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  Today Online 7 Aug 07
A tighter leash on dog owners
Compulsory microchipping, stiffer fines for unleashed, unlicensed dogs next month
Lin Yanqin

Straits Times 7 Aug 07
No dog licence? Fine: Up to $5,000
Chip implant part of new rules from Sept to curb irresponsible pet ownership
By Tania Tan

Channel NewsAsia 6 Aug 07
New AVA rule calls for dogs to be microchipped before licenses issued

Channel NewsAsia 6 Aug 07
New rules to hound irresponsible dog owners

SINGAPORE: High tech hounds will roam Singapore come 1st September. The Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority (AVA) in revising the Animals and Birds(Dog Licensing and Control) Rules will make it compulsory for each dog that is licensed from next month, to receive an ISO compliant microchip.

This is to manage the dog population as it will discourage pet abandonment.

New dog owners when getting a license for the canine must submit documentary proof from a veterinarian to show that the dog has been microchipped.

According to the AVA, microchipping is a more effective and permanent identification system than dog badges. It is also a more reliable way to ensure traceability in the event of a health outbreak and at the same time, it would also help AVA to trace and return lost dogs to owners.

Dogs that have been licensed before 1st September will be exempt from the requirement, but owners are being encouraged to have their dogs microchipped nonetheless. The microchipping can be done at any veterinary clinic and costs from S$40 to S$80.

To control the canine population, the AVA has also changed the annual licence fee, setting it at S$70 for all unsterilised dogs, and S$14 for sterilised dogs.

As all dogs above 3 months of age must be licensed, the fine for people who keep unlicensed dogs will be raised.

Responsible pet ownership will also be reinforced with the maximum fine raised from S$500 to S$5,000, on people who allow their dogs to stray or who do not muzzle dogs that are required to be muzzled when in public (eg. the Rottweiller or Mastiff). Repeat offenders may be fined up to S$10,000. - CNA/sf

Channel NewsAsia 6 Aug 07
New AVA rule calls for dogs to be microchipped before licenses issued

SINGAPORE: The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) has announced, starting September 1, a dog must first be microchipped before its owner is issued a license.

All new dog owners must submit documentary proofs from veterinarians to show that their dogs have been microchipped. Dogs that are licensed before September 1, 2007 will be exempt, but owners are strongly encouraged to have their dogs microchipped for better traceability.

The cost of microchip insertion ranges from S$40 to S$80, and most dog owners believed it is a small price to pay for the peace of mind the chip provides.

"I'm actually very scared of losing my dog. So in case I lose it, I can actually try to look (for it) and probably people will not put it to sleep, thinking that it's a stray dog,” said Cleo Tay, owner of a two-year-old dog.

The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) also welcomed the new regulation by AVA.

According to SPCA, out of the 80 to 90 dogs it takes in every month, less than half are claimed by their owners. It believed the chips would help cut the number of cases of abandoned dogs.

"A lot of them are pedigree dogs too, and many of them are not claimed back. There's no identification on them. So if dogs are being microchipped, it certainly will help us in tracing the owners," said Deirdre Moss, Executive Officer of SPCA. - CNA/ac

Straits Times 7 Aug 07
No dog licence? Fine: Up to $5,000
Chip implant part of new rules from Sept to curb irresponsible pet ownership
By Tania Tan

LETTING Fido run free without a licence gets more costly from next month - fines can reach $5,000, a tenfold increase from the previous $500 maximum. Also from Sept 1, each dog must be implanted with a microchip, which allows it to be traced back to its owner.

These measures are part of a slew of changes unveiled yesterday by the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) to curb irresponsible pet ownership.

The AVA receives about 3,000 complaints about stray dogs each year. Many of these canines have been abandoned.

With a dog population of more than 47,000 here, licensing is a critical way of making sure that owners are accountable for their pets, said the AVA. Any dog more than three months old must be licensed.

It is not known how many unlicensed dogs there are here.

Among the other measures from next month: Owners will pay an annual fee of $70 for an unsterilised dog. Previously, they paid $14 for all males and sterilised females but $70 for unsterilised females. The AVA noted that unsterilised male and female dogs are 'equally responsible' for breeding.

The new rules also affect Singapore's 10 dog-breeding farms. For the first time, all dogs bred on these farms will have to be licensed with 'group licences', with breeders having to pay up to $3,500 annually if they have over 300 dogs on their premises.

Microchips will also play a big role in reducing the number of abandoned dogs. Dogs licensed after Sept 1 will have to be implanted with a microchip - a tiny electronic tracking device which is fitted under the animal's skin. Such chips allow for failsafe identification of lost or runaway dogs.

These chips must also be ISO compliant, said the AVA. This means that only microchips given an international standard of approval will be allowed. AVA's decision on microchipping puts local pet owners on par with their counterparts in New Zealand and Portugal, where microchipping is compulsory.

The measures come as good news to animal welfare organisations such as the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), which hope that they will make irresponsible owners think twice before dumping their pet, or buying one in the first place.

Last year, SPCA received 9,706 unwanted animals, with man's best friend making up 2,727 of the total, said executive officer Deirdre Moss. Of these, about 700 were pedigree breeds which were at one time pets. Many suffer from neglect, she said. Fewer than one in five finds a new home. The rest are put to sleep.

Said Miss Moss: 'It's a difficult choice, but sometimes we have to make it.'

Today Online 7 Aug 07
A tighter leash on dog owners
Compulsory microchipping, stiffer fines for unleashed, unlicensed dogs next month
Lin Yanqin yanqin@mediacorp.com.sg

Keep that dog licensed, leashed and muzzled, or be prepared for penalties with ten-fold more bite.

From Sept 1, dog owners may be fined up to $5,000, instead of the current maximum of $500, if they do not license their dogs, put a leash on them or — if its a so-called "dangerous breed" such as pit bull, mastiff, Doberman, German shepherd or Rottweiler — muzzle them in public spaces. Repeat offenders of the muzzle rule could be fined up to $10,000.

The new regulations are being introduced by the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) to manage the canine population and encourage responsible pet ownership.

While rules such as compulsory microchipping may cheer animal activists, the enhanced penalties and licensing fees have stirred some disgruntlement.

"It's prejudiced against certain breeds and not fair to responsible dog owners who train their dogs well to be obedient, and allow them to socialise," said Mr Rajvinder Singh, a financial planner who has kept Dobermans for 20 years.

Dogs not required to be muzzled by law, he pointed out, are just as likely to bite. "Some smaller dogs, like schnauzers, are aggressive and may bite people if their owners don't control them," he said. "They should just punish irresponsible dog owners."

The steep fine will keep Mr Ronald Rajan, who has a German shepherd, from flouting the muzzle rule. But he sees no need for it.

"Has there been any serious attacks here lately?"

While the AVA has not noticed an increase in attacks from such dogs, a spokesperson said: "The maximum fine is to deter owners of such dogs from acting irresponsibly."

All dogs that are licensed from Sept 1 will also have to be implanted with microchips, making it easier to track down their owners if they are lost or abandoned.

This is a move that animal activists have called for to discourage pet dumping.

But Action for Singapore Dogs president Ricky Yeo stresses that enforcement is necessary. "I would say only one-third of the dogs in Singapore are licensed. Even though the rule is that dogs have to be licensed at the point of sale, pet-shop owners don't usually follow that. Conscientious owners do so on their own," Mr Yeo said.

A group licence fee will be introduced for those who keep dogs on registered farms for breeding, boarding and training, and the amount will vary between $650 and $3,500, depending on the number of pets. Owners who board more than three dogs also have to pay a licence fee of $175 per dog for the fourth and subsequent dogs.

But what of volunteer-run animal rescue groups that either have their own kennels or board them at commercial farms? Mr Yeo hopes such fees will be waived as "we are doing a public service".

In response to queries, the AVA said such groups can write in to appeal for a waiver.
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