DUMPED... DURING SPRING CLEANING
The Newpaper, 7 Feb 2002

BY WEE LI-EN

For some people, festive spring-cleaning is a good time to clear away unwanted household items.

Including their pets.

For instance, 364 dogs were sent to the SPCA just before Chinese New Year in January 2001 while only 230 dogs were sent to the SPCA in September 2001.

Ms Deirdre Moss, the executive office of SPCA, offers an explanation.

She said, "When Singaporeans spring-clean their houses for the new year, they tend to throw out their pets too."

Yesterday, the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) took in four abandoned rabbits from the Bukit Batok Nature Park.

Ms Michelle Tatara, 42, a housewife, was walking her dog when she saw the rabbits and alerted SPCA.

She said: "I saw three white rabbits scattered around the children's playground and an open rabbit cage nearby.

"Their owner probably left them here with the cage door left opened."

A fourth rabbit was found in the bushes nearby.

More dogs and rabbits seem to be abandoned during the festive seasons, compared to other pets.

Why? Ms Moss offers an explanation: "Dogs require more attention and training compared to cats, for example.

"They also need more interaction with their owners.

"Rabbits have to be kept in very hygienic conditions because they are prone to developing skin diseases. In that sense, they also require a higher level of maintenance."

'NO TIME'

According to Ms Moss, the most common excuse that pet owners give for abandoning their pets is that they cannot find the time to look after the animals.

Mr Desmond Chua, manager of Ace of Pets, also confirmed that at his shop, sales of small pets have risen substantially over the past two years.

However, three out of every ten customers will return the pets.

Within a month.

He said: "When they return the pets, we will take them back to re-house them here."

MORE AND MORE PETS ARE ABANDONED

The number of unwanted animals is on the rise.

In 1998, the SPCA received an average of about 45 unwanted guinea pigs, rabbits and hamsters every month. However, just last year, the figure more than doubled to an average of 100 small animals every month.

Last month alone, the SPCA took in 115 small animals. About two-thirds of such unwanted animals are put down.

That means that if the trend continues, at least 800 small animals will die every year. Just because their owners could not take care of them.

If you wish to adopt a pet from the SPCA, call 287-5355 during office hours. The SPCA is closed on Thursdays.

SHOULD IRRESPONSIBLE OWNERS BE PUNISHED?

It isn't an offence to abandon pets but the Agri-food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) wants people to take better care of animals.

In 1994, the SPCA appealed to the authorities to include abandonment of animals as an offence in the Animal and Birds Act.

The matter is still being reviewed.

Should irresponsible pet owners be fined?

Mr Chua, manager of Ace of Pets, feels fines may be too heavy a penalty.

Disagreeing, Ms Lim Kai Jin, 19, who owns two dogs, wants pet owners to be fined if they ditch their pets.

She said: "The authorities should raise the prices of pets to limit the number of pets being sold. Also, people shouldn't buy pets as gifts because they won't know if the receiving parties are capable of taking good care of their pets."

Mrs Wong, 41, a housewife who owns four cats and a dog, had another suggestion.
She said: "Pet sellers should let their customers know the level of commitment expected of them when taking care of an animal. That way, customers can make an informed decision whether or not to buy the pet."

Miss Rebecca Lim, 19, who has owned dogs, rabbits and hamsters, feels that nothing much can be done about animal abandonment.

"Pet owners who dump their animals somewhere obviously don't have a heart," she said.
"Fines cannot give them a conscience."

Should something be done to limit the sale of pets, then?

When contacted, AVA said that the pet shop owners had to agree to a set of conditions, before they were issued licences to sell pets.

For example, the number of pets that can be sold in a shop is determined by the space area of the shop.

AVA would not say if there were regulations on the total number of pets being sold in Singapore. However, it reserves the right to decide the total number of licensed dogs which can be allowed at individual shops.

Also, each customer who buys a dog should be given a dog licence application form.