The Animal Protection Act Q&A – Caring for Life (The pet breeder, Seller, boarder Management Segment)

Q: What is the penalty clause governing the breeder, seller or border of specific pets who fails to disclose the permit number when conducting advertisement, marketing promotion on electronic media, print media, telecommunications network and other media?
A: Per Article 30 of the Animal Protection Act, violators are punishable by a penalty fine between NT$15,000 and NT$75,000.

Q: What is the penalty clause governing the breeder, seller or border of specific pets who refuses to supply the purchaser with relevant pet information documents in a sale transaction?
A: Violators, per Article 30 of the Animal Protection Act, are punishable by a penalty fine between NT$15,000 and NT$75,000.

Q: Which operator is responsible for disclosing the source of the pet for the seller who trades on specific pets?
A: Of the source of pet for the seller that trades on specific pets, the pet-breeding site with a permit or a pet seller is to supply the information. Violators are punishable by a penalty fine between NT$40,000 and NT$200,000, and will also be ordered to adopt improvement within a prescribed deadline, and also subject to announcing their name, title or picture; those failing to adopt improvement by the deadline may be penalized per offence, and those that have been penalized three times are to have their permit abolished.

Q: How does a pet operator with a pet business permit file for a business closure, business suspension or a business reinstatement?
A:
(1) A pet operator, when filing for a business closure, is to fill out a business closure report within a one-month period following the fact occurs, and submits the report along with the pet business permit to the component government authorities of a central-ruled municipality or county (city) municipality to apply for a cancellation.
(2) A pet operator who files for a suspended operation for over six months and up to one year is to fill out a suspended operation report within a 1-month period following the fact occurs in a voluntary declaration with competent government authorities of a central-ruled municipality or a county (city) municipality, and the same also applies at reinstatement.
(3) A pet operator who files for a suspended operation exceeding one year is deemed as a business closure, is to declare and surrender whose pet operator permit with competent government authorities of a central-ruled municipality or a county (city) municipality for cancellation; of those not surrendering their permit for cancellation, the pet operator permit is to be invalidated, and the competent government authorities of a central-ruled municipality or a county (city) municipality are to announce the cancellation.
(4) A pet operator, who should be unable to file for a reinstatement with just cause before the expiry of the suspended operating period, may declare with competent government authorities of a central-ruled municipality or a county (city) municipality for an approval to extend the suspended operating period, provided that the extended period may not exceed one year, and also limited to one filing only.

Q: When there is a change to the registered matters on a pet operator permit, what is the window period that the operator is required to submit relevant proof of documentation and file for a change registration with the local competent government authorities?
A: When there is a change to the registered matters on a pet operator permit, except change of business venue that requires refilling for a new application, the operator is required to submit all relevant proof of documentation within a 30-day period following the change to declare with competent government authorities of a central-ruled municipality or a county (city) municipality for filing a change registration.

Q: What is the validation period of a pet operator permit? And when an operator is to file for a permit renewal before the expiry?
A:
(1) The validation period of a pet-breeding site, pet seller or border is capped to three years.
(2) Those who continue to operate the initially registered operating items at expiry are required to apply for the reissue of a new permit three months prior to the expiration.

Q: What is the penalty clause governing the breeder, seller or boarder operating on specific pets who has not applied for a pet operator permit?
A: Pet breeding sites, sellers or borders who willfully operates on specific pets without obtaining a permit by competent government authorities of a central-ruled municipality or a county (city) municipality are punishable by a penalty fine between NT$50,000 and NT$250,000, and are also to be ordered to improvement within a prescribed deadline; those failing to adopt improvement by the deadline shall be ordered to cease to operate the business; those refusing to cease running the business are to be penalized per offence.

Q: What are the standards to be complied by the boarding site and equipment of pet operators engaging in breeding and selling pets who are mandated to file for a registration? 
A:
(1) The business space for a breeding site is to reach 66 square meters or larger, wile there is no restriction to the selling or boarding sites.
(2) The feeding space of a business venue may not exceed 60% of the total floor space.
(3) The canine feeding space is to heeding to per 3.3 square meters as the basis of calculation, where the space can be used to keep the maximum of one large breed dog, two midsized dogs, or three small-sized dogs.
(4) The maximum tier count of the cages installed at a business venue: For large dogs, it pertains to a surface closure or a single-tier cage (no multitier cages may be erected); for midsized dogs, a maximum of two tier cages is permitted; for small-sized dogs, a maximum of three tier cages is permitted.
(5) The canine body type classification is as follows: large dogs at over 23 kilos, midsized dogs at between 9 and 23 kilos, and small dogs at under 9 kilos.

Q: What constitutes as a pet operator? And what constitutes as a pet-breeding site?
A:
(1) Referring to operators who operate on specific pets’ breeding, buying/selling or boarding for the purpose of profiting.
(2) Referring to sites occupied for commercial purposes for cultivating, improving or breeding pets.