The Taipei City Government plans to enact laws to protect pets by requiring ample living space and proper food, a newspaper said yesterday.
The Taipei Municipal Institute for Animal Health is drafting the bill on raising pets, which would become effective if passed by the Taipei City Council, the Chinese-language United Daily News said.
The bill, based on a similar bill adopted in Japan, would set specific requirements for raising pets — including living space requirements and the proper food and drink — and outline penalties for violations.
“The regulations will start with rules on raising dogs and cats, and later be expanded to other pets,” Yen Yi-feng (嚴一峰), director of the institute, was quoted as saying.
“We will invite conservation experts, veterinarians and academics to design rules like how much time a dog owner should spend walking the dog, and what is the proper food and drink for the pet,” he said.
The institute plans to print a guide for pet owners, he said.
The city is also planning to order owners of particularly fierce canines to buy liability insurance after a wave of reports of dog attacks on people, an official said.
The proposed regulation will only affect certain breeds of dogs such as Tibetan mastiffs, an institute official said.
“As Taipei is a populous city, we need stricter rules,” the official said.
About 129,000 dogs and cats have been registered with the institute, accounting for 82 percent of the dogs and cats in Taipei.
However, there are tens of thousands of stray dogs and cats on Taipei streets.
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