Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators and city councilors yesterday called for mandatory contracts for new pet owners, to protect them from the purchase of unhealthy animals, and better management of pet breeders.
Citing numerous cases of people buying pets that died within a few days, the group called for the introduction of contracts between buyers and sellers that would hold the sellers responsible for pets determined to be unhealthy at the time of sale.
The authorities should also introduce a system to manage the origin of animals sold at pet shops, the group said.
Photo: Yang Cheng-yu, Taipei Times
DPP legislators Mark Ho (何志偉) and Lo Mei-ling (羅美玲), along with New Taipei City Councilor Tai Wei-shan (戴瑋姍) and Taipei City Councilor Chung Pei-ling (鍾佩玲), discussed the issue at a news conference in Taipei.
Cases of pets dying soon after purchase raised questions about pet shops’ conditions and breeders’ practices, the group said.
“Some unscrupulous pet shop owners are just pumping these cats and dogs out, and keeping them in squalid conditions,” the group said.
For example, a pet shop in New Taipei City was in 2015 found to be keeping more than 200 cats and dogs in a 20 ping (66.12m2) space, and surgically altering the vocal cords of the female dogs used for breeding so that they could not bark, it added.
The animals’ enclosure was dirty and filled with cockroaches, and the animals were not fed, showered or deloused, it said.
“The city shut down the shop and fined the owner NT$130,000, but they just changed the owner and reopened under a different name,” it said. “Customers think they have a choice, but these shops are part of a group that has a monopoly — there is no choice for the consumer.”
Tai said that one pet shop was reported for selling 600 dogs in the first half of this year, which meant that the shop must be purchasing dogs from multiple breeders.
The authorities should investigate the breeders to ensure that they are keeping the animals under proper conditions, she said.
“One woman who bought a puppy from that shop on Aug. 15 said the dog kept falling asleep, and two days later coughed up a roundworm. She took it to the vet, but it died on Saturday,” she said, adding that the shop refused to take responsibility or compensate the customer.
The government should establish an oversight body under the Council of Agriculture that could inspect pet shops and breeders, the group said.
The Department of Animal Industry’s Animal Protection section chief Cheng Chu-ching (鄭祝菁) said that all puppies and kittens are required by law to undergo microchip registration.
People are strongly advised to examine the new pet’s registration documents and its breeding information, she said.
“We’ve made strides to crack down on illegal breeders over the past few years, but many of them search for potential buyers on social media, which makes enforcement more difficult,” she said, adding that the public is encouraged to report any suspicious breeders or sellers to the council.
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