Ben & Anne lost. Or stolen?

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Ben


Anne



NOTICE

2 of our dogs are missing on Saturday evening, 13 Jan 2007, Jalan Kayu area.

BEN: Male. Big size. Brownish colour.
ANNE: Female. Medium size. Black and brown.

If you have seen them & know where they are now, or have any helpful information, please call 9090-8592 or 9026-2733 immediately.

We just want our dogs back. No questions asked.


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I have heard of cases where dogs are stolen from areas like farms/construction sites/factories when they are seen to be wearing collars and licence tags. In particular, licence tags. For the simple reason that there are people who want guard dogs on their premises but do not wish to spend money to get licence tags for the dogs. So they either steal the licence tags or even steal the dog itself.

I was quite skeptical till Ben and Anne disappeared on Sat. We have recently gotten licences for both of them, and yes, they were both wearing their licence tags.

Isn't it a dilemma?

Firstly, we are to comply with AVA regulations to prevent our local dogs from being culled unneccesarily. To do this, we spend time speaking with farm owners on the importance of sterilisation, microchipping and licensing. It is good advancement that some of them understand the situation and agreed to have their dogs licensed to spare them from culling.

Once the dogs are legally licenced, to protect them from being caught and killed, they have to be wearing their collars and licence tags.

However, this very act of wearing licence tags put them at another risk - the risk of being stolen by thieves who are eyeing their licence tags.

How can the authorities balance the need for regulations (to reduce further culling) and not compromise animal welfare - strays or otherwise?

* At the very root of it all - it is reducing further killing of strays that we should be targeting our efforts at, the authorities especially should be LEADING this effort.

Catching and culling of uncollared local dogs have been going on for years and years. And what improvements to the stray population has that done?

Even local dogs who have been sterilised, with their ears tipped, were caught. I guess simply cos they do not have on collars and AVA licence tags?

But in the reality of their environments out there, where everything is not nice and dandy, and not everyone has a good and clean heart for animals, not even some who appear interested in animal welfare, certain regulations CANNOT be implemented without compromising the very heart of ANIMAL WELFARE that the body is purporting to promote.

Collared and tagged dogs are easy targets for theft. And it also makes them easier targets to be caught by dubious characters (it is easier to hook the dog by the collar and drag them than if they are collar-less).

But not collaring and tagging them puts them at risk of being on death row.

Culling is an easy choice in the intricacies of stray management. It appears faster - out of sight, out of mind. It is comparatively cheaper and requires less efforts.

But the easy choice is usually not the right one.

Those with eyes are seeing this as plainly as daylight.