All national service dogs are to be mandatorily insured from next year, with the Ministry of Agriculture covering the annual insurance premium of more than NT$13,000 each.
Taiwan has 292 national service dogs dedicated to quarantine, drug detection, search and rescue, intelligence gathering, policing and border security checks.
They are part of the public service system and must undergo strict training to work in high-pressure, high-risk environments, Minister of Agriculture Chen Junne-jih (陳駿季) told a news conference in Taipei yesterday.
Photo: CNA
For example, rescue dogs are required to find survivors buried in rubble as quickly as possible following a natural disaster, he said.
While Taiwan offers pet insurance, service dogs are not included, as domestic property and casualty insurance companies do not consider them pets, Chen said.
When President William Lai (賴清德) assumed office in May last year, he included animal welfare as one of his critical policies, Chen said.
To align with that policy, the ministry amended the regulations governing the care and management of service dogs in the public sector and included provisions mandating insurance for them, he said.
The ministry also launched a matchmaking platform for companies interested in initiating an environmental, social and governance program in agriculture, he said.
Based on these efforts, the first insurance policy for national service dogs was established by Nan Shan General Insurance Co through public-private collaboration, Chen said.
The annual insurance premium of NT$13,374 was determined by averaging the costs of ambulatory care, hospitalization, funeral services and other expenses over the past few years, he said.
Situations such as wars or natural disasters were removed from the insurance policy’s joint exclusions to address service dogs’ needs, the ministry said.
Enrollment in an insurance program would be optional from September, but it would become mandatory from Jan. 1 next year, with the ministry paying all insurance premiums, Chen said, adding that the ministry’s next focus would be on the dogs’ retirement benefits.
Another insurance policy for rescue dogs trained by the private sector would also be discussed, with the government partially subsidizing their premiums, he said.
National service dogs with a one-year insurance policy can have up to five outpatient visits and receive NT$1,200 each in reimbursements, Nan Shan general manager Lin Yi-hsiao (林宜孝) said.
Reimbursements for hospitalization, surgery and funeral expenses would be NT$5,000, NT$40,000 and NT$5,000 respectively, he said.
Taiwan Working Dog Association chairwoman and veterinarian Kuan Hsin-ling (關心羚) said that service dogs are “super heroes” safeguarding Taiwanese and their welfare should be well protected.
Rescue dogs usually get cut or scratched while searching in rubble or other dangerous conditions, and are vulnerable to heat stroke, she said.
Military dogs are prone to respiratory tract injuries while serving in combat, she added.
While a universal insurance policy for national service dogs is good news, the ministry should also establish a scheme to secure benefits for retired dogs, Kuan said.
Retired service dogs are rarely insurable under pet insurance because they are old and often unhealthy, she said.
Some retired dogs have cancer, incurring high medical expenses that their owners cannot afford, she said, adding that the association has been raising funds to cover such costs.
Kuan also called for legislation to allow service dogs to enter public spaces as guide dogs do.
Guide dogs can enter public spaces as stipulated in the People with Disabilities Rights Protection Act (身心障礙者權益保障法), she said.
However, service dogs are usually denied entry to many public sites, including government buildings and MRT stations, she said.
The New Taipei City Art Museum is one of the few places that welcome service dogs, she said.
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