Democratic Progressive Party Taichung mayoral candidate Ho Hsin-chun has rolled out a package of pet policies, welcome news for the city's pet owners and its pet industry.

• The platform covers five areas: pet-friendly environments, veterinary capacity, owner education, animal adoption and support for the pet industry.
• If elected, she would allow owners with household registration in Taichung who have completed pet registration to apply online for an NT$500 "Taichung pet voucher."
• Pet zones in parks would gain shade, drinking water and night-time lighting, and the Taichung Pass app would add a pet-friendly section linking up participating businesses.
• Animal hospitals would receive subsidies to open night-time emergency services, and residents who take veterinary assistant training courses and work in Taichung for a full year would have their tuition fully subsidised.
• For those adopting dogs and cats from public animal shelters, an NT$500 subsidy for a first vaccination and one free health check would be added on top of the existing free services.

Outlook: Taichung has the second-highest number of registered dogs and cats in Taiwan and the largest number of pet businesses, so pet policy is expected to become one of the key issues in this mayoral race.