Where’s the dog park?

More and more people are raising pets, and dog owners tend to walk their dogs in the park closest to their homes where they allow the dog off the leash to run free. However, very few people are aware that it is an offense to let your dog off the leash in a public park, and on doing so one is liable to be fined. Taiyuan City has a special pet park, but even though it is convenient to the public, due to the poor environment, almost no one uses the facilities. In the end, who really benefits from such facilities?

The two main activities one witnesses in our city parks are exercising and dog walking, but according to Article 20 of the Animal Protection Act Article 20: ‘When entering public places or places accessible to the public, pets shall be accompanied by people over seven years old. When entering public places or places accessible to the public, aggressive pets shall be accompanied by adults and appropriate preventive measures shall be taken.’ Violation of the act means that one could face a fine of anything between 2000 and10000NTD. But just how many people are aware of these regulations?

On a cool and refreshing summer afternoon at Taoyuan’s Linkin Pet Park(桃園市寵物示範公園) located next to the riverbank, there is not a soul in sight. The park has simple facilities, sparse grass coverage and is full of debris and sediment. It is impossible to tell just when the last person used the park. Inside the park signs warn users to beware of snakes, and water fountains are filthy. Any dog owner who sees these kinds of images is unlikely to have the courage to come a second time! In contrast, on the opposite bank of the bordering waterway lies a beautifully clean piece of turf. Everything taken into consideration, it is no wonder that despite the possibility of incurring a fine, dog owners are still willing to take the risk. All dog owners really want is a clean and safe place where their darling doggies can run free.

PeoPo 公民新聞

Where’s the dog park? (by CJ Lili)
URL: http://www.peopo.org/news/99465

(以下是中文對照)

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狗狗們的公園在哪? ( Lili )

越來越多的民眾養寵物，飼主們都會到自家附近的公園溜狗，有些人會把狗兒的牽繩放開，讓狗兒自由玩耍，不過卻很少人知道這是違法的，有可能被開罰。桃園市雖有寵物專用的公園，但環境簡陋，幾乎沒有人在使用了，雖說這是方便民眾，但又有誰真的受惠？

在公園裡不外乎就是來運動、散步還有溜狗，但依法動保第 20 條，寵物出入公共場所或公眾得出入之場所，應由七歲以上之人伴同，並採取適當防護措施，如違規，將處新臺幣二千元以上一萬元以下罰鍰。不過有多少人知道這條法規呢？

實際到一般的公園裡訪問愛狗人士。位於河堤旁的桃園市寵物示範公園，在涼爽的夏日午后不見半個人影，只有簡單的設施、稀疏的草皮，以及滿的碎石及泥沙，唯 一使用過的跡象，就是不知道何時留下的足跡。公園裡告示著小心有蛇，地上還有骯髒的飲水台，飼主的看到這些景象，大概也沒勇氣來第二遍了吧！倒是在公園的 對岸，有一塊乾淨的草皮。也難怪飼主們就算違規，也要帶著自家的寶貝到乾淨安全的場所玩耍。

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