Pet shop owners to attend classes

From Jan 2010, pet shop owners are required to attend a compulsory pet care and management course.

Shop owners will learn about regulatory requirements, animal care and management, occupational health and safety, and business ethics and management.

The course will be conducted by Temasek Polytechnic and is supported by the Pet Enterprises and Traders Association and the Workforce Development Agency.

Training for the different pet retail sectors will be phased in, starting with those which sell dogs, cats and small mammals like rabbits and hamsters, Madam Ho Geok Ho, member of Parliament for the West Coast constituency announced on Sunday.

This new regulation comes on the heels of a call for increased regulation of pet grooming shops in Singapore.

A few months back, a Maltese terrier had died during routine grooming. A post-mortem on his dog located bleeding in the head, possibly from being struck.

Seven complaints of pets dying during grooming sessions were reported in the past year, the SPCA told The New Paper.

Under the Animals and Birds Act, any person found guilty of committing an act of animal cruelty can be fined up to $10,000 or jailed up to 12 months, or both.

In my humble opinion, not only should the pet shop owners be going for this training, but ALL staff who may work in the pet shop. After all, most owners aren't even in their own shops half the time, and even if they are they're not usually the ones responsible for caring and cleaning the pets in the store.

Also, I never knew there was a Pet Enterprises and Traders Association here in Singapore! When will they have a Society for Professional Pet Carers or something?!

Quarantine for certain countries lifted

FROM next January, dogs and cats imported from 10 areas with low rabies rates will no longer need quarantine.

These are: Hong Kong, Japan, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, and the United States' territories of Guam and Hawaii.

Currently, only pets from rabies-free countries Australia, Britain, Ireland and New Zealand do not need to be housed for at least 30 days in the Agri-food & Veterinary Authority's (AVA) Sembawang Animal Quarantine Station.

From next year, those from the rest of the United States will also have their quarantine period shortened to 10 days.

But they need to have lived in the low-risk areas for at least six months, be vaccinated against rabies and shown to have antibodies in their blood before being sent here - all new requirements.

Announcing the changes at an AVA roadshow on responsible pet ownership yesterday, Dr Mohamad Maliki Osman, Parliamentary Secretary for the Ministry of National Development, said: "With these risk-management measures in place, let me assure you that this waiver will not compromise Singapore's rabies-free status."

Singapore has been rabies-free since 1953. Spread via the saliva of infected animals, the viral disease kills all that it infects, unless they were vaccinated.

From January next year, the AVA will require operators of pet retail shops to attend a compulsory course on pet care and management at Temasek Polytechnic. This is meant to enhance the standards of pet shops here, Dr Maliki said.

This is good news!

I believe quarantine is really for the good of the country, but the quarantine conditions here are appalling and I'm happy that the pets coming from more countries will be spared the experience there.

We are still around :)

Sorry for the lack of posts, but I'm handicapped without a camera and entries would seem really sad without some photos of the cuties to go with them.

A lamb in a sweater

sounds like an oxymoron. But here goes:

A little girl & her pug

Isn't this just cute?!

Photo credits: Taken from missbossy on flickr.com.

A bulldog and 2 rascals

When you think of the name Bruno, you think of a big, macho man with bulging biceps, and then you think of this:

Yep, that fits the description alright! Bruno always happens to be falling asleep when I attempt to photograph him, haha... I was gonna take a photo of him playing with the pillow but he fell alseep while still bitingly firmly onto it!

He's a really sociable dog who gets all excited when he sees kids. It may be hard to imagine bulldogs doing this, but he wiggles his whole body when excited and then leans on you.

Next up, the 2 rascals!

Here's Chilli...

... here's Pepper...

And now, Chilli & Pepper!

These two make a lively pair, especially Chilli, who has all the gungho of a terrier! She's a real tomboy who can play endless rounds of fetch. If you hang onto the ball and refuse to throw it till she sits and salutes you, it's really cute to see how impatient she gets, ha. And the record speed at which she vacuums (yes, vacuum, not eat) her food is amazing - Dad has timed it at an average of about 7 seconds! She then runs to look for her brother to see if she can help vacuum his share too. Pepper is the manja half of the pair, and would much rather lie on your lap for pats than play ball. He's an overgrown Mini Schnauzer so he's much taller than average and it's really cute to see him walk with his long legs. On a sidenote, Dad and I marvel at how he can raise his leg at a 180 degree angle to pee, it looks like he flattens himself against the wall. Haha, really!

*Photos of Chilli and Pepper courtesy of their owners. ^_^

2 dogs and a cat

A few pets I pet sit and walk regularly...

Who's that cat at the window?

It's Yoshi, the cat with velvety fur, heheheh....

Preening...

Meant to catch him from a low angle but he kinda swayed towards the camera like this and stuck out his tongue afterwards!

Perfect cat pose.

Orion, who wags his tail when I come by but refuses to get up until I've given him some hugs and kisses.

I like how he always looks sleepy.

Focusing on his treat while on the Wait command...

... and I grab the chance to get a portrait of him. Heh. He gets compliments on his pretty ears all the time. :)

Say hi to Fuji! A scruffy little Silky Terrier whose face brings a smile to yours!

This 1.5 year old boy is always in the mood to play...

... and here he is disturbing my dad writing his diary entry.

Even while cuddling he still wants to play. Sometimes, when I've not seen him for awhile he'll come jumping for attention and whining with his toy still in his mouth. He thinks of nothing but playing, even with his leash on walks!