New Taipei City animal welfare officials fined a man NT$15,000 (US$513.61) for leaving a 12-year-old dog under the summer sun until it died of heat exhaustion, the municipal government said yesterday.
Last month, officials received tips about a dog leashed to a motorbike that was showing signs of distress at Fu Jen Catholic University’s parking lot, the New Taipei City Animal Protection and Health Inspection Office said in a statement.
The pet owner had already sent the dog to a veterinarian’s clinic by the time animal welfare inspectors arrived at the scene, but the medical intervention was too late to save the old canine, it said.
Photo courtesy of New Taipei City’s Animal Protection Office
The owner said that they were meeting a family member at the university hospital for a short visit and did not expect the dog to fall ill, the office said.
The pet owner appeared to be saddened and remorseful about the death of the dog, but their negligence contravened the Animal Protection Act (動物保護法), which stipulates that owners must prevent harm to their pets, it said.
The penalty for breaching the provision is a NT$15,000 to NT$75,000 fine and a lecture on basic animal care, which is three hours long in the case of this owner, it said.
Although its exposure to the sun had not been particularly long, the dog was overweight and elderly, making it more susceptible to heat-related deaths than normal canines, the office said.
Dogs with short snouts, including pitbulls, pugs and Pekingese, are more vulnerable due to their narrow nasal canal being inefficient at dissipating heat, it said.
Old dogs with reduced metabolism and heat regulation, and dogs with heart, respiratory or neurological disorders are also at risk of dying from heat strokes or heat exhaustion, it added.
Dogs must be in a cool, sheltered place if brought outside, and kept in air-conditioned rooms when indoors, the office said.
New Taipei City Government is offering pet owners classes for animal first aid and interested parties should contact the office by phone or via its Web site, it added.
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