AVA releases new dog licensing rules to improve traceability and discourage pet abandonment

AVA announced their plan to enhance the pet licensing regime, which aims to improve the traceability of pet canines in Singapore, discourage pet abandonment, and to help reunite lost dogs with their owners. Read on to find out about the new licensing rules that take effect in the first quarter of the year.

Darishini Thiyagarajan 02 February 2017

As of 1 March this year, pet businesses are to make sure that all dogs intended for sale are licensed by the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) before they are sold. These businesses were given time from November last year to prepare themselves for the change in regulations. Ms Jessica Kwo, Group Director of AVA’s Animal Management Group said: “We have received encouraging feedback thus far. Our stakeholders are receptive to, and are ready for this change.” According to some of these businesses, the change will help to reduce the amount of paperwork and help them keep track of their sources, which is very important for disease control.

Moreover, to ensure that the pet dogs stay licensed and traceable, pet businesses would have to transfer the ownership of these dogs to their new owners upon a sale. The transfer can be done via AVA’s online portal for pet licensing, also known as the Pet Animal Licensing System (PALS). To make it more convenient for dog farms and pet stores to comply with these new requirements, the businesses will be able to register multiple dogs that are intended for sale under a single dog license meant for group registrations. The licence fees will be charged according to the number of dogs intended for sale by the pet business. The requirements do not extend to shelters, though many already ensure adopted dogs are licensed. For example, the SPCA includes license registration, vaccination and sterilisation in their adoption fees.

This table shows the different charges for licenses according to the number of dogs registered:

The new regulations also include individual dog owners who sell or give away their dogs. These owners would have to inform AVA that they are no longer keeping their dogs with effect from the same date. They will also be required to provide AVA with the particulars of the dog’s new owners, which can be done via PALS.

In order to facilitate a comfortable transfer of ownership and licensing of dogs to new owners, AVA has made this feature available on PALS since January last year, to allow users to familiarise themselves with the system before the revisions are in effect. Those convicted of keeping an unlicensed dog face a fine of up to $5,000, while recalcitrant pet businesses may have their licences suspended or revoked, said the AVA.

More information about the revised licensing rules can be found here. You can take a look at the online licensing portal PALS, here. You can also call AVA on their 24-hour hotline at 1800 476 1600.