Borough chiefs play vital roles in promoting animal protection at the neighborhood level, and have made major contributions to animal protection and disease prevention. On the afternoon of July 19, Deputy Mayor Lai Shu-hui invited 46 borough chiefs to a public commendation ceremony held by the City's Animal Protection Consultative Committee. This event recognized and honored borough chiefs for their efforts in publicizing pet owners' responsibilities and assisting in boosting the City's dog and cat rabies vaccination rate and dog and cat spay and neuter rate during 2023.

To prevent the spread of rabies, the Health Inspection Office has long conducted rabies vaccination activities intended to boost the immunity of dogs and cats in areas at high risk for rabies or where veterinary resources are scarce. The Office has also conducted free dog and cat spay and neuter in various neighborhoods to help local residents spay and neuter their pets. This both prevents diseases of the reproductive system in animals and keeps stray dogs and cats from multiplying endlessly, curbing the various problems caused by stray animals at the source. Among the many contributions made by the 46 borough chiefs commended by the Health Inspection Office were arranging locations, publicizing the campaigns among local residents, directing people to the site on the day of the activities, assisting in cleaning up the site, and other efforts to ensure that the activities proceeded smoothly. These borough chiefs provided the Health Inspection Office with effective, real-time, much-needed assistance, enabling the successful holding of rabies vaccination and spay and neuter activities at many locations. Last but not least, the borough chiefs have also worked to spread the animal protection concept to all corners of the community, and encouraged local pet owners to fulfill their responsibilities.

   Everyone must work together to curb the uncontrolled breeding of stray dogs and cats. In addition to the many services they perform for neighborhood residents, we are grateful to the borough chiefs of Taichung City for creating awareness of the animal protection concept through personal example. They are a powerful force for spreading the animal protection creed at the grassroots level, and are gradually transforming Taichung into a livable city benefiting residents, animals, and the environment.