In response to public curiosity about retired search and rescue dogs, the Ministry of the Interior’s Fire Fighting Bureau has disclosed the approximate locations of retired dogs and the legal standards for their retirement.
The ministry said that per regulations, all search and rescue dogs are to be retired when they are seven or eight, depending on their physical condition.
Over the past three years, retired dogs have been available for public adoption by people who meet certain requirements, the ministry said.
Photo courtesy of the Ministry of the Interior
The living environment of those wishing to adopt, their family members, whether they keep any other pets and whether there is a park near their residence are all factors taken into account, the bureau said.
“We want to make sure that these canines, who have devoted roughly two-thirds of their lives to the country and the vocation of saving lives of others, receive their just awards and an easy life in retirement,” the bureau said.
Of the 11 adopted retirees, five are in Taichung, and one each in Yilan County, Hualien County, Pingtung County, Changhua County and Nantou County, it said.
One of them, nicknamed A-liu (阿六), was one of Taiwan’s first trained search and rescue dogs and was in service during the 2016 Tainan earthquake, the bureau said.
A woman surnamed Chu (朱) was selected from those who applied to adopt A-liu. She is a volunteer for a search and rescue party and had worked with A-liu before, it said.
The 11th dog, nicknamed Shovel, lives in New Taipei City.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
RSS