《TAIPEI TIMES》 Hsinchu offering free pet insurance for adoptions

By Hung Mei-hsiu and Kayleigh Madjar / Staff reporter, with staff writer

Hsinchu is offering a year of free pet insurance with every adopted dog or cat to help ease the financial burden of pet ownership and encourage adoption.

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The Hsinchu City Animal Protection and Health Inspection Office on Sunday said that it was expanding the project after a pilot program it started in October last year had proved successful.

The project would also be expanded to cover adult cats, from only dogs in the pilot program, it said.

People who are interested in becoming pet owners are encouraged to adopt, although the number of insurance policies on offer are limited, the office said.

Many people believe purebred animals are the best choice for a pet, but mixed breeds have many advantages, such as more robust immune systems and intense loyalty to their owners, office Director Yang Chia-min （楊家民） said.

As an example, Yang told a story of a pet owner who raised two purebred dogs and one mixed-breed dog adopted from a shelter.

When the owner choked and collapsed on the ground, only the shelter dog stayed by their side and barked for someone to come to save their life, Yang said.

A calendar highlighting adoptable animals released by the office last month was well received by the public and resulted in many successful adoptions — one of many activities the office is organizing to promote adoption.

As an added incentive, a year of free pet insurance would be offered to adopters, which covers vet visits, overnight stays and surgery, in addition to animal liability insurance and advertisements in case the pet goes missing, the office said.

Two separate dog attacks in the past few months have highlighted the importance of having pet insurance, which offers liability coverage of up to NT$1 million （US$36,143）, it said, calling on the public to “adopt, not shop” and take good care of their pets for their entire lives.

To adopt one of the approximately 180 dogs or 60 cats from the Hsinchu public shelter, applicants must meet a number of criteria.

Interested owners must be at least 20 years old, while those under 20 must be accompanied by an adult and together take a course on pet owner responsibility.

Shelter workers interview interested owners to gauge their motivation, evaluate their home, check the registration and vaccination status of their existing pets, and ensure that the applicant is not on a pet ownership blacklist.

Approved applicants can adopt after a week-long cooldown period, then the office conducts followup visits to ensure that the adoption is going smoothly.

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES