Dear readers,

The About section of this blog tells you something about us, our dog adoption story and why we started the blog. In a sense, I like to think that we are blogging the change with every post about our dog Donna.

You see, unlike in the United States where pit bull ownership seem to be the contentious issue, it is not so here. The reason is simple. Pit bulls are not allowed here unless one has a lot of spare cash and really wanted a pit bull. What we have here is a dog ownership landscape comprising mostly of toy and small-medium breeds suitable for people living in flats (the most predominant housing over here), and then some larger dog breeds for people in private or landed property. (Sydney has a post on 10 most popular Singapore dog breeds here.)

Coming back to local mongrels like Donna, they just don’t fit into the scheme of things here. They are not a known breed being mongrels and so they do not appear on the list of approved breeds for public housing. They are generally bigger and heavier than 15kg, which is the weight limit for unlisted dogs that could be approved for public housing on a case by case basis.

There are stray local mongrels that form packs in some areas of the country, namely forested and industrial areas. And because these are feral, not spayed or neutered, they eventually multiply enough to trouble the man on the street. Then the pest control is called in. Yes, the pest control.

Rehabilitating and rehoming dogs cannot be an easy task, let alone rehoming the local mongrel that is larger than most dogs the man in the street is comfortable to meet. A large poodle would be more of a rare novelty to gawk at, but a smaller local mongrel generally warrants a warning from parent to child that “that dog bites.”

So what change are we trying to blog here again? Mongrels for apartment dogs awareness of course! Smart, loyal, obedient and healthy!! IF you take the time to consistently train and care for it.

I would like to end this post by saying, look beyond the breed please. If you are considering buying or adopting a dog, see the dog for the individual that he is, his temperament and how well/keen you are to work with him to help him fit in your home before deciding if you can make the commitment for the long term.

Thank you for reading :)

P/S1There is an ongoing online petition for HDB homeowners to be able to keep a second dog through adoption, see here if you are interested.

P/S2 In case anyone is as curious as I was, these are some of the licensing requirements for the pit bull and 7 other dog breeds and their crosses in Singapore:

1. Dogs must be leashed and securely muzzled when in a public place…
4. The owner must take up an insurance policy for at least $100,000 coverage against injury to persons and damage to property
5. The owner must take up banker’s guarantee of $5,000
6. Any existing banker’s guarantee would be forfeited for non-compliance and the owner must take up a fresh banker’s guarantee of $5,000.
7. Newly licensed dogs must undergo obedience training

More information about the selected breeds requiring additional licensing here – http://www.ava.gov.sg/NR/rdonlyres/2FCF9F87-1FB1-49C8-A804-0611C26E95FA/18221/SummaryofAB_DoglicensingControl_Rules_15Nov2010.pdf

This post is inspired by Blog the Change.