《TAIPEI TIMES》 Fire department honors retiring dog at ceremony

By Yao Yueh-hung, Tang Shih-ming and Dennis Xie / Staff reporters, with staff writer

The Taipei City Fire Department honored a retiring rescue dog at a ceremony yesterday and extended its appreciation to the person who adopted the German shepherd.

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The dog, named Humble, received an honorary medal for its contributions to disaster relief at a ceremony, at which the department and the adopter, surnamed Lee （李）, signed adoption papers, department commissioner Wu Chun-hong （吳俊鴻） said.

The department said it hoped the ceremony would draw attention to rescue dogs and their post-retirement adoption, a practice it began in 2015, Wu said.

Space and resources at the department are limited, so retired dogs would be better taken care of with adopted families, he said.

Every year, the department evaluates the housing conditions of people who apply to adopt and determine the best candidate, he said, adding that Lee is a canine-loving person who can offer great care.

The job of rescue dogs, due to demanding work environments, requires a lot of stamina, so they usually serve four years at most, or until they reach seven or eight, but they are always in great health, Wu said.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of the Interior’s National Fire Agency yesterday began accepting adoption applications for five of its rescue dogs that are retiring this year.

They are eight-year-old Chiang Chiang, 10-year-old Hope, seven-year-old Shin, eight-year-old Pumba and eight-year-old Nala, with the former four certified by the International Rescue Dog Organization and specializing in operations in debris, while Nala is responsible for testing whether other dogs pay attention during training by disrupting them, the agency said.

They participated in major rescue efforts in Taiwan, such as the 2014 Kaohsiung gas explosions, the 2016 collapse of the Weiguan Jinlong complex in Tainan and an earthquake in Hualien in 2018 that killed 17 people and injured more than 200, it said.

People interested in adopting one of the dogs have to apply by Friday, it said, adding that more details are on the agency’s Web site.

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES