A pit bull terrier has been confiscated and its owner fined NT$200,000 after it jumped out a car window and bit nearby motorcyclists twice this month, the Taipei City Government said today.
The Taipei Animal Protection Office confiscated the dog this afternoon, transporting it muzzled and caged to an animal shelter for temporary housing.
The office would assess whether eligible anyone could adopt the dog at a later date, but would not rule out euthanizing the dog if its aggression cannot be controlled, the office said today.
Photo: Liu Yung-yun, Taipei Times
The dog jumped out a car window and bit a nearby motorcyclist once on March 6 and again yesterday.
The owner, surnamed Hsu (徐), was unable to properly manage the dog, the office said, deciding to confiscate the dog.
The Taipei Department of Economic Development today imposed fines of NT$50,000 and NT$150,000 for the first and second attack respectively.
Neither injured motorcyclist has filed a lawsuit against the owner, and they would discuss how to handle the situation with the dog’s owner, reports said.
The owner is negotiating compensation with the injured parties and would calmly accept the fines and confiscation of the dog, the owner’s son and Plain Law Movement chief operating officer Hsu Shu-lei (徐書磊) said yesterday.
This is Taipei’s first case of a pit bull attacking people and needing to be confiscated, office specialist Hua Hsin-hui (華心惠) said today.
Hsu has owned the dog, named Lucky, for 10 years and registered it in accordance with legal requirements, Hua said.
Lucky is easily agitated when seeing unfamiliar people or dogs, and was extremely anxious and scared after being transferred to an unfamiliar environment this afternoon, Hua added.
The office would perform routine check-ups and request a dog trainer to assess whether it is safe for Lucky to be adopted out to another owner at a later date, she said.
Depending on the assessment results, people with experience raising pit bulls may be permitted to adopt the dog, she added.
According to Article 32 of the Animal Protection Act (動物保護法), authorities can confiscate an owner’s animal if it injures another person without cause.
There are specific legal regulations for confiscation and subsequent adoption of pit bulls.
In general, if a dog is confiscated and no one comes forward to adopt it, it is housed by the authorities until it dies of old age.
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