MP Louis Ng gets strong show of support for stricter rules on euthanising healthy dogs

• More than 2,100 people gave their views and responses on the issue of euthanising healthy pet dogs
• Almost all the recommendations put up by Member of Parliament Louis Ng drew support from at least 80 per cent of respondents
• Mr Ng is working on a report to be handed to the Ministry of National Development for further action
   

SINGAPORE — Member of Parliament (MP) Louis Ng on Tuesday (June 23) said that more than 2,100 people had responded to his request for public input on the issue of euthanising healthy pet dogs, with most supporting his call for stricter guidelines.

Mr Ng, the MP for Nee Soon Group Representation Constituency (GRC), said in a Facebook post that he and his team had worked with veterinary surgeons, animal welfare groups and animal trainers to come up with the recommendations.

One recommendation suggests that prospective dog owners be required to complete an online course on issues such as dog behaviour and temperament before buying or adopting a dog.

Another would require that before veterinarians carry out a request to euthanise an animal, they have to ascertain if a healthy dog was adopted, or if an adoption agreement requiring the dog’s return existed.

Euthanising a pet dog is a process whereby a vet is asked by the animal's owner to kill it, while under sedation, in accordance with the law.

Mr Ng added that his office is now working on a report which will be submitted to the Ministry of National Development. The report, including more than 8,000 comments from those offering input, will also be made public.

Mr Ng — who founded animal welfare charity Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (Acres) in 2001— launched the public consultation on his Facebook page on June 7 and encouraged the public to offer views on his plan for stricter euthanasia regulations.

This came after the euthanising of a young male dog named Loki raised the ire of many online users and sparked a debate on the adequacy of such regulations.

RESPONSES ON FACEBOOK

Titled "An end to convenience euthanasia?", the Facebook post outlined the 16 recommendations, which each attracted more than 2,000 responses. Respondents were required to indicate their opinion of each recommendation by choosing one of five options, which ranged from "strongly agree" to "strongly disagree".

All 16 recommendations drew support from a majority of the respondents, with some getting overwhelming support.

Recommendation: Owners of healthy dogs should be required to make documented attempts to rehome their dogs before considering euthanasia.

• 93.5 per cent voted "strongly agree" or "agree"

• 6.5 per cent voted "neutral", "disagree" or "strongly disagree"

Recommendation: The Code of Animal Welfare should be expanded to include procedures the dog owner must comply with when requesting the euthanasia of a healthy dog.

• 93 per cent voted "strongly agree" or "agree"

• 7 per cent voted "neutral", "disagree" or "strongly disagree"

Some recommendations achieved less emphatic responses.

Recommendation: All dog owners should be required to send their pet dogs for a basic obedience course within a stipulated time-frame after purchase or adoption.

• 62.9 per cent voted "strongly agree" or "agree"

• 26.4 per cent voted "neutral"

• 10.7 per cent voted "disagree" or "strongly disagree"

In all, 14 out of 16 of the recommendations drew support from at least 80 per cent of respondents.

In his post, Mr Ng thanked respondents for sharing their views and offering suggestions about the recommendations, acknowledging the need to “refine and improve the recommendations”.

'REAL SOLUTIONS' NEEDED, VET SAYS

On Tuesday, a prominent veterinarian, Dr Chow Hao Ting, chimed in on the subject in a Facebook post. Dr Chow is listed as the honorary treasurer of the Singapore Veterinary Association on the association’s website.

He canvassed several options for dealing with healthy but unwanted pet dogs displaying aggressive tendencies, such as letting them loose in the wild, providing a sanctuary for them and submitting them to behaviour modification courses.

He said that pet dogs used to human care could not cope in the wild, that Singapore had limited space for providing a sanctuary and that behaviour modification programmes faced funding challenges, as well as questions over how long a problem dog should undergo such a programme if it displayed no signs of improvement.

Dr Chow said that euthanising dogs under sedation was an option only after the rigorous assessment of the animal’s behaviour. He added that this was “widely accepted” in countries such as Australia, Britain and the United States in the case of aggressive dogs.

“This is a real problem affecting real people. And we all need to work together to find real solutions,’’ he wrote.