The Fire Bureau of Taichung City Government recently received an application to adopt the search and rescue dog Tie-Xiong. Following the enforcement regulations of the bureau for the retirement (decommissioning) of search and rescue dogs, it has opened Taichung City Government employees and volunteers to apply for adoption. The Fire Bureau has recently issued official documents to all agencies under the city government. Those who are willing to adopt can download and fill in the official website of the Taichung City Fire Bureau-Administrative Announcements and Latest News (https://www.fire.taichung.gov.tw/) and complete the "Application Form for Family to Adopt Retiring Search and Rescue Dogs." You can submit the application form in person by 17:00 on September 12 or send it via registered mail to the Disaster Rescue Section of the Fire Bureau of Taichung City Government for follow-up matters.
According to the Fire Bureau, Tie-Xiong holds advanced certifications in rubble pile search and rescue dog certification, intermediate wilderness search and rescue dog certification, and passed the International Rescue-dog Organization-Mission Readiness Test (IRO-MRT) retest for search and rescue dogs. It also participated in the 2018 Hualien earthquake and successfully rescued a person trapped in a collapsed hotel. In 2020, Tie-Xiong received recognition from the Minister of the Interior and Taichung Mayor Shiow-Yen Lu, earning the prestigious second-tier and first-star level accolades, making it the highest-ranked search and rescue dog in Taiwan. Fu-You Sun, Director of the Fire Bureau, explained that Tiexiong was nine years old. Two years ago, it had to retire from the front line due to joint wear and tear. He was very grateful to Tiexiong for its contribution to disaster relief during his service. Tie-Xiong's rescue achievements are outstanding. Not only is it awarded second-tier and one-star rank, the highest rank in Taiwan, but it is also one of the few search and rescue dogs that have rescued survivors of earthquake disasters. The director hopes city employees (volunteers) can become Tiexiong's new owners and share this honor while allowing Tiexiong to enjoy a happy retirement.