After rejoicing over the rescue of his family dog from an alleged “dog butcher,” Lin Chih-yang (林志陽) accused Greater Kaohsiung police of being unwilling to help when his family reported the theft, adding that it was only the help of friends, animal rights activists and netizens that had saved their pet.
“I’ve long heard rumors that the police often ignore some cases, but I have now experienced it myself. It’s really astonishing that a citizen needs to beg and use connections to get help from the police,” Lin said on Facebook. “I’d already lost confidence in the police over their handling of the Sunflower movement, but this is just unacceptable.”
Lin’s family run a small grocery store in Greater Kaohsiung, where their dog, Jung-jung (絨絨), lives.
Last Sunday, they discovered the dog was missing. They say a security camera captured an elderly couple driving away with their pet in a green car.
“We took the footage to the police, asking for help, and, as expected, the police were reluctant to help, giving excuses without going through the standard procedure for processing a report,” Lin said.
Although Lin Chih-yang’s sister, Lin Ting-wei (林庭葳), went to the police station on each of the following three days to check on the case, there was no progress.
Frustrated, they decided to post the security camera footage online and netizens soon provided clues as to the whereabouts of the couple, with some alleging that the couple had been caught slaughtering dogs and selling their meat earlier in the year, Lin Chih-yang said.
With help from the online community and animal rights advocates, Lin Chih-yang located the couple’s village and went there on Wednesday. He took the information to the police, asking officers to go with him, but they refused.
“They just wouldn’t go, saying it was too dangerous to travel in the stormy weather,” Lin Chih-yang said. “So my sister, some friends and I went on our own.”
When they arrived in the village, they again sought help from the police to find where the “dog butcher” lived, but the officers said they had never heard of such a person. However, before the group left, an officer drew a map to the couple’s house that he gave to them in private, along with detailed directions.
Lin Chih-yang said that when they found the house, they saw several dogs in cages or chained up.
“They all looked confused and suddenly, I saw Jung-jung,” Lin Chih-yang said. “I ran to her, took her out of the house and told her: ‘We found you, everything is fine now, we’re here.’”
Lin Chih-yang said they saw the couple in another room, as they freed all the dogs and called the police, who soon arrived.
“It was with the aid of our friends and helpful netizens that we rescued Jung-jung and the other dogs, and brought the couple to the authorities for violating the Animal Protection Act (動物保護法),” Lin Chih-yang said.
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