Taipei - Former Taiwan president Chen Shui-bian, under suspicion of abandoning his pet dog, said Tuesday that he had given the animal to a friend.

When Chen left the presidential mansion on May 20 after serving two four-year terms, it was reported he had taken only one of the two First Dogs with him to his new family home.

It was a small white Marquez called Honey, which used to sit on the lap of Chen's wheelchair-bound wife Wu Shu-chen and follow her everywhere.

Chen's own black dog called Yong Ge (Brave Brother), given to him as a puppy several years ago, reportedly vanished, triggering fears the president had dumped it.

Chen made use of the dogs for political purpose, publishing their photos in his weekly online newsletter and creating Yong Ge's Dialogue to express his views through the mouths of his canine companion.

Some dog lovers posted messages on the internet, blaming the former leader of using Yong Ge as a political tool and ditching him when he was no longer of use.

"If you raise a dog, you should be responsible for it all you life," one blogger wrote. "It is actions like this have created a stray dog problem," said another.

On Tuesday, Chen issued a statement through his secretary, saying he had given Yong Ge to a friend in Tainan County, but did not mention his name.

"My new home is only 180 square metres and is too small for Yong Ge to move around. So I have given him to a dog-loving friend who has a large piece of grassy land. Yong Ge is living happily in south Taiwan," Chen said. (dpa)