Dogs at Private Dog Farm Found Half-Eaten, Bodies Dumped in Cages; 207 Dogs and Cats Rescued and Awaiting Adoption

The dog farm covered over a hundred ping of space, with garbage and clutter piled up like mountains and feces and sludge spread across every corner. The two hundred dogs living there were not treated well either: there was not a scrap of food in the feed bowls, or else the bowls were piled with feed that had long since clumped together and rotted until it was unfit to swallow. Most of the two hundred dogs were malnourished, their ribs clearly visible, with skin diseases and scars from torn wounds all over their bodies. In many of the dog cages, dog carcasses were even found that had nearly turned to ash and were covered in maggots.

And this unimaginable breeding environment was located at a private dog farm in the mountains of Tamsui. A member of the public filmed a video and reported the dog farm, and the video even showed a dog carcass that had been half eaten, leading to suspicion that dogs at the farm had been eating dogs. On the 6th, the New Taipei City Animal Protection Office led Animal Protection Office personnel and volunteers to the dog farm, rescued 200 dogs and 7 cats, and found 30 dog carcasses. The Animal Protection Office fined the woman surnamed Chen under the Animal Protection Act, with a maximum penalty of imprisonment for not more than 2 years or detention, in addition to a fine of not less than NT$200,000 and not more than NT$2,000,000.

Unopened Cans Piled to the Roof but No Feeding, 30 Dog Carcasses Found

"In fact, there were a great many unopened cans at the dog farm, almost all piled up to the roof, and the woman surnamed Chen also received donations and donated feed every month," said Chiang Yi-ju, chief executive of the Taiwan Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (TSPCA). At the time, a man happened to bring his son to the site and was about to donate feed to the woman. "That man himself was very surprised that the conditions at the dog farm could be so terrible. The woman did not lack feed; she simply did not feed the dogs." As for the thirty dog carcasses found, the woman surnamed Chen further argued that the dogs had fought each other and died on their own. Chiang said in disbelief, "But there were thirty in total! How could that be possible!"

"A volunteer said this private dog farm had already been there for more than ten years, while the woman surnamed Chen said she had been rescuing dogs for forty years," Chiang pointed out. Judging from the scene, some dogs had already died, most were malnourished, and some dogs were still locked in cages with not a drop of water and not a bit of feed. "The dogs had been suffering for at least several weeks or more."

"Among them, four dogs had even starved to death in their cages because they were trapped inside and could not get out, with no food and no water. The entire dog farm was piled with excrement, the smell was extremely strong, and dead rats and cockroaches were everywhere." Chiang described how, when animal protection personnel released the dogs from the cages, "they rushed straight out to eat grass and eat soil; they were so hungry that they ate whatever they saw." These dogs were so thin that their ribs stuck out obviously, and they also had skin diseases and severe external injuries. Because too many dogs were kept at the farm, they easily fought, and the farm was also dark and damp.

207 Dogs and Cats Rescued with No Infectious Diseases, Public Urged to Adopt

The 207 dogs and cats currently rescued from the dog farm are temporarily housed separately at public shelters across New Taipei City, including Sanzhi, Zhonghe, Banqiao, Tamsui, Xindian, Ruifang, Bali, and within the Animal Protection Office itself. Some of the dogs have microchips, and the Animal Protection Office is tracing and contacting their owners. Dogs without microchips or whose registered owners cannot be found will soon be opened for adoption after the woman surnamed Chen's consent.

Chiang said public shelters are under great staffing pressure, with about eighty percent already saturated, and it happens to be around Chinese New Year, making staffing even tighter. She hopes the public can come directly to adopt now. "Aside from malnutrition, these dogs have no other disease problems and need only a little time to recover completely. We hope the public will not be afraid to come and adopt them, and the Animal Protection Office will also test to confirm there are no infectious diseases." TSPCA is expected to assist the New Taipei City Animal Protection Office in holding adoption events on 3/3 and 3/4, and calls on the public to show compassion.