Dogs kept on military bases must be registered and receive regular health checks, the military said yesterday, in the wake of a brutal killing of a puppy that sparked a public uproar.
Ministry of National Defense spokesman Chen Chung-chi (陳中吉) said all military services would ask bases that raise dogs to register the animals and have them photographed.
Base commanders and local animal protection agencies will see to it that the animals’ health and living conditions are checked regularly, Chen said.
Photo: Chang Chia-ming, Taipei Times
The bases will also provide care for stray cats and dogs in their areas and notify animal protection associations of injured stray animals, Chen said.
The actions were taken after Kaohsiung City Councilor Chen Hsin-yu (陳信瑜) on Sunday posted an 80-second video on YouTube showing a puppy being killed by hanging on what turned out to be a military base.
The video showed the white puppy hanging by its neck from a metal chain on what appears to be the edge of an embankment.
The dog died after a painful struggle in which it tried, but failed, to climb up the embankment.
A man, whose face was not shown on camera, was heard saying: “Little White, don’t be a stupid dog in the next life.”
Minister of National Defense Feng Shih-kuan (馮世寬), Navy Commander Huang Shu-kuang (黃曙光) and other military officers apologized over the incident and nine military personnel were disciplined on Monday.
In a meeting with military officers yesterday, Feng issued instructions in response to appeals by animal protection groups, including preparing a program to educate military personnel on complying with the Animal Protection Act (動物保護法) and cherishing life.
The ministry welcomes reports from the public of similar incidents involving military personnel through the 1985 hotline, Feng said, adding that the military would not condone such actions and would hand over any personnel suspected of being involved in such crimes to judicial authorities.
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