A puppy mill in Yunlin County has voluntarily transferred 178 Maltese dogs to an animal welfare organization so they can be adopted next month, while another 345 pedigree dogs found at an unregistered breeding facility in Taipei earlier this month might also be ready for adoption next year.
The Taiwan Life Caring and Animal Rescue Organization on Wednesday said that the organization had accepted more than 51 Maltese puppies and 127 adults from a dog breeder in Yunlin.
Most of the dogs showed symptoms of low blood sugar, elevated white blood cell levels, dehydration and starvation, the organization said, adding that half of the puppies might not survive.
The organization’s executive officer Tung Kuan-fu (董冠富) said that the breeder terminated its operation due to illness and decided to give the dogs up for adoption on the advice of a religious leader.
Tung said it was the largest rescue operation the organization had performed, and the medical treatment, vaccination and neutering would cost about NT$400,000 (US$12,000).
Two adoption fairs are scheduled to be held in New Taipei City’s Shulin District (樹林) on Saturday next week and on Nov. 8, after the dogs have recovered and have been neutered, Tung said.
In related news, the Taipei City Animal Protection Office yesterday said that 345 of the 349 purebred dogs found at a breeding facility in Taipei’s Beitou District (北投) on Sept. 4 might be available for adoption in January next year.
Office director Yen I-feng (嚴一峰) said the breeder promised he would neuter all 345 dogs before transferring them to the custody of the office.
The office said 10 adoption fairs would be held, and it would make the exact times and locations public at a later date.
The illegal breeding facility in Beitou was the largest ever uncovered in the city, drawing a NT$600,000 fine — the largest fine ever leveled against an illegal pet breeder by the city government, the office said.
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