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  Straits Times Forum Online 19 Dec 05
Review animal re-homing rules
Letter from Yeo Siew Chi

Straits Times Forum Online 19 Dec 05
Sterilisation of strays did wonders in New York
Letter from Dr Tan Chek Wee

The Straits Times Forum Online 10 Dec 05
Not practical to replace culling with sterilisation

The Straits Times Forum Online 5 Dec 05
Campaign to sterilise stray dogs
Letter from Christina Kwan (Ms)

The Straits Times 2 Dec 05
Male dog unsterilised? Pay more for licence
by Tham Yuen-C

Straits Times Forum Online 1 Dec 05
Castrating male dogs is quick-fix solution.
It won't encourage responsible pet ownership
Letter from Lee Hwee Khoon

The Straits Times 27 Nov 05
Stiffer fines likely for errant dog owners

Channel NewsAsia 26 Nov 05
AVA to launch new deterrents to curb pet abandonment
 By Asha Popatlal, Channel NewsAsia

SINGAPORE : Animal lovers will soon have something to cheer about: in six months, new measures are due to kick in to deter pet abandonment and poor pet welfare.

Minister of State for National Development Heng Chee How gave details at the opening of the Responsible Pet Ownership roadshow.

Each year, some 6,000 dogs and 12,000 cats have to be put to sleep, while about 700 pet owners are fined for keeping unlicensed dogs.

Now, the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority says enough is enough. It plans to extend micro-chipping to all newly licensed dogs, including locally bred ones; this measure is already in place for imported dogs.

With this, the AVA hopes to deter pet abandonment as irresponsible owners can then be traced and enforcement action taken against them. AVA says micro-chipping is also a safe identification system that can help lost pets be returned instead of being put to sleep unnecessarily.

To prevent indiscriminate breeding, other measures being considered include increasing the annual license fee for unsterilised male dogs from S$14 to S$70.

AVA is also reviewing the penalty for keeping unlicensed dogs, to make it a more effective deterrent against owners who fail to register their dogs.

AVA will be seeking feedback from various groups from pet owners to veterinarians to ensure smooth implementation of these measures within the next six months. - CNA /ct

The Straits Times, 27 Nov 05
Stiffer fines likely for errant dog owners

PEOPLE who own unsterilised male dogs face higher annual licence fees in the future.

The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) is also looking into making it compulsory for new dog owners to have their pets tagged with traceable microchips. It is also reviewing the penalties for those who do not license their dogs.

The AVA intends to implement these measures within the next six months, in an effort to reduce the number of unwanted litters, deter people from abandoning their pets and increase the likelihood that lost dogs will be reunited with their owners.

Speaking at the opening of AVA's Responsible Pet Ownership Roadshow yesterday, Mr Heng Chee How, Minister of State for National Development, said: 'The figures that I have convince me that we have to improve in becoming a community of responsible pet owners, and in stopping pet abandonment.' He said that each year, some 6,000 dogs and 12,000 cats are put to sleep. About 700 pet owners are fined for keeping unlicensed dogs, he said.

Some 43,000 households here own pets.

For starters, AVA wants to levy higher annual licence fees for unsterilised male dogs, to reduce the problem of indiscriminate breeding. The fees will go up from the current $14 to $70, which is what owners of unsterilised female dogs pay.

Stiffer penalties are also being considered for people who keep unlicensed dogs. Now, they are fined $500.

Currently, only imported dogs are implanted with traceable microchips. AVA wants to include all newly licensed dogs, including those bred locally, to deter irresponsible pet owners from abandoning their dogs.

AVA will seek feedback from various groups, including pet owners, veterinarians, animal welfare groups and trade representatives to ensure that the measures are implemented effectively and smoothly, said Mr Heng.

Welcoming the proposed measures, Ms Deirdre Moss, executive officer of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, said: 'Hopefully the measures will reduce the number of dogs being abandoned.'

Straits Times Forum Online 1 Dec 05
Castrating male dogs is quick-fix solution.
It won't encourage responsible pet ownership
Letter from Lee Hwee Khoon

I received the news of the government's plans to raise the licence fees from $14 to $70 per annum for unsterilised male dogs with a heavy heart.

There are many good ways to ensure responsible pet ownership but a policy which encourages the castration of male dogs is certainly not one of them.

It is also extremely alarming that the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, whose priority should rightly be the protection of animal welfare, is supporting the government's decision.

Veterinarians all over the world have acknowledged the link between castration and prostate cancer in dogs. Castration predisposes male dogs to highly malignant prostatic cancer. Nearly all dogs that have been diagnosed with this nasty tumour are neutered individuals. Testicular cancers are very rare and almost always benign. Perianal adenoma (a benign tumour) can be treated by castration if and when it arises.

Yet others may be convinced that by castrating their dogs, they will be doing the right thing regarding 'population control'. The fact is, males do not have puppies. Females do. Castration is a quick-fix solution for people who do not wish to invest the time and effort necessary to care for their dogs properly.

I hope the authorities will look into this matter in greater detail and recognise the consequences that this policy will have on the health and welfare of male dogs. It is a pity these four-legged citizens cannot vote while their owners can.

There are many good alternatives to curbing the abandonment of animals, such as tighter controls and levy on the import and local breeding of dogs, and interviews with potential owners in every pet shop or every breeder to identify responsible owners.

These options neither penalise responsible pet owners nor jeopardise animal welfare. Whipping the good is not going to make the bad good.

Lee Hwee Khoon

The Straits Times 2 Dec 05
Male dog unsterilised? Pay more for licence
by Tham Yuen-C

THOUSANDS of Singapore's male dogs might be strutting a little less proudly soon, when the licensing fee for unsterilised male pooches goes up.

There are 43,000 licensed dogs in Singapore and nearly two-thirds of them are male. But of the 9,309 dogs that are sterilised, only 3 per cent are male, according to data from the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA). Sixty per cent of female dogs here have been spayed.

Within the next six months, the AVA will introduce a package of new regulations designed to encourage a community of responsible pet owners. One of these changes will see the annual licensing fee for unsterilised male dogs go up from $14 to $70, the same as the current fee for unspayed female dogs.

The changes come after the AVA took a new look at its sterilisation policies. In the past, spaying female dogs was thought to be effective in putting a stop to indiscriminate breeding.

Said an AVA spokesman: 'The current revision of costs recognises that sterilisation of male dogs is equally important since they also play a role in creating unwanted litter.'

Ms Deirdre Moss, executive officer of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), said: 'Increasing the licensing fees will provide a greater incentive for owners of male dogs to sterilise their pets.'

There are an estimated 8,000 stray dogs in Singapore, said the AVA. The SPCA receives about 250 unwanted dogs a month, half of which are abandoned pets.

Vet Jean-Paul Ly said: 'Unfortunately, there are many irresponsible pet owners who might abandon their pets, and in such cases the good of sterilisation outweighs the bad.'

Sterilisation can make dogs less aggressive and easier to handle. It also removes the danger of prostate cancer for male dogs.

For many pet owners though, these issues are the last thing on their minds, which could explain why only about 22 per cent of dogs registered with the AVA here are sterilised.

Banker Li Yifen, 28, who has a silky terrier, said: 'I imagine it'll be a traumatic experience, so I don't want to put him through it.'

There are health risks too. For all dogs, regardless of sex, sterilisation done the traditional way - with the removal of the ovaries or testicles - sends the animal into early menopause. Negative side effects include weight gain and mild osteoporosis. But many of these side effects can be treated, said Dr Ly, who supports sterilisation for dogs 'at risk of mating'.

The AVA will be in discussion with various groups, including pet owners, vets and animal welfare groups, on the proposed regulations. It has also proposed compulsory tagging of locally bred dogs with traceable microchips and increasing the penalties for those who do not license their dogs, to help reduce unwanted litter and deter pet abandonment.

The Straits Times Forum Online 5 Dec 05
Campaign to sterilise stray dogs
Letter from Christina Kwan (Ms)

I APPLAUD the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) for championing pet sterilisation in a card it sent recently. It offered pet owners who had their dogs licensed discounts if they sterilised their dogs at the various pet clinics listed.

I wonder if the AVA can work with animal organisations and pet clinics to champion an islandwide programme to sterilise strays. This will improve animal welfare as all dogs will be neutered or spayed at the same time to promote sterilisation as a more benign approach than culling.

Most important, it will reduce the stray population in years to come.

Christina Kwan (Ms)

The Straits Times Forum Online 10 Dec 05
Not practical to replace culling with sterilisation

I THANK Ms Christina Kwan for her letter, 'Campaign to sterilise stray dogs' (ST, Dec 5), and her heartening comments on the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority (AVA)'s efforts in championing pet sterilisation.

We appreciate Ms Kwan's suggestion for a nationwide campaign to sterilise stray dogs.

However, as the stray-dog problem is complex and multifactorial, it is not practical to replace the current practice of culling strays with sterilisation as the sole means of controlling the stray-animal population.

Moreover, stray dogs roaming in public places, whether sterilised or unsterilised, can cause nuisance and be a menace to the public. Hence, AVA encourages people wishing to improve the welfare of strays to get them sterilised and re-homed instead.

AVA adopts a multi-pronged approach in dealing with the stray-dog problem. Besides culling strays and promoting sterilisation through the proposed differential licensing fees for sterilised and unsterilised dogs to prevent unwanted litters, AVA also educates the public on responsible pet ownership.

AVA aims to inculcate in pet owners a commitment to care for their pets for life by raising their awareness of the responsibilities that come with pet ownership, and by equipping them with knowledge of how to care for their pets.

This would lead to a reduction in number of pets abandoned by owners and, consequently, a reduction in the stray-animal population.

Elaine Pong (Ms)
Senior Manager Corporate Communications
for Chief Executive Officer
Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority Ministry of National Development

Straits Times Forum Online 19 Dec 05
Sterilisation of strays did wonders in New York
Letter from Dr Tan Chek Wee

I REFER to the response by the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) ('Not practical to replace culling with sterilisation'; ST, Dec 10) to the letter by Ms Christina Kwan ('Campaign to sterilise stray dogs'; ST, Dec 5).

The welfare of strays should be a concern of the state as the cost of culling comes from the taxpayer and not just 'people wishing to improve the welfare of strays to get them sterilised and re-homed instead'.

Trap-sterilise-release is replacing the ineffective 'traditional' trap-to-kill of strays in many countries, from developing countries such as Sri Lanka to developed ones like the United States.

In New York, I am sure the stray dog problem is as complex and multifactorial as in Singapore, yet it manages to reduce the killing of strays with extensive sterilisation.

Perhaps the AVA can learn from its experience. In a report in the New York Times on Jan 1 this year, titled 'Fewer dogs and cats are astray, and fewer are killed in shelters', Ms Sabrina Tavernise wrote:

'Amid the flurry of year-end statistics, consider this one: New York City put fewer dogs and cats to death this year than in any year on record since the 1890s. 'City shelters put to death 23,684 dogs and cats in 2004, according to Animal Care and Control, the group that runs the city shelters. The figure, which accounts for killings through Dec 30, is down by about 17 per cent from last year, and by more than a third compared with 10 years ago.

'This year's drop was sharp, but not unexpected. The number of animals killed has been falling ever since the 1930s, when spaying and neutering started to become common practice in New York and stray populations began to decline, animal experts said.'

Animal welfarism is not an inherent part of Singaporean culture. Hence, an islandwide sterilisation programme cannot succeed if the task is entrusted to a small number of animal activists.

The AVA needs to play an active role in the provision of low-cost sterilisation facilities as well as the removal of the rule against adoption of local dogs as companions in HDB homes.

Dr Tan Chek Wee

Straits Times Forum Online 19 Dec 05
Review animal re-homing rules
Letter from Yeo Siew Chi

LIKE Ms Christina Kwan ('Campaign to sterilise stray dogs', ST, Dec 5), I too approve of efforts by the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) to offer pet licence discounts when pet owners sterilise their dogs at listed pet clinics. This incentive is a significant first step to reduce the problem of unnecessary over-population.

However, I urge the AVA to take this a step further by reviewing pet ownership rules which, together with lower sterilisation costs, can alleviate the problem of strays over-population, and hence the need to cull them.

Ms Elaine Pong said the AVA encourages people who want to improve the welfare of strays to get them sterilised and re-homed. Unfortunately, this has limited impact when one considers:

At least 70 per cent of the local population live in HDB flats Dogs of medium size and above are not permitted in HDB flats

Cats are not allowed as pets in HDB flats

In other words, I cannot own a pet if I live in an HDB flat because the rules prohibit me from doing so. This makes it difficult for strays to be fostered and looked after, let alone find a permanent home.

The authorities involved such as the AVA, Housing Board and Ministry of National Development should review these policies in today's context, rather than merely reiterate current policies.

AVA public education efforts on responsible pet ownership, though laudable, are targeted at people who own pets or are legally allowed to own them (which covers small-size toy dogs only), depending on their type of residence.

With next year the Year of the Dog, pet shops are poised to do a roaring trade in the sale of puppies. Pet shop owners must be monitored closely as they will contribute to the problem of animal abandonment.

I hope the AVA will make regular checks and, if necessary, impose stringent penalties on pet shop owners who sell newborn pets indiscriminately.

Yeo Siew Chi
links
More about the Responsible Pet Ownership roadshow 26-27 Nov 05 on Siva's habitatnews blog
Related articles on Singapore: animal release including pets and animal abuse
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