On the 14th of March 2015, at approximately 8 p.m., TSPCA inspectors found a little black dog of about 2 months old on Tonghua Street, running madly amongst traffic on the road. The dog was wearing an outfit of dark blue cloth and a necklace with a bow-tie. The inspector at first thought that it was a lost dog, and immediately looked for the owner, but did not find anyone despite a long search. The dog was taken to the vet to be scanned, but unfortunately he did not have a microchip. Therefore, TSPCA inspectors decided to place him in the TSPCA adoption corner, also located in the same area. Once settled, the search for his owner continued on social media.
After posting on Facebook, we were notified that the dog was not actually lost, but had probably been abandoned. A witness told us that he saw a man getting out of a taxi between 8pm and 8:30pm at the intersection of Linjiang and Tonghua Streets. When he got out of the car, he placed the dog in a green plastic bag, left the bag behind, and ignored the dog running frantically in the road. This is a clear violation of Taiwan’s Animal Protection Act Article 5, stating no pet may be abandoned. Therefore, the inspectors immediately opened an investigation and began collecting evidence. According to the location and time provided, we checked video offered by the police station and the Linjiang Street Night Market Corporation, but could not find any images of the man who had abandoned the dog. None of the surveillance cameras from the surrounding shops had captured any useful footage. Therefore, the case is currently stalled due to a lack of evidence.
TSPCA investigation department calls upon anyone who witnessed the event or has video from their vehicle's car recorder, to please contact us as soon as possible. Any information could help us to find this man who abandoned the young dog, and to proceed further in accordance with the law.
Time : 14th March, 2015, 20:00-20:30
Location : Interesction of Linjiang and Tonghua Streets; the road that is in front of the Union Bank in Tonghua Street.
What should you do when you see a pet being abandoned?
If you witness the abandonment, you should try to film it, recording the person and the abandoned dog, and note down the time and location. If possible, try to follow the person who abandoned the animal as far as personal safety allows, to try to get more information about the person (for example, their license plate number, license plate of taxi it travelling by taxi or an address). Inform your local government agency or animal protection office with all information that you have collected, and maintain contact with the administrator of the case, as it may be necessary to provide additional information related to the investigation.
What should you do if you see a lost or stray dog?
Step 1: First judge whether the dog is in danger in its current spot. Simply observe before taking any further action. If the dog is nervous or tries to escape, you should not force its capture. You could instead chase him away from the dangerous area.
When dogs are very nervous they might attack out of fear or display erratic behavior, like possibly running into traffic. This is why is crucial to not force a nervous dog to do anything, instead calmly herd the dog away from dangers.
Step 2: Ask local stores and residents nearby if they’ve seen the dog in question before. Often if a dog is lost, they will stay in the same area they got lost in, so if the dog lives in the area, he could have been seen by locals before.
Step 3: If the owner cannot be found after making enquiries, then you should take the dog to an animal clinic nearby, and ask for a scan to determine if the dog is microchipped.If there is information on the chip, you should contact the owner immediately and inform him that the dog has been found and ask the reason why the dog was lost. If no microchip is found, then it’s advised you request the dog have a basic health check. After the health check the vet will be able to determine if the dog should stay in the vet clinic for observation or if he can be discharged. Once discharged, he will need a place to stay, so you should start looking for people who can help foster the dog (yourself, friends, family) before he is adopted out. It is important to let the animal stay in foster care for an extended period of time to be sure he isn’t someone’s lost pet.
Step 4: Take cute pictures of the dog, note down its character, appearance, and characteristics, as well as the time and location where it was found and your contact information. Print posters to put around the area the dog was found and share on social media. If no owner comes forward but others show interest in adopting him, make sure to meet the person and do a home visit to make sure there are no red flags present.
