Responsible Pet Ownership Roadshow 2008

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December 2008
Issue 3
News
Responsible Pet Ownership Roadshow 2008
The AVA Responsible Pet Ownership (RPO) Roadshow 2008,
held from 7-9 November, attracted thousands of visitors.
We thank the schools and RPO ambassadors who came to
support the RPO Roadshow 2008. We hope you enjoyed the
event!
Congratulations to the following winners of the RPO Pocket
Calendar Design Competition 2008:
Name
School
Award
Here are some highlights:
S.Haresh
St. Anthony’s Pri Sch
Best Entry
Brian Leung
Rulang Pri Sch
Merit
Jenny Ma Junyi
St. Anthony’s Pri Sch
Merit
Lee An Qi
St. Anthony’s Pri Sch
Merit
Prudence Soh Jia Wen
St. Anthony’s Pri Sch
Merit
Yong Sher Yuan
St. Anthony’s Pri Sch
Merit
Category A (Primary 1 and 2)
Category B (Primary 3 and 4)
The entries of the RPO Pocket Calendar Design
Competition 2008 were displayed at the roadshow.
Four of the entries were made into pocket calendars
that were given out at the roadshow.
The pocket calendars will also be distributed to schools
and the public in December.
Name
School
Award
Toh Xin Li
Greenwood Pri Sch
Best Entry
Charlotte Loke
Woodlands Ring Pri Sch
Merit
Jezper Chong
East View Pri Sch
Merit
Lee Li Xuan
Poi Ching Pri Sch
Merit
Oscar Lim Zhihong
Rulang Pri Sch
Merit
Yang Yu Xiu
Rulang Pri Sch
Merit
Category C (Primary 5 and 6)
Name
School
Award
Chia Xun Ming
Loyang Pri Sch
Best Entry
Araya Photirat
Loyang Pri Sch
Merit
Chen Lixin
Rulang Pri Sch
Merit
Nurul Syuhaidah
Woodlands Ring Pri Sch
Merit
Seow Wen Qi
Loyang Pri Sch
Merit
Zesna Aw Hwei Ching
Woodlands Ring Pri Sch
Merit
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News
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Re basAm
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Toh Xin Li from Greenwood Primary School, winner of
the best entry award in Category B (Primary 3 and 4)
being presented her prize by the Guest of Honour, Dr
Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman, Parliamentary Secretary
for National Development.
Ms Selina Sebastian, from the Society for Prevention
of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), giving a talk on stage
during the roadshow.
Celebrities Vivian Tan, Soo Kui Jien and Huang Wen
Hong interviewing the participants (including the
canine ones!) of the dog training demonstrations.
AVA veterinarian, Dr Audrey Chen, giving students an
informative briefing on how to be a Responsible Pet
Owner.
Students saying hello to one of the canine performers
of the dog training demonstrations.
Chew Na Lan, from Blangah Rise Primary School, taking
the pledge to take care of her pet hamster for the rest
of its life.
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Feature Article
Pet Corners
by Sherry Nee, RPO Public Education Committee, Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority
Having a Pet Corner may sound like a terrific teaching idea but
how about the animal welfare concerns and amount of
commitment needed for such a project?
What’s the problem with this picture?
1) Rabbits housed together can fight and seriously injure one another.
2) Corn and seeds are inappropriate for rabbits’ digestive systems.
Whilst the keeping of pets can teach responsibility and
respect, not all animal welfare professionals recommend
having pets at schools. The Royal Society for the Prevention
of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA), UK, states that it “strongly
discourages the keeping of animals in schools”. Sometimes, school pets serve no real purpose at the schools; are
wrongly cared for; and face uncertain1 futures. Through this,
children may learn just the opposite of the intended objective – that the pets’ welfare is not important and that they
are disposable.
The decision to start a pet corner should not be taken
lightly as it is a long-term project, requires much investment in terms of time and money, and involves the welfare
and lives of living things. Before your school starts a pet
corner or if it already has one, consider the below guidelines and suggestions to make the best of your pet corner
and keep animal welfare a priority.
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Plan and create clear lesson plans involving the animals
before starting the pet corner.
Providing exposure and handling experience are not sufficient reasons for having a pet corner as these often cannot
be sustained. If there is no clear purpose for having the
animals (e.g. lesson plans involving them), their presence
will offer meager benefit to the students and may even
prove detrimental. Often there are alternatives to having
pets in school, such as zoo or farm visits, or in-class discussions and projects. A bulletin board for posters, stories, art
projects, news clippings, etc. on pets may help the children
learn more than from a pet corner.
Assign a staff member/teacher to oversee the constant
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and long term care of the pet.
It is best to appoint a dedicated teacher (preferably two, in
case one is unavailable during certain periods) to ensure
the welfare of the pets. This teacher can then serve as a
good role model and pet care advisor to the students. If
school attendants/other staff are the primary caregivers,
the teacher should be in charge of supervising and thoroughly briefing them on the pets’ care, especially on points
such as proper diet, handling and recognizing health problems. Keeping in mind that the pet corner is a long-term
project, the teacher in charge will likely change over time.
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Ensure adequate care during periods such as exams
and holidays.
There is no holiday when it comes to pet care - they have to
be fed, protected from the elements of the weather and
monitored for health problems. Pets also need regular
interaction to be sociable. One solution is to have the
teacher in charge bring the pets home during these
periods. If the school attendants are tasked with the care of
the pets instead, the teacher should return periodically to
check on the pets.
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Feature Article
Appropriate housing, environmental conditions and a proper
diet are essential for healthy growth of a terrapin's shell.
Start a fund to cover the costs of maintaining the pet
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corner requirements.
The maintenance of a pet for the rest of its life will usually
far exceed the cost of the pet itself. Without sufficient
funds for needs such as a balanced diet and veterinary
fees, the pets’ welfare may be compromised. Veterinary
care is especially important for pets kept outdoors. If no
care is provided when the pets are sick, students may
become indifferent to or distraught at the pets' suffering.
Ideally, pets should also be checked by a veterinarian
before they are brought in to schools. Obtaining proper
veterinary care not only benefits the pets, it benefits the
students’ health as well.2 As pet care costs can be high, it is
advisable to start the fund at the onset, so that when the
pets require expensive veterinary attention or other necessities, there are sufficient funds to cover the cost.
Plan and create a suitable long-term habitat/living
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space for the pets.
Provide housing for the pets that can be easily kept clean
and that is well ventilated, comfortable and sheltered.
Ensure that the pets cannot escape – rabbits can dig holes
to go under fences – and that stray animals, such as cats,
cannot enter the enclosure. Pets like chinchillas require a
cool environment, preferably below 25°C, which therefore
precludes keeping them in an outdoor enclosure.
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Keep the pets for the rest of their lives.
Often, children find pets novel and interesting at first but
this wanes with time, and the pets may then become
neglected. Some pets are rather long lived and will need a
home for up to 8 years (rabbits) or even beyond 20 years
(terrapins). If there is no intention to keep the pet for its
entire life, it will probably pass on the message to children
that pets are temporary acquisitions or disposable objects.
It is not advisable to have students obtain a pet for a oneoff science project or similar, and expect the children to
take the pets home to care for after the project ends. The
pet corner should ideally teach the students to respect
pets/animals and that pets are not toys but are to be cared
for their entire lives.
Outdoor enclosures can become muddy in rainy weather.
Additional Considerations:
1. Prevent the pet corner (including ponds) from becoming
a dumping ground for the students’ unwanted pets (such
as rabbits, hamsters, terrapins). It should be made clear to
the students that abandonment is not tolerated and is in
fact, an offence. The punishment if convicted is up to one
year in jail and/or $10000 fine.
2. It is recommended that pets such as rabbits be brought
to the veterinarian’s to be sterilised for better health and to
prevent unwanted breeding. Cats that are allowed on the
school premises should also be sterilised. Male and female
hamsters/guinea pigs should be kept apart to avoid breeding.
3. Not all animals can be kept as pets. Animals that can be
kept as pets include dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, gerbils, mice, chinchillas, red-eared sliders (a type of
terrapin), and many types of fancy birds and fish. Out of
this list, not all animals are suitable for a school environment.
Under the Wild Animals & Birds Act, wild animals are
protected. It is illegal to catch or keep wild animals such as
snakes, lizards, hedgehogs, sugar gliders, monkeys and
star tortoises.
References:
1. Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
(RSPCA), United Kingdom:
http://www.rspca.org.uk/
2. Appendix D, Guidelines for Animals in School Settings,
Center for Disease Control (CDC), United States:
http://www.cdc.gov/MMWR/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5605a
5.htm
Other resources:
1. Animals in schools, New South Wales Department of
Education and Training, Australia:
http://www.schools.nsw.edu.au/animalsinschools/
2. Educational Resources, World Society for the Protection
of Animals：
http://www.wspa-international.org/educational.asp
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Feature Article
LABORATORY ANIMAL
WELFARE IN SINGAPORE
by Dr Leow Su Hua, Head, Laboratory Animal Welfare Branch, Agri-Food &
Veterinary Authority
As Singapore strives to be a knowledge-based economy, we have turned
to the biomedical sector as a growth engine. The use of animals is often an
integral part of biomedical research and thus we anticipate that more
animals will be used in research. If the use of animals is unavoidable, then
we need to ensure that it is done properly.
To ensure the humane treatment and use of animals in research, the
Animals and Birds (Care and Use of Animals for Scientific Purposes) Rules
was enacted in November 2004. This legislation requires any facility that
intends to use animals for scientific purposes to obtain a licence from AVA.
Issuance of this licence is subject to fulfilling requirements specified in the
Animals and Birds (Care and Use of Animals for Scientific Purposes) Rules.
These requirements include compliance with the Guidelines of the
National Advisory Committee for Laboratory Animal Research (NACLAR)
and inspection of its facilities by AVA.
NACLAR, set up by AVA in 2003, was responsible for developing the set of
Guidelines on the Care and Use of Animals for Scientific Purposes, which
established principles and guidelines governing care and use of animals
for scientific purposes and identify responsibilities of investigators and
research facilities using animals.
Under the NACLAR Guidelines, every institution is required to form a team
that will take overall responsibility for the oversight and evaluation of all
aspects of the institution’s animal care and use programme. This team is
termed the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) and is
responsible for advising the Institution CEO of the steps required to
maintain animal research facilities and to ensure that the programme
adheres to regulatory guidelines.
The NACLAR Guidelines were adapted from the best practices of countries
such as Australia, New Zealand and the U.S., and like the guidelines in
those countries, are based on the principle of the "3Rs" of animal use in
research: Replace, Reduce and Refine. All researchers must first make a
serious effort to replace the animals in their projects with non-animal
models or methods. If they must use animals, they should reduce the
number of animals to the minimum necessary for their experiments. In
addition, they must refine their research methods to minimise impact on
the animals.
We look forward to the time when the use of animals can be completely
eliminated from biomedical research. At the present time, this is not
possible if we wish to find effective therapies for serious illnesses such as
cancer in order to alleviate human suffering due to such illnesses.
While the use of laboratory animals in biomedical research is currently
unavoidable, it is the responsibility of the researchers to ensure that their
use of animals for research purposes follows internationally recognised
guidelines such as those issued by NACLAR.
The NACLAR guidelines can be accessed online at www.ava.gov.sg.
Animals and Birds Act
Since 1965, the Animals and Birds
Act dealt with acts of animal
cruelty. Section 42 makes it a
punishable offence to do any of
the following:
- Treat an animal cruelly.
- Cause or procure or permit any
animal to be used in such a
manner.
- Neglect to supply an animal with
sufficient food and water.
- Wantonly and unreasonably
doing or omitting to do any act,
cause any unnecessary pain or
suffering, or permit unnecessary
pain or suffering to any animal.
Under this Act, the penalty for
anyone found to be cruel to an
animal can be fined up to $10,000,
or imprisoned for up to 12 months
or both.
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Feature Article
Training Your Pet
Training may not be easy and will take up a lot of your time on a regular basis.
However, it can be an important part of responsible pet ownership as it not
only encourages your pet to behave in ways you expect or would like, it can
also help you bond with and understand your pet better. A well-trained pet
will also be easier to handle and care for and could thus be a lot more fun too.
Sometimes, training is required to correct undesirable behaviour.
Children may benefit from being involved in training the family pet through
learning more about the responsibilities of pet care and developing a greater
bond with the pet. Training requires commitment, dedication and patience
and thus is good training for the trainer too! Training can also give a great
sense of achievement and satisfaction when a command has been successfully taught to the pet.
In the following story, one young owner, 11 year-old Carilynne, shares her
experiences in training her Maltese dog, Snowie.
Snowie
by Carilynne Ng and the Singapore Kennel Club (SKC)
Before I got Snowie, I knew little about dogs. When I turned 10 last year,
my parents gave me a pleasant surprise by agreeing to have a pet puppy.
I was simply elated! We did some research and reading about puppies
and dog care before heading to the pet store. My preference was a
playful dog while my parents said it should not be too noisy.
It was love at first sight. Snowie was just a 3-month old female
Maltese puppy. She was shy but very clever. She was toilet-trained
and house-trained within 2 weeks.
Snowie has become part of our family and I simply
adore her! She is my playmate, my companion and
my cute, pretty, kissable fur ball. She greets me
with excited barks and a waggy tail at the door
after school. She likes my ‘stinky’ socks and
sometimes chews on my homework. She ‘tells’
me she loves me by licking my face.
Snowie’s presence cheers me up. I like to
groom her. Sometimes, Snowie is naughty
and does not like to be combed or groomed.
In a way, I have become more patient and
loving. I take her down for walks. Snowie
likes to sprint and although she is tiny, I
find it hard to match her pace.
When Snowie had been with us for
around a month, we went to a dog
show. I had a good time and saw many
different breeds of dogs. A segment I found

· Keep your expectations realistic. Some
types of pets, or some individual pets may
not be able to learn the tricks or commands
that you want so quickly or maybe not at
all. Respect your pet and make training
sessions fun for both of you.
· Different pets respond to different
training techniques. If you don’t see results,
it could be that you are not using the
correct technique.
· In general, choose a quiet place where
you and your pet can focus. Use rewards
such as play, praise or food to reinforce
positive behaviour i.e. when your pet has
performed the trick, command or desirable
behaviour (like going to the toilet in its
litter box), give a reward. Pretty soon, your
pet will understand that obeying the
command or performing that behaviour
will mean getting a reward.
· For more specific step by step instructions to different training techniques check
out training guides/books. A good way of
training a pet dog is to go to dog training
school with him/her.
· Always train with patience and love; you
should never lose your temper and hurt
your pet during training!
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Feature Article
really interesting was the Singapore Kennel Club (SKC)’s
demonstration on dog obedience and training. I was immediately impressed and signed up for their weekly basic class.
Dog Tricks. I have taught Snowie other tricks not taught by my
instructors, such as “Fetch”, “Paw”, “High-5” and “Over”
(jumping over my hula hoop). If anyone asks what was my
favourite dog trick, I would say kissing and hugging my dog
non-stop for 5 minutes!
Snowie’s first obedience course was SKC’s Puppy Fun
Program. It was like kindergarten level and I was excited and
even nervous. My instructor,
Diana, was always in smiles and
encouraged all new handlers to “ Snowie has become part
care and be responsible for our of my family and she is very
dogs both at home and in public. important to me.
Every
We learnt many activities on how morning, every night and
to bond with our new pets. As we
whenever I am free I would
progressed, we understood more
about dog behaviour. I realized play with her. I love my
that my dog though playful was not dog! ”
too sociable with other dogs.
After about 6 weeks of introduction to the ‘world’ of dogs,
Snowie progressed to her first formal obedience training, the
Good Canine Citizen (GCC) course. In this period, my dog
learnt how to respond to basic commands like Sit, Down,
Stand, Stay, Come.
Most pet handlers stop after GCC,
but my parents constantly
supported my passion in bonding
with Snowie. They readily agreed
to me continuing the courses with
SKC. My next course was PreNovice. This course is stricter in
nature and prepares the dog
handler and dog for obedience
show or competition. I have just
received my certificate for PreNovice. I cannot wait to attend
Novice Class. Sometimes I dream of my dog doing superduper tricks. Wow…
Snowie has become part of my family and she is very
important to me. Every morning, every night and whenever I
am free I would play with her. I love my dog!
My mother often takes me to the Library and we get tons of
books on nothing but dogs. She even bought a book on 101
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RPO Programme
Animal Moments at Blangah Rise Primary School
by Ms Jo Tan & Mdm Stephanie Song, Teachers, Blangah Rise Primary School
In Blangah Rise Primary School one special week every year is dedicated to learning about animals. Started by teacher
Ms Jo Tan five years ago, this initiative, called Animal Moments, is excitingly growing in significance for the school. The
main aim is to create awareness of animal issues such as animal abuse, sterilisation, proper care for pets and abandonment. Ms Jo Tan explains, “The rationale behind this programme is that while we work towards academic improvement
in our children, we want to build up their characters and by the latter, we mean that they learn Respect, Integrity, Selfdiscipline and Empathy. Through this programme, we hope pupils will learn to Respect the lesser
beings, demonstrate Integrity to do the right things for the animals
such as speaking up for them when they see that they are not properly
treated, Self-discipline to carry out the responsibilities of good pet
owners and also Empathy for the animals who suffer.”
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Each year, one animal issue is chosen as the focus of the programme. This
year’s theme was Responsible Pet Ownership and the activities conducted
included talks by AVA, SPCA and one of the teachers, who shared her
personal experiences on keeping pets and the responsibilities that came
with owning a pet. The students also participated in AVA’s RPO Pet Pal
Badge Programme. A fund raising for SPCA was also held at the end of the
week.
A large display board was also set up to showcase RPO information and
projects done by the pupils. One of the items featured on the board were
“Reflections”, for which students were given a picture of a real life
scenario, such as an image of kittens in a small cage, and were asked to
write down their thoughts and comments. Other pupils could then read
the “Reflections” of their schoolmates and respond on designated areas
of the board.
In addition, the lower primary pupils were given activity sheets and were asked to form simple sentences like “A pet is
for life”, “Don't buy me on impulse” etc. whilst the upper primary pupils were asked to complete the sentence "Responsible Pet Ownership means...". With these messages in mind, students created RPO posters, which will be submitted for
AVA’s RPO Pocket Calendar Design Competition.
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Q&A
Q: When would I need
to bring my pet to see
a veterinarian?
Pet owners have to be prepared to
bring pets to the veterinarian at least a few
times (if not many more) in the pet’s
lifetime. This means spending money for
the medical fees and taking time out
to bring the pet to the vet clinic – all
part and parcel of pet ownership.
Veterinary procedures for a pet
can run into the hundreds to the
thousands of dollars.
A:
New pet owners often wonder how to tell
when their pets need to be brought to the vet.
Sometimes it may not be obvious as some
animals hide their illnesses. The below lists four general
situations when veterinary attention is required.
a. For vaccinations
Vaccinations prevent pets from falling ill from contagious
and sometimes fatal diseases. Young dogs and cats are
given a series of vaccinations from about six weeks old to
help them develop resistance against certain serious
diseases. Your veterinarian will be able to advise you on the
type and frequency of vaccinations for your pet.
b. For check-ups
You may wish to bring your pet for a checkup when you
first bring it home and then annually thereafter to ensure
there’s nothing you’ve missed. Regular checkups are especially important as your pet gets older. As in humans, the
chances of things going wrong are higher as pets age.
c. For injuries/illnesses
As pets can’t talk, you need to learn how to tell if your pet
is sick by its behaviour and appearance. Some ofthe things
to look out for that may indicate illness include:
·－　Loss of appetite
－　Shortness of breath
－　Diarrhoea
－　Loss of fur
－　Lack of normal activity
－　Lameness
－　Fever/coughing/sneezing
－　Unusual/bad odour
－　Cuts/wounds/injuries
You know your pet best and when you see anything out of
the ordinary for your pet in terms of temperament, behaviour, appearance and personality, you may want to consult
your veterinarian as soon as possible.
d. For operations
Pets may need an operation if they have a condition that
requires it (eg infected womb, broken bone, tumour
growths, hip dislocation) or when they undergo routine
procedures such as sterilisation (removal of reproductive
organs to prevent unwanted litters, undesirable
behaviours and some health problems).
Editor: Sherry Nee
Design & Layout: Ahmad Hafiz
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