A breed of dog that almost disappeared from Japan years ago is very popular in Taiwan.

The breed is known as the Shiba Inu. Owners of the dog say its size and behavior make it a good choice for people living in apartment buildings in busy cities.

Taiwan's Council of Agriculture says it does not keep records of how many Shiba Inus live on the island. However, one dog breeder sells four Shiba Inu puppies each month. A group for people who own the breed has about 60 members. The dogs are a common sight in parks and other open spaces in the capital, Taipei.

Lee Yu-tsung owns a pet store in the city of Taichung. He has a lot of praise for the Shiba Inu.

"They're easy to raise and their overall quality is strong," Lee said.

The Shiba Inu and other Shiba breeds have been popular in Japan since ancient times. Japanese tribes used them to hunt large and small animals.

But the American Kennel Club, a group for dog owners and breeders, notes that nearly all of Japan's Shiba Inu died off during World War II. Many were killed in bombing raids. Others died from distemper, a viral infection that can spread quickly among dogs.

The kennel club said that after the war, breeding programs helped increase the umber of Shiba Inu in Japan, where many now serve as "companion dogs."

The Shiba Inu is now considered a national treasure.

The Taiwan Shiba Inu Club reports that the dog breed started becoming popular on the island about five years ago. Lee Yu-tsung says the dogs are good-natured, do not have a strong smell, and are generally healthy. He said he sells puppies for between $390 and $820.

The Shiba's size also works well in Taiwanese apartment homes because they are smaller than a fully grown hunting dog, Lee noted. Larger apartments often house three generations of a family, leaving little room for a big dog. Couples may only have a small living space. The dogs rarely make noise, he added, reducing the risk of objections from neighbors.

"Because it's a smaller to medium-sized dog, basically the space where they're raised doesn't need to be very big, so this breed of dog therefore is quite suitable for keeping in the cities," Lee said.

The Shiba Inu is sometimes described as a cat-like dog. In other words, it is more independent and easier to care for than other breeds. The dogs are often compared to foxes because of their size and pointy ears.

在台灣非常流行一種狗，但幾年前卻差點在日本絕跡。

這種狗叫做「柴犬」。不少柴犬飼主表示，其體型和行為使牠很適合繁忙都市裡的公寓住戶飼養。

台灣農委會表示他們並未記錄全島有多少柴犬，但每名寵物養殖業者每個月會賣出四隻幼犬。有一個柴犬飼主團體大約有60名成員。柴犬在首都台北的公園和空地上也常常能看到。

李裕聰在台中市經營一家寵物店，他對柴犬讚不絕口。

「牠們容易飼養，整體素質也很強。」李裕聰說。

在日本，柴犬和其他柴犬品種自古以來就很受歡迎，日本的部落會用柴犬來獵捕大大小小的動物。

不過，飼主和養殖業者團體「美國犬種協會」指出，日本的柴犬在二戰期間幾乎全部死光。很多在空襲中喪生，其他則死於能在狗群中迅速傳播的犬瘟熱病毒感染。

美國犬種協會表示，戰後的育種計畫有效增加了柴犬在日本的數量，有很多柴犬現在在日本都是「陪伴犬」。

柴犬如今被當作國寶。

據台灣柴犬俱樂部報導，柴犬約五年前開始在台灣流行起來。李裕聰表示，這種狗個性好、狗味不重，通常都很健康。他表示，他的幼犬售價在390至820美元之間。

李裕聰指出，柴犬體型比成年獵犬還小，也很適合台灣的公寓住宅。台灣較大的公寓通常是三代同堂，沒有太多空間可養大型狗；而夫妻或情侶的生活空間可能很小。他又補充道，柴犬很少吵鬧，遭鄰居抗議的風險較低。

李裕聰表示：「因為柴犬是中小型犬，基本上飼養空間不用很大，所以這個犬種很適合在城市裡飼養。」

柴犬有時候會被形容是「像貓的狗」，也就是比起其他品種的狗更獨立，也更容易照顧。柴犬常常被拿來跟狐狸做比較，因為牠們的體型相仿，也都有尖尖的耳朵。