. And it wasn’t old. It died so abruptly. I felt that he needed to do something to overcome his sorrow. He later asked if he could have a dog of his own, and that’s how we got Eli.
As a puppy, Eli’s lively spirit brought Wu back from his grief, renewing his enthusiasm for dog training.
Starting from two months old, Eli was trained for at least two hours a day. During scent detection exercises, Wu would hide three objects in a space as big as a soccer field, and ask Eli to track them down within 15 minutes.
Shen Chi-tung
Canine training school head
Eli is special because he has tremendous focus, tremendous power. His movements are extremely quick and precise.
The training school saw Eli’s innate talent. Wu was encouraged to take Eli to qualifiers for a shot at competing internationally. A lot of work goes into qualifying for the global stage. The dog must first pass basic, junior, intermediate, and advanced certification tests in Taiwan. It must also win a national championship.
Penny Chang
Wu Chien-hsing’s fiancée
At the time I thought, “Yeah right. There’s no way we could go abroad to compete.” But he really did work hard, and Eli was truly extraordinary. So I told him, “It’s OK, no matter how much time, effort, or money it takes, I will support you.” Because I think it’s a really special thing when someone has a dream and chases it, step by step. It’s such a rare thing to see.
In pursuit of his dreams, Wu spent two years competing with Eli in events big and small. And then, at a national competition, he defeated a professional trainer to claim the title and a spot in a global tournament.
But the journey to the event had its own hurdles. On his first overseas flight, 4-year-old Eli was confined to the cargo hold for 12 hours. Upon arrival at Vienna, Eli endured a six-hour drive to the competition site in Slovenia. Perhaps due to the stress of travel, Eli began to lose his fur, developing a bald patch.
Penny Chang
Wu Chien-hsing’s fiancée
When I saw it I thought, “It’s stress.” There was nothing to be done. He was on a long flight. And he wasn’t used to being confined in isolation.
In the days before the competition, Wu fell ill on the training field, after hours of training under the hot sun and intermittent rain.
Wu Chien-hsing
Dog handler
During a training session, I began to vomit profusely. I was like a fire hydrant. My vomiting frightened the other handlers, who were so concerned.
But the setbacks took the pressure off the big day. During the competition itself, Wu and Eli worked the field in complete harmony.
Eli sailed through the tracking, obedience, and protection trials, earning high scores of 77, 70, and 80. Elated from their success on the field, Wu found the courage to propose to his girlfriend of 15 years.
He won not just a medal, but also the hand of his beloved. But for Wu, the journey isn’t over. He plans to take Eli to more competitions and see the world. He also wants to keep giving back to society.
Penny Chang
Wu Chien-hsing’s fiancée
We offer courses to volunteers at shelters. We also go to the homes of dog owners to work with their dogs, free of charge.
Wu Chien-hsing
Dog handler
I want to offer classes. It’s not just about me and my dog. Because Eli has a bit of fame now, people want to see him, they want to pet him. They say, “Your dog is so impressive, can my dog be like that?” And I say, “Of course!” While not every dog can go overseas to compete, every dog can be as happy as Eli is and share the same bond with its owner and live each day in comfort and ease.
Wu wants to share Eli with the world, to help other dog owners solve hard problems. And with Eli at his side, Wu hopes to help more stray dogs find their forever homes.
For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Sun to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53
汪汪隊的奪牌之旅
2023-11-19
9月初，在東歐斯洛維尼亞也有一場狗狗的世界盃犬運動比賽，代表我國參賽的是4歲1個月大的比利時牧羊犬Eli、跟牠的主人─訓犬師吳建興。他們在39個國家代表隊、170多隻狗狗選手的激烈競爭下，順利過關斬將，獲得認證獎牌。Eli精彩的表現，讓人很難想像，牠其實其是第一次參加國際比賽，而主人吳建興更只是本業為民宿老闆的業餘訓犬師。一起來看他們的奪牌故事。
羅小姐大清早來到桃園機場接機，等的不是明星，而是出國比賽回台灣的比利時牧羊犬Eli。
九月初，Eli跟主人訓犬師吳建興，代表台灣遠赴歐洲的斯洛維尼亞，參加FCI-IGP世界盃犬運動比賽，順利取得過關獎牌。
這個號稱狗狗界奧林匹克的競賽，共分為三大關卡，追蹤、服從與防衛警戒，只要其中一關沒達到標準70分，就會被淘汰出局。
[[訓犬師 吳建興]]
“尤其是像壞人要逃跑的時候，人家可能是五步、七步才咬上去，才撂倒他 ，或者是阻止他，我的狗不是，我的狗是三步就咬到他，所以觀眾會驚訝，怎麼這麼快就撂倒壞人”
實際上，這是他們頭一回站上國際舞台，而吳建興更非職業級訓犬師，他的本業，是在宜蘭開民宿的老闆。
吳建興經營民宿十多年，其實他年輕時並非愛狗人士，也從沒養過狗，直到2009年，他和未婚妻珮珮，在路邊撿到流浪犬「拿鐵」後，一腳踏進狗狗的世界。
[[訓犬師 吳建興]]
“我一開始是在礁溪那邊撿到牠，牠很瘦弱，體弱多病，很多病我們把牠醫好了，花了四個月時間，也花四、五萬塊，牠生活得很好，所以我們就去做一些，回饋社會的工作”
吳建興帶著「拿鐵」，考取狗醫生與治療犬的證照後，一起到家扶、長照中心服務，療癒幼童與老人的身心靈。
[[訓犬師 吳建興]]
“我的狗，牠帶領我走入這個狗世界，第二個牠又很聰明，我也特地訓練牠說話，所以牠會跟你說我愛你”
無奈好景不常，2017年愛犬「拿鐵」驟逝，吳建興悲痛萬分，但在療傷後，他化悲憤為力量，將民宿打造成小型流浪動物中途之家，這也才發現，原來並非每隻寵物，都像「拿鐵」一樣受教。
[[吳建興未婚妻 張珮珮]]
“其實一開始我們認養一隻狗，牠有些行為上的問題，我們自己也有受傷，我想要把牠教到可以送養的這種狀態，當然不會希望說，你送出去，馬上就被退回來”
希望每一隻被棄養的狗狗，都能得到下一次被領養的機會，吳建興決定走向「訓犬」的領域。
他每周到三峽的訓犬學校上課，從一般家庭犬訓練起，順利取得證照後，再進階訓練，像是搜救，警犬這類的工作犬。
[[訓犬學校咬捕手Kevin]]
“那時候Eli還沒出生，我們會給他所謂的助教犬，就是我們已經教好的狗，讓他來帶，不是狗要學習，是建興要學習，先讓狗來帶他”
[[訓犬師 吳建興]]
“有一隻比利時狼犬A，A這隻狗牠很壯，很大，有時候我覺得，我在牽著牠的時候，很像一條牛一樣，我是拉不動，牠有40幾公斤，牠走我左邊，當然我用左手牽牠，所以我這左手臂有一度是舉不起來”
受傷、跌倒是家常便飯，吳建興為了更了解狗狗，甚至直接趴在地上，模仿並感受牠們的動作。
[[訓犬師 吳建興]]
“你要了解你狗的心情，跟那個難度有多高，所以我們應該不是用鞭屍或是修理牠，責難牠，應該用引導牠的方式，去完成一項工作”
用鼓勵代替責難，吳建興逐漸練出心得，熟料某天卻傳出噩耗，他帶的狗狗，突然因為心臟問題猝逝。
[[吳建興未婚妻 張珮珮]]
“我看到他那個時候，他其實很難過，我第一次看到他痛哭，就抱著那隻狗狗痛哭，因為那隻狗狗，是真的是非常優秀的，而且牠年紀不大，就這樣走了。我覺得他那個檻，一定要讓他跨過去，後來他就跟我講說，我可不可以擁有一隻自己的狗狗，所以才會有Eli的出現”
小時候的Eli活潑奔放，讓一度難過到想放棄訓犬的吳建興，重拾熱情。
從Eli二個月大時開始栽培，每天至少訓練兩到三個小時。在進行氣味追蹤訓練時，吳建興會在如同足球場般大的場地，放置三個遺留物，要求Eli在十五分鐘內找到。
[[警犬學校校長 沈啟東]]
“牠的特性就是，牠很專注，很有Power，很有能量，在做出來的動作，非常迅速確實”
校方認為，Eli相當有天分，因此希望牠參加測試，進而走上國際舞台，問題是，要參加世界盃比賽並不容易，得在台灣先通過基礎、初、中高階的認證，並贏得國內冠軍後才能出國角逐。
[[吳建興未婚妻 張珮珮]]
“我那時候就覺得怎麼可能，可以去到國外比賽，後來他真的很努力，而且Eli也很優秀，我就告訴他說，沒關係，不管花多少時間、精力、金錢，我都願意陪你去，因為我覺得很難得，人有夢想，而且他是一步一步的去完成它，其實很難”
人因夢想而偉大，因實踐夢想而不凡，吳建興在兩年內與Eli完成大小賽事，最後打敗職業選手，奪得出國競賽的門票。
然而，這趟旅程困難重重，四歲大的Eli第一次出國，航空公司規定，牠僅能坐在貨艙，在連續十二個小時的飛行後，到了維也納，還必須拉車六小時才能抵達比賽會場斯洛維尼亞，或許是首次出國適應不良，Eli開始掉毛，還禿了一大塊。
[[吳建興未婚妻 張珮珮]]
“一看到我就覺得，壓力，沒辦法，牠就是長時間的飛行，牠其實很少被關在一個單獨的地方”
吳建興在賽前幾天，戶外練習時，也因為受不了連日高溫與間歇性大雨，身體出現狀況。
[[訓犬師 吳建興]]
“在練習當中就整個狂吐，吐出來就像消防栓一樣，這樣噴出來，同行在一起練習的夥伴們嚇到，以為會發生什麼事”
但這一波折，似乎把壓力全宣洩出來，到了比賽當天他們展現絕佳默契。
Eli在追蹤、服從、防衛警戒這三大項目中，分別獲得77、70與80分的佳績，也因為順利過關，吳建興終於有勇氣，當場跟愛情長跑十五年的珮珮求婚。
不僅拿下過關獎牌，也抱得美人歸，對吳建興來說，這趟旅程未完待續，他將繼續帶領Eli參賽，走向世界殿堂，同時也沒忘記初衷，要跟Eli一起回饋社會。
[[吳建興未婚妻 張珮珮]]
“收容所的部分，我們有一些課程，是過去教一些志工的。我們都會願意去到案主的家庭，去幫他訓練這隻狗狗，完全不收費用的”
[[訓犬師 吳建興]]
“我可以幫忙大家開一些課，而不只有我跟我的狗而已，因為牠會有一點小名氣，人家會想要來看牠，會想要來摸他，你的狗為什麼那麼厲害，我的狗可不可以，當然也可以，牠不一定要像牠一樣去比賽，可是牠可以跟牠一樣的快樂，跟主人一樣互動很好，每天都是非常的健康自在”
日後Eli將成為狗狗導師，替其他狗主人分憂解惑，未來，吳建興會帶著Eli勇往直前，也幫助更多流浪犬，找到新的歸宿。
更多新聞內容，請鎖定：
民視台灣台（152頻道）週日至週五晚上9:30
民視新聞台（53頻道）週二至週六凌晨1:00
Related News
