Pitbull involved in fatal attack now up for adoption

A pit bull who bit a man in the thigh, piercing his femoral artery, and causing him to bleed to death, is being cared for in a Hsinchu County animal refuge until a suitable person can be found to adopt him.

The Hsinchu County Fire Bureau responded to a report, Sunday, October 10, that a man had been seriously injured by a dog in Jianshi Township. Paramedics arrived to find that the man had already lost vital signs after bleeding profusely. The 53-year-old man, named Hsu, was declared dead after arrival at the hospital.

According to reports following the incident, the dog had been tied up with a thick chain, and the man had been drunk and teasing the dog at the time of the attack.

Taiwan’s Public Television Service (PTS) quoted the Hsinchu Animal Protection Office at the time as saying that Taiwan doesn’t have seizure laws for such situations and all it could do was to send inspectors to ask the owner if she wants the animal protection office to take the animal.

On October 20, the owner of the dog, a Ms Fan took the pit bull to the Hsinchu County Animal Disease Control Center to hand him over to animal protection authorities.

The Animal Disease Control Center said that they plan to put the dog up for adoption in November, but the adoption is subject to special conditions. The new owner must have relevant dog training knowledge and skills, the center said, and must be able to provide enough space for the pit bull to run and play, along with protective measures.

According to the animal center, the dog is around five years old, and has changed hands between many owners. The previous owner had moved to an urban area that was not suitable for keeping the dog, and Fan had cared for it for around six months.

The animal center spokesperson pointed out that the dog is currently being kept in a large steel cage. While other dogs in the shelter get taken out regularly for walks by volunteers or staff, at present they dare not take the pit bull out.

It’s like “imprisonment” and it’s “too cruel,” the animal center spokesperson said. If we can’t find a suitable carer or trainer, the dog’s fate will be life imprisonment in the shelter.

The Council of Agriculture, last year, announced a ban on the import, export, and ownership of pure and mix breeds of pit bull terriers after several attacks drew national attention.

In August this year, the Bureau of foreign Trade added American pit bull terriers and American Staffordshire terriers to the list of animals prohibited from importation.

Sources: Apple Daily, United Daily News.

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