Sterilised pet dogs in Singapore will the option of a life-long license by the end of 2020, in lieu of the three-year licensing option.

This was announced by Sun Xueling, Senior Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of National Development, during the Committee of Supply debates on Mar. 4.

"With one-time licensing, owners of sterilised dogs only need to apply to NParks for a licence once, instead of having to repeatedly renew their licence upon expiry. The licence, with a one-time fee of $35, will be valid throughout the life of the dog," she said.

Currently, license for dogs have to be renewed every one to three years, with the following fees involved:

For one-time licensing, these are proposed fees:

According to Sun, dog owners could potentially save over S$800 in licence fees should they opt for a one-time licence instead of an annual license.

"We hope that this will encourage more owners to sterilise and license their pet dogs. For existing owners with three-year licences for sterilised dogs, you will be happy to hear that your licences will automatically be changed to a one-time licence," she adds.

The Animal & Veterinary Service (AVS) will continue to provide the option for a one-year and two-year licence, to provide flexibility to owners.

Traceability

All dogs must be licensed under the Animals and Birds (Dog Licensing and Control) Rules.

AVS states that this is for traceability in the event of an outbreak in disease, such as rabies. In such instances, the licensee is expected to produce the dog for examination, if required.

The one-time licensing measure is under the Ministry of National Development's (MND) framework in safeguarding animal health and welfare.

Other measures, both new and existing, include:

• Reducing and rehoming the stray dog population (Trap-Neuter-Release-Manage programme)
• Working with the community to increase education and outreach efforts
• Regulating commercial breeders and boarders (new)
• Raising the standards of the veterinary profession (new)

Top image via SOSD on Facebook