TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – A woman in Keelung was fined NT$6,000 (US$190) after leaving her dog tied up on a roof in 35-degree temperatures, reports said Saturday (August 3).
After police received a tipoff that the woman had chained her Shiba Inu to the roof of a building, the animal protection service sent over an inspector on July 31, the Central News Agency reported.
Keelung, a harbor town known for its frequent rain, was experiencing its second day in a row of 35-degree temperatures. However, measurements showed that on the floor of the roof, the mercury topped 61 degrees at 1 p.m. that day.
Even though the animal had been supplied with an 0.41-square-meter plastic doghouse, temperatures inside were higher than outside on the roof, the animal protection service said.
The 9-year-old shiba was tied down with a 230-centimeter-long chain, the report said. The woman said she had taken her dog upstairs at 9 a.m. to comb its fur but had then been busy taking her child to the clinic for an inoculation. She had slept until her father led the animal down at 7 p.m., the CNA reported.
The animal protection department said that because a similar incident had been reported in 2017, it decided to fine the pet owner NT$6,000.
