SPCA requests AVA to restrict import, breeding, sale of pedigree dogs

Channel NewsAsia 27 Feb 08;

SINGAPORE: The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) wrote to the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) last week to call for tighter restrictions on the import, breeding and sale of pedigree dogs.

Last year alone, the SPCA took in some 3,000 unwanted dogs, and more than half of them were pedigree dogs.

In its reply, AVA said it would not be appropriate to restrict the number and type of dogs imported, bred and sold. It, however, has to approve the type and number of dogs pet shops can sell.

It also pointed out in its reply that since last September, AVA has introduced several measures to discourage abandonment of pet dogs, which include compulsory microchipping and the introduction of a differential fee for sterilised and unsterilised pet dogs. There are also tighter controls on breeding dogs on dog farms.

Last year, the AVA impounded 2050 dogs.

Deirdre Moss, executive officer of SPCA, said: "We definitely have a surplus. And you know we are limited in the number of homes that can be found also. We have 250 dogs coming in every month, of which half are pedigree, and we have got 30 to 35 homes to adopt them."

SPCA figures indicated that the number of lost or unwanted pedigree dogs rose from 30 to 50 per cent over the past two years, and the most common reason cited when dogs are given to the society is that the owners have no time to look after them. - CNA/ac

1,521 pedigree dogs dumped
Carolyn Quek and April Chong, Straits Times 28 Feb 08;

SINGAPOREANS are dumping their pedigree dogs, once prized for their rarity, at an 'alarming' rate, according to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA).

More than half of the 3,002 unwanted dogs the society took in last year, or 1,521 animals, were purebreds.

According to the society's executive officer Deirdre Moss, purebreds made up a quarter of the unwanted dog population in the 1980s and grew to almost one-third in the 1990s.

The increase comes as more owners import pedigrees from outside the country.

Leading the pack of breeds that showed up at the society last year were golden retrievers and Jack Russell terriers.

The pedigree dogs the SPCA sees now are younger than before, with most being one to four years old, she said.

Not having the time to look after their pet was the most common reason owners cited for surrendering the animals, the SPCA said.

To curb the the increasing numbers of pedigree dogs being imported, bred and sold here, the SPCA had suggested that the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) restrict their supply.

But the AVA, in a response to the society, said it 'would not be appropriate' to restrict the number and type of dogs.

'We understand the SPCA's concerns but would like to reiterate that Singapore operates on a free market system,' said AVA's head of the centre for animal welfare and control, Mr Madhavan Kannan.

The SPCA warns against impulse pet purchases and urges potential pet owners to carefully consider the implications of dog ownership.

More abandon pedigree dogs
As number rises to alarming levels, SPCA calls for action
Leong Wee Keat, Today Online 28 Feb 08;

AS THE number of abandoned pedigree dogs shot up alarmingly last year, the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) has urged the authorities to tighten the import, commercial breeding and sale of such dogs.

Three years ago, about one in four lost and unwanted dogs was a purebred. This number rose to "alarming levels" last year, with one in two unwanted dogs a pedigreed. Overall, the SPCA received an average of 250 lost or unwanted dogs each month last year.

The trend shows no signs of abating. Last month, the SPCA received 125 lost and unwanted pedigreed dogs alone. Some reasons cited by owners giving up their canines included leaving the country, moving house, expecting a child and — a frequent excuse — no time to look after it.

In light of this, SPCA has written in to the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) asking for curbs to be placed on the import and commercial breeding or sale of pedigree dogs.

"It's time to take stock of the number being bred, sold and imported annually and to see if there are enough homes for them," SPCA executive officer Deirdre Moss told Today. "There is definitely a surplus (of pedigreed dogs) and too many people buying on the spur of the moment."

Another animal welfare group, Action for Singapore Dogs (ASD), supported SPCA's call. Over the last six months, ASD president Ricky Yeo said the society has seen a 20 to 30 per cent increase in pedigreed strays being picked up.

Even more worryingly, he notes, this trend means that the chances of rescued local mongrels being adopted have also eroded, as pedigreed dogs are seen as being "superior". At ASD, the adoption rate for pedigrees is on the rise, while that for mongrels has been slipping, said Mr Yeo.

An AVA spokesperson said the authority understands SPCA's concerns but reiterated that Singapore operates on "a free market system". He said: "It would not be appropriate to restrict the number and type of dogs imported or bred and sold commercially as long as the pet business is legal and complies with the regulations and applicable conditions."

With the revision of the Animals and Birds (Licensing and Control) Rule last September, the spokesperson said AVA has also introduced several measures — such as compulsory microchipping and introduction of a differential fee for sterilised and unsterilised pet dogs — to discourage abandonment. Tighter controls on breeding dog populations on dog farms were also put in place.

Ms Moss urged would-be owners to think long-term before getting a dog. "Dogs require a lot of attention, socialisation and training," she said. "Your part of the bargain also has to be fulfilled — you have to spend time with them and communicate with them. It is not unlike having a child."

Under the Animals and Birds Act, a person found guilty of abandonment of an animal could be fined up to $10,000 or jailed a year, or both.