A New Ban Put Abandoned Dogs in Shelters Permanently

Taiwan’s Pit Bull Ban took effect on March 1, 2022. Previously, animal protection groups rushed to find homes for Pit Bulls in shelters (left), while abandoned ones were beaten and injured by people (right).

On March 1, 2022, an ordinance to ban the breeding and export of Pit Bulls went into effect in Taiwan. This is the only one of the six types of dangerous dog breeds that has been completely banned there, due to a number of accidents in the past two to three years in which Pit Bulls have bitten, injured or even killed people and other dogs.

The Ministry of Agriculture suggested this ban as early as October 2020, and required owners to complete pet registration and declaration for inspection within the deadline. Violators will be subject to a maximum fine of NTD 250,000. As a result, the number of registered pets increased from 2,000 to 3,722 on February 24, 2022, and to 4,686 by February 28. It is expected that the number of registered pets will keep surging before the deadline on February 28, 2023.

The ban has become a big problem for public shelters, because Pit Bulls are usually notorious. They are not suggested to be put together with other dogs. They can only be kept in separate cages. Some volunteers do not even dare to approach them, let alone walk them. The dogs have been kept in cages for a long time. They are desperately looking for new owners, but they have failed. There are currently 38 Pit Bulls in public shelters, including 11 in Taoyuan, 7 in Tainan and 6 in Kaohsiung.

As of March 2, 2022, there are 38 abandoned Pit Bulls in public shelters in Taiwan, and the number is expected to increase.

In February 2022, several dead Pit Bulls were found in the rivers of Kaohsiung, and it was suspected that they had been killed by illegal breeders and thrown into the river. 

Saul perhaps is the most fortunate Pit Bull, which was sent to the Pingtung County Shelter for biting a child to death, but his kind and loving behavior made it impossible for people to imagine him as a “killer”, and it is assumed that he thought he was being attacked before he bited the child to protect himself. Thanks to the public petition, Saul did not only escaped from euthanasia, but also found a new family in Taipei.

However, some professionals believe that the Pit Bull, a dog breed deliberately bred for fighting purposes, has a fierce gene hidden in its character, and it is not known when and under what circumstances it will be triggered, and it is not suitable to be a pet dog.

Taiwan’s Pit Bull ban includes the American Pit Bull Terrier (American Pit Bull Terrier or American Pit Bull) and the American Staffordshire Terrier (American Staffordshire Terrier), but it does not cover other Pit mixes. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, there are about 10 legal Pit Bull breeding farms, and the existing Pit Bulls can still be bred and sold dogs under regulations, but it is estimated that in 10 years it will be difficult to see them in Taiwan.

Genlin, Founder of World Dog Alliance (WDA), always said, “There are only evil people, not evil dogs,” and this is evident in the Pit Bulls, whose lives have been shaped by the bad intentions of humans and their unfortunate fate. We pray that these 4686 registered domestic Pit Bulls will have a smooth and happy life!