Pet registration fees reduced starting in September; vaccine and microchip discounts save up to 1,500 yuan
In response to the rabies outbreak, many owners have rushed to have their beloved dogs and cats vaccinated. The Council of Agriculture announced pet registration discounts today: besides providing free microchips at epidemic areas, designated animal hospitals and shelters, it has also coordinated with local governments to waive the NT$1,000 registration fee. The discount period runs from early September to the end of October, and the list of participating veterinary hospitals across Taiwan will be published on the Council of Agriculture website within 3 days. (www.coa.gov.tw)
Vaccine plus microchip discounts, save up to NT$1,500
Under the <Animal Protection Act>, anyone who keeps a dog must have a microchip implanted and register it; violators can be fined NT$3,000 to NT$15,000. Lin Zongyi, section chief of the Council of Agriculture's Animal Protection Section, said that last year the Council inspected more than 30,000 dogs, and about 20 percent of owners had not registered them; the actual registration rate is estimated at 50 to 60 percent.
To solve the problems of pet registration and stray cat and dog sheltering, the Council of Agriculture met this afternoon with national animal disease control units and the Veterinary Medical Association. Huang Guoqing, director of the Department of Animal Industry, said that pet registration currently consists of microchip implantation and a registration fee: microchip implantation costs NT$300, the registration fee for a sterilized dog is NT$500, and NT$1,000 for one that is not sterilized. The Council of Agriculture will provide free microchips to private shelters, epidemic areas and designated animal hospitals, but the registration fee is a local government tax, so it will do its utmost to coordinate with each county and city on whether it can be reduced or waived entirely.
The pet registration discounts fall into three categories: the first is for the general public in ordinary areas, who besides bearing the NT$200 rabies vaccine fee themselves, must still pay the NT$300 microchip implantation fee if they do not go to a designated animal hospital; the second is for high-risk mountain areas and epidemic areas where rabies has already been reported, where the government provides free vaccines and microchips, and the public can be exempted from the NT$300 microchip fee; the third is for areas where the local government already provides free vaccines, with discounts the same as the second category. But the registration fee for all three categories depends on local government regulations. If the vaccine, microchip fee and registration fee are all waived, pet owners can save up to NT$1,500.
Shelters open on weekends to boost willingness to adopt
On the issue of stray animal sheltering, Huang Guoqing said that expansion of shelter equipment and sites is already being prepared. The current national shelter capacity is about 7,071 animals, and it is expected to rise to 9,740 in the future, a growth of 38%. Coordination will also be made for shelters to open one day on Saturday or Sunday, in the hope of boosting the public's willingness to adopt.
Zhu Qingcheng, deputy director of the Department of Animal Industry, said in a recent interview that about NT$8 million-plus in additional funding is being allocated to expand shelter equipment and related personnel, but he stressed that expanding shelter capacity is not meant to increase catching, but to meet disease control needs.
Huang Guoqing also promised that stray cats and dogs that have been vaccinated will have identifiable marks on their bodies, will not be prioritized for capture, and that capture of stray cats and dogs will only be intensified in confirmed epidemic areas; other areas will return to normal, with capture based on the principle of responding to public complaints.