Department of Sports

To protect the safety of people and dogs, 8 inspectors from the Taipei City Animal Protection Office (APO) have been promoting outdoor pet protection regulations, conducting spot checks and issuing citations at 12 districts from time to time, and the defensive response they often hear from pet owners is: “My dog is well-behaved, he will never bite and comes back when I call him”, “He is a very timid dog and shadows me all the time”.

However, with Taipei’s high population density and complex traffic conditions, the APO has witnessed numerous tragedies where pets off the leash run away when frightened and get killed. The APO urges pet owners to take precautions such as keeping their dogs on a leash or stroller when taking them to public areas in order to keep them safe.

The APO commented that although it is totally understandable that pet owners want to let their pets run free from time to time, it is imperative to keep them on a leash in downtown Taipei because of the heavy traffic. If your dog is not accustomed to a leash, you can try the retractable leash to protect your fur baby when he is happily running around.

In addition to implementing these preventive measures to protect your pets, it is hoped that the pet owners will show understanding towards those who are afraid of dogs to prevent the conflict between people and dogs from ruining the good mood of walking your dog and the peacefulness of fellow pedestrians.

In light of the public’s need to let their fur babies run free, the city now has 5 dog parks or dog run areas that do not require the dogs to be leashed, namely: Yingfeng Dog Park, Tanmei Dog Park, Huashan Park Dog Run Area, Wanxing Dog Run Area, and Zhishan Park (Fulin) Dog Run Area. Please feel free to browse the I Want to Walk My Dog section on the APO’s official website (https://www.tcapo.gov.taipei/) and bring your dog to the listed dog-friendly venue.

The APO emphasized the Taipei Autonomous Regulations Regarding Animal Protection that states that all dogs should be leashed or kept in check using a leash, pet stroller, cage, or pet carrier bag, otherwise the owner will be fined NT$2,000 to NT$10,000. In order to protect the safety of the citizens and the animals, pet owners who do not keep their dogs on a leash or adopt other preventive measures will be exhorted and fined.

As of June this year (2019), 30 pet owners have already been penalized for not abiding by the regulations, so please do not defy the law. If you discover pet owners who do not keep their dogs on a leash, please assist the authorities by collecting evidence and report it to the 1999 Citizen Hotline or Animal Protection Hotline (02-8791-3064~5), and the APO will strive to investigate in order to minimize conflicts between people and dogs, thereby creating a peaceful environment where people and animals can coexist in harmony.