By KHT Staff. Illustrative AI-generated image; the dog shown is not the dog in the case.
KAOHSIUNG — A woman has received a final sentence of 40 days of criminal detention and a NT$200,000 fine after an appeal panel upheld a finding that she left a sick dog without adequate care in a rented apartment, where the animal died after losing vital organ function.
The case was handled by Taiwan Ciaotou District Court (臺灣橋頭地方法院). A TVBS report published Dec. 24, 2025, when the initial judgment could still be appealed, said the woman began renting a fourth-floor apartment on Dec. 20, 2024, and kept two dogs there.
During the 2025 Lunar New Year period, the woman took one dog elsewhere but left the sick animal alone in the apartment. TVBS reported that the landlord entered the unit on Feb. 14 after residents complained about an odor and the tenant could not be reached.
The landlord found the dog dead amid feces, flies, and damage to the apartment. The judgment said the animal had clawed and bitten furniture, other objects, and a door frame before dying.
The woman acknowledged renting the apartment and keeping two dogs but denied abusing the animal. She said the sick dog had been isolated to prevent infection, that she had left food and water, and that she had been in Taoyuan for only two days. She argued that the illness may have caused the death.
The court rejected that account, finding that the damage inside the apartment showed the dog had endured severe hunger and that the woman had failed to arrange proper care during a prolonged absence.
Judges concluded that her conduct amounted to conditional intent, meaning she foresaw that leaving the animal without proper care could cause harm or death but accepted that risk. She was convicted under Taiwan’s Animal Protection Act (動物保護法).
The 40-day detention term and NT$200,000 fine were upheld in the second-instance proceedings, making the judgment final. Taiwan has a three-instance court system, but this case cannot automatically go to a third trial. The Animal Protection Act offense carries a maximum prison term of two years. Under the Code of Criminal Procedure, cases involving offenses punishable by no more than three years generally cannot be appealed after a second-instance judgment. Because the woman was convicted at first instance and that conviction was upheld on appeal, the second-instance ruling is final.
