The Kaohsiung City Government yesterday reminded residents seeking a temporary residence for their pets when they leave town to make sure they choose pet hotels that hold legal operating permits to avoid running foul of the law.
Economic Development Bureau Director-General Liu Hsin-cheng (劉馨正) told reporters the bureau had recently issued its first fine — NT$50,000 — against a well-known pet hotel that was operating without a permit.
Liu said owners who needed to leave their pets at a pet hotel often failed to ascertain whether the hotel has a legitimate operating permit.
PHOTO: KE YU-HAO, TAIPEI TIMES
“Article 22 of the Animal Protection Act (動物保護法) requires that dog breeders or vendors or those who operate pet hotels obtain a legal permit,” Liu said.
Most of the public and businesspeople are aware that it is illegal to breed or sell dogs without a permit, but they have no idea that operating permits are also mandatory for pet hotels, Liu said.
“Therefore, it is illegal to run a private breeding dog house or provide family-style boarding services for dogs [without a permit],” Liu said.
Chu Chia-te (朱家德), director of the Kaohsiung Municipal Institute for Animal Health, said owners of pet hotels should also publicize the serial number of their operating permits when running advertisements.
Businesses that fail to follow regulations can be fined between NT$5,000 and NT$75,000, Chu said.
Sites advertising pet boarding services are becoming increasingly common on the Internet.
The National Taiwan University-run Professional Technology Temple, the nation’s largest university bulletin board system, even has a discussion board for people looking for such services.
Some service providers also run advertisements on online bidding Web sites such as Yahoo, providing family-style, cage-free boarding services at the cost of NT$100 per day.
A Taipei veterinarian is urging pet owners to avoid using insecticides around their homes, as their ingredients can be toxic to pets. Commercial-grade insecticides contain pyrethroids — organic compounds similar to natural pyrethrins, pesticides produced by flowers such as chrysanthemums — in quantities that are harmless to humans, but potentially fatal to cats and dogs, Asian Veterinary Specialist Referral Center veterinarian Chua Man-ling (蔡曼琳) said. Even in small quantities, pyrethroids are hazardous to cats, as they lack the metabolic enzymes needed to process them, Chua said. Cockroach sprays and ant traps are especially dangerous to pets as they contain boric acid, she
People should avoid eating too many zongzi (粽子, glutinous rice wrapped in bamboo leaves), as consuming several in one meal could cause indigestion, bloating, gastric acid reflux, heartburn and other stomach ailments, a doctor said on Saturday. Zongzi is a traditional delicacy for the Dragon Boat Festival, which was on Thursday. Citing a recent case as an example, Cathay General Hospital gastroenterology department head Chu Yu-ming (朱淯銘) said that a 58-year-old taxi driver surnamed Hsiao (蕭) ate meals at irregular hours due to his work and has been taking diabetes medicine for three years. Hsiao recently bought a bag of zongzi and ate
DREAMING OF TRAVEL: About 7,000 people applied for the experience, with about 60 chosen for the first flight yesterday, which includes boarding an airplane Starved of the travel experience during COVID-19? Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport) has the solution — a fake itinerary where you check in, go through passport control and security, and even board the aircraft. You just never leave. The airport yesterday began offering travelers the chance to do just that, with about 60 people eager to get going, albeit to nowhere. About 7,000 people applied to take part, with the winners chosen by random. More fake flight experiences are to take place in the coming weeks. “I really want to leave the country, but because of the pandemic, lots of flights cannot fly,”
A DEPRIVATION? The Taiwan Higher Education Union said the program, which drew much student criticism, undermined students' right to an education The Taiwan Higher Education Union on Monday accused Ming Chuan University (MCU) of sacrificing its students’ right to education by altering the English-language instruction for first-year students. The university, which has long emphasized the value that it places on English-language education, in the 2019-2020 academic year changed its English program for first-year students to a combination of self-learning through online videos and weekly lab sessions, during which students would take online tests, the union said. The change has deprived more than 3,000 students of in-person instruction and of interaction with their teachers, the union added. The online program drew much criticism from students
RSS