Taipei City Government

On September 24, Mayor Ko Wen-je presided over the press conference and picnic event to celebrate the official opening of Tanmei Furkids Happy Park.
The park is Taipei’s second venue of its kind aimed at serving pet dogs and their owners. Facilities available at the park include drinking fountains for dogs and self-serve dog wash, allowing owners to clean their pets after exercise before heading home.
Ko remarked that making the city even more friendly to animals is an objective which the city government seeks to implement. He hopes that the public can provide the city government with more feedback, helping to find a balance which all parties can accept.
According to the mayor, there are approximately 150,000 pet dogs in the city. In other words, there is a pet owner among every 18 individuals. However, this figure also shows that the city lacks adequate space for dogs to move about. To satisfy the demand for more space to walk dogs, the city government is working on establishing such areas across Taipei’s administrative districts.
On a side note, the mayor also mentioned the problem dog owners encounter when taking public buses. According to current regulations, only small dogs can be carried onboard when placed inside a cage. Large-size dogs still face a number of restrictions in this aspect. The city government is still working on ways to improve the situation, and the mayor calls upon the public to submit their views and opinions to help make the city more accessible for furkids.