TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taichung authorities plan legal action against a pet store chain after staff confined a dachshund in a plastic storage box, violating animal welfare regulations, officials announced Tuesday (March 24). The Taichung Animal Protection and Health Inspection Office (台中市動保處) found the storage box provided insufficient space, ventilation, and mobility. The puppy was discovered a day earlier in Taichung's Dali District (大里區) when its distress prompted concerned individuals to report the situation.
The confinement violated the "Regulations on the Management of Specific Pet Industries" (特定寵物業管理辦法), officials stated. Individuals contacted the 1999 citizen hotline, a government service line for non-emergency municipal issues, which transferred the case to the 1959 national animal protection hotline. A store employee arrived after more than an hour and cited concerns about the dog's paws getting stuck in the cage. Staff eventually moved the dog to a proper cage following public insistence.
The incident gained traction online, sparking public outrage. The pet store chain issued an apology on Facebook, acknowledging the breach of company protocol and assuring the public that internal disciplinary actions were underway. Despite the store's immediate corrective measures, officials noted the action still breached basic animal care principles. Officials plan to pursue legal action and enhance inspections and guidance to prevent similar incidents.
Taichung City Councilor Chiang Ho-shu (江和樹) criticized both the pet store and the animal protection office. He remarked that Taichung authorities haven't been conducting inspections, as members of the public noticed the issue before officials did. Chiang urged officials to take immediate action on the matter and called for enhanced oversight of pet store operations across the city. ◼