Date: 21 May 2007

To AVA:

We are aware that the AVA has sent letters informing farm owners of the stray dogs situation at their farms in PR farmway.

In the letter, it is stated that 'any dogs found in a premise is deemed to be owned by the occupier/owner of the premise' and it asks the owner to license the dogs to avoid a fine. It also state that 'action will be taken against a licensee if dogs are found kept in premises without valid licences'.

Most of the dogs around farm areas are not owned by anyone in particular. They are strays. In fact, your officers would understand the difficulty in getting farm owners to take up legal ownership of the dogs by applying and renewing licences annually as most of the dogs are not their dogs in the sense that a home owner's dog is his/her dog.

In most cases, many of these dogs will be deemed as strays, and thus they are subject to being caught and culled.

Your officers will also be aware that animal welfare volunteers have been on the streets helping with stray population control by catching and sterilising strays with own expenses or public donations. However, we are able to catch the friendlier ones, leaving the more wary ones at loose.

We noted that the letter ended off by saying, "If you have any unwanted dogs, please contact our office for collection".

Looking at the situation, we hereby request for AVA's expertise to help us catch the more wary dogs that have escaped us, as we do not have the expertise nor the proper equipment and techniques that AVA team has. With your cooperation and expertise, AVA will be able to reach the dogs while we, on our part, will raise public funds to have the dogs sterilised and returned to their communities. And after that, advise the farm owners to license the dogs, while taking into account that many may not accede.

But the more important and pressing issue here is to help AVA with your mission in stray population control, and to do it together, in a humane way.

We look forward to working with your team of dog catchers.

Thank you.

__________________________________________

Date: 6 June 2007

From: AVA

Thank you for your emails of 25 and 21 May 07.

We had written to the farms because some of them were found harbouring and feeding stray dogs. This compounded the stray dog problem in the farm areas as the dogs multiplied.

We are asking the farms to be responsible and to apply for dog licences and confine the dogs properly if they want to take care of the stray dogs.

However, if they have stray dogs that they cannot take care, they can surrender them to AVA.

As you are aware stray dogs that are wary of strangers are very difficult to catch. However ,with the farms' help, stray dogs in the farm areas can be reduced.

We would suggest that you approach the farms for assistance with your sterilisation programme. However, we would like to remind you that sterilised stray dogs must not be put back on the streets. They should placed in suitable homes and licensed.

Thank you for your concern for the dogs. You may call me if you wish to seek further clarification.

_______________________________________________

Date: 13 June 2007

To: AVA

Thanks for your reply. However, you missed out in your reply on our request for a meeting.

1. We are all aware many of the dogs around farms do not exactly 'belong' to anyone.
2. Yes, unsterilised dogs breed and add onto the existing number of dogs.

3. There are various reasons why these dogs are not sterilised and licenced:

a) the farm owners do not take legal ownership of these dogs
b) they cannot afford the expenses in sterilisation and licensing
c) some of the dogs cannot be caught for sterilisation, not even by the farm owners

4. Confining dogs: It is difficult to confine dogs on farm areas, especially when many farms do not have enclosed boundaries nor gates. The alternative of chaining/caging the dogs the whole day is also not humanely feasible.

5. Approaching farm owners for help: For reasons stated in point 3, farm owners are unable to help, which is why we are approaching the AVA for help, with your expertise & experience.

6. Is culling the sole means of AVA's stray population control? Or does AVA set aside funds and manpower to assist the public in catching & sterilising these strays? If not, would AVA consider doing this?

7. We acknowledge AVA's efforts and finances spent on education. However, education alone, with no immediate help on ground level to rectify stray issues, and also no strict laws and penalty on abandonment and illegal breeding, will drag the resolution of current issues. * As in the recent case of Junior and Ginne, ( found all the way in Punggol from their home in Bkt Timah and Punggol being where Ginne was adopted), but due to no concrete evidence, no charge of abandonment was made to the family, which sends a negative message to the public that they can easily get away with abandonment. And the illegal breeding of bulldogs on Pasir Ris Farmway 1, with all bulldogs seemingly adopted after investigation was made.

8. Sterilised strays cannot be placed back on the streets: Opportunities of adoption for local breeds in Singapore is very low, with so many dogs (small breeds included) for adoption in SPCA, ASD etc. For lack of homes, where should the sterilised strays be placed then? If boarding shelters is the answer, from where will the finances come from to pay for each sterilised dog in a shelter for the rest of his life?

9. If a stray has been sterilised and ear-tipped, will he still be caught and culled?

10. Private dog catchers: We had hoped to work with AVA as we believe your team of dog catchers are well-trained to capture strays in a humane manner. However, if AVA is unable to assist in this area, please provide us a list of AVA-approved dog catchers / pest control companies whom we can engage, those that AVA is assured of their skills and treatment of animals. We will then raise funds from public to pay for this service.


For the past years we spent on the streets, looking at our stray issue, the solution is beyond small groups of volunteers, both in terms of manpower and finances. Now, lay public are putting in time and their own money to catch, transport, sterilise, licence our strays just to give them a legal lease of life.

Ironically, we are a small island, manageable if actions are taken on a large and supportive scale. My personal opinion: in a gracious society, culling should be the final option after all possible solutions are taken in hand and given the efforts and financial commitment to see them through. I am certain, with AVA's support in a nationwide sterilisation program, you will see much support coming towards you from our people. We just need you to lead the way.

On our end, we will continue to:

- try to catch those strays that we can reach
- raise funds from public to pay for their sterilisation expenses
- raise funds from public to pay for boarding of abandoned dogs/dogs hurt from catching process by dog catchers
- report cases of illegal breeding/abandonment to the AVA.

There may be areas in which we are not clear about on AVA's responsibilities and ability to assist in this stray control issue. We will be most appreciative if you could advise us accordingly.

Thank you