Just went to pick up

Brothers

our 3 boys from tapioca farm. This is such a lovely pack. Goldie's children are all as endearing as her. Lovely.

Pretty effortless getting our 3 boys into the car. They settled down well, 2 of them curiously peering out the window while the other rested his head on my lap.

Mr Y from the farm is one of the few who understands the need to license dogs on farms as a way to safeguard them against being culled. The thing about strays is there is no way to ensure they are 'confined within the owner's premises' as stated in the AVA's licensing requirements. On farms like this, the main gates (if there are any) are left open all the time with vehicles coming in and out with goods and workers. No one has the luxury of time to monitor the farm dogs and most of the time, they are exploring and playing around the area on their own.

Most of them will not wander far unless there are females on heat. Then the boys (if unsterilised) will sure be off and far away, wherever the scent takes them. Which is why STERILISATION OF STRAYS is so very important. It not only reduces the number of puppies being born, it also provides a measure of safety for sterilised dogs as they will not tend to wander far off and end up being rounded up as strays.

If we identify and claim them back in time before they are killed, there would be impoundment fees (to claim them back), boarding fees (for the days they are kept at AVA premises), licence fees (if they are not licensed). In addition, there will be fees charges for straying.

AVA Licensing requirements
Applicants must comply with AVA's Conditions of Licensing. The dogs must be properly confined within the owner's premises. If the dogs are in a public place, they must be on leash and properly supervised and controlled. The penalty for failing to comply with the Rules is a maximum fine of up to S$500 upon conviction.

Claiming of impounded dogs and cats
To claim impounded dogs or cats, the following fees have to be paid:

- Impoundment fee: S$86 for dog / S$42 for cat
- Boarding fee: S$15 per day for both dog and cat
- Licence fee (for unlicensed dogs).

In addition, a composition amount of S$50 has to be paid for each of the following:

- If the dog was not licensed
- If the dog was straying

Thus, we cannot emphasise enough the importance of sterilising our strays. Instead of directing resources (manpower and finances) into catching and killing them, STERILISATION is the HUMANE means of stray population control.


"A Straits Times article, “Animal Instincts” (Jan 9, 2005), reported that there are an estimated 20,000 stray dogs and 60,000 stray cats roaming our streets currently. Last year, a total of 4,050 dogs and 6,131 cats were impounded and culled by the AVA, while 2,119 dogs and 5,271 cats were put to sleep by SPCA. Each month SPCA receives more than 1,000 stray or abandoned dogs, cats and other small animals, of which only 85 or so are adopted.

The authorities with the responsibility to control the stray population on our island are resorting to far less humane means - like culling (rounding up and killing of strays), which has proven ineffective in many countries in stray population control. It has scarcely made a dent in the number of strays for the past few decades, leaving un-captured and un-sterilized dogs and cats to add on to the stray population with uncontrolled births.

This survey focuses on stray dogs. It is an initiative towards seeking governmental and public support for an “Islandwide Sterilization Programme” (ISP) as a long-term, viable and humane plan to control the unceasingly constant, if not growing, number of stray dogs in Singapore. "

~ excerpt from our survey on Islandwide Sterilisation Programme