Liaw Wy-Cin, Straits Times 22 Dec 07;
IF THAT cute puppy in the pet shop looks good enough to buy as a gift for someone this season, consider this: It may end up dumped six months from now.
Animal welfare groups are bracing themselves to pick up what pet owners toss out once the novelty wears off and caring for a growing animal feels like drudgery.
The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) has been taking in about 40 per cent more dogs since licensing became costlier in September.
Last month, for example, it received 104 abandoned and lost dogs, up from 70 to 80 a month before new licensing costs kicked in.
Only 38 of the rescued dogs were claimed by their owners, said the society's executive officer, Ms Deirdre Moss.
She is also worried about the rising number of pedigree dogs the SPCA is taking in these days.
'In the past, about a third of the dogs we took in - whether they were lost, abandoned or surrendered by the owners - were pedigree ones,' she said.
'In the last couple of years, this has gone up to about half.'
Dogs of all breeds and sizes turn up, but the most common are Jack Russell terriers, huskies and golden retrievers.
Ms Moss fears that more impulse buying this season will result in more dumped pedigree dogs.
Sales go up 15 to 20 per cent during the Christmas season, said pet shop owner and assistant treasurer of the Pets Enterprise and Traders Association, Mr Patrick Loh, 32.
Explaining how cute pups may end up dumped, he said: 'Someone may get a dog as a gift for a friend. The friend takes it home and the parents do not like it, and then the friend will have to give it up.'
He felt not many pet sellers do prudent checks on buyers to find out who the pet is for and how the pet will be cared for.
The shops are anxious to sell because puppies lose their appeal once they hit six months old.
But those who buy can end up getting bored with their growing dog.
Ms Moss said: 'The reality of looking after a pet is very different from what they see in the pet shop. The dog is not going to remain small and cute and cannot remain cooped up in a cage.'
Besides campaigns by SPCA and the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore, the last line of defence may be the pet sellers themselves.
Mr Loh felt they could do more to check out their customers before they sell.
Pet shop owner Lo Pia Yong said she is not afraid to lose a sale and has turned away people shopping for gifts.
She usually asks who the pet is for. 'If they say it is a gift for the festive season, my guard goes up,' she said. 'If they say it's for a friend, I will talk to them more to make sure the animal will be accepted.'
Bank should not show puppies as 'impulse buy'
Letter from Tan Lay Khim (Ms), Straits Times Forum 28 Dec 07;
I REFER to the article, 'Think twice before buying puppies as festive gifts' (ST, Dec 22).
I am a UOB Platinum Lady's Card member and I would like to register my disgust with the current UOB credit card advertisement on TV with the tagline, 'Everything's a gift with UOB'.
For a respectable financial institution, it seems UOB has gone the way of callousness in suggesting it is perfectly fine to buy a cute pedigree puppy as a Christmas gift, along with other luxury items one can buy with a credit card.
For all the slickness and glamour of the advertisement, sadly, the main message it conveys is one of mindless consumerism that encourages the thoughtless act of buying a pet on impulse.
The power of advertising to influence buying decisions of consumers is very real.
I therefore share the concern of Ms Deirdre Moss, executive officer of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, 'that more impulse buying this season will result in more dumped pedigree dogs'.
I appeal to UOB to be circumspect in its choice of images to be used in its credit card advertisements. Tasteless ones like this not only tarnish the bank's image but are also socially irresponsible.
