Animals and Birds (Dog Licensing and Control) (Amendment) Rules 2010

No. S 686

Animals and Birds Act

(Chapter 7)

Animals and Birds (Dog Licensing and Control) (Amendment) Rules 2010

In exercise of the powers conferred by section 80 of the Animals and Birds Act, the Minister for National Development hereby makes the following Rules:

Citation and commencement

1. These Rules may be cited as the Animals and Birds (Dog Licensing and Control) (Amendment) Rules 2010 and shall come into operation on 15th November 2010.

Amendment of rule 2

2. Rule 2 of the Animals and Birds (Dog Licensing and Control) Rules (R 1) (referred to in these Rules as the principal Rules) is amended by deleting the words “ISO standards of the International Organization for Standardization” in the definition of “microchip” and substituting the words “standards of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO)”.

Amendment of rule 3

3. Rule 3 of the principal Rules is amended by inserting, immediately after paragraph (3), the following paragraphs:

“(4) No person shall keep more than one dog of any breed specified in the Second Schedule in any premises without the prior permission of the Director-General.

(5) The Director-General may grant permission under paragraph (4) for the keeping of more than one dog of any breed specified in the Second Schedule in any premises, subject to —

(a)	the imposition of additional conditions of the licence; and
(b)	the payment of the appropriate licence fee.

(6) Paragraph (4) shall not apply to any person who, immediately before 15th November 2010, holds valid licences for more than one dog of any breed specified in the Second Schedule for so long as those licences are not revoked or are renewed and not subsequently revoked.

(7) The issue of a licence in respect of a dog of any breed specified in the Second Schedule upon an application that is made pursuant to rule 4(8) less than 12 months after the expiry of the previous licence in respect of the same dog shall be deemed to be a renewal for the purposes of paragraph (6).”.

Amendment of rule 7

4. Rule 7 of the principal Rules is amended by inserting, immediately after paragraph (4), the following paragraph:

“(5) Where the address stated in the licence is the residential address of the licensee, and the licensee has made a report of the change of his residential address under section 8 of the National Registration Act (Cap. 201), he shall be deemed to have informed the Director-General of the change of his residential address in compliance with paragraph (4).”.

Amendment of rule 8

5. Rule 8 of the principal Rules is amended —

(a)

by deleting the words “(referred to in this rule as a specified dog)” in paragraph (1);

(b)

by deleting the word “and” at the end of paragraph (1)(c);

(c)

by deleting the full-stop at the end of sub-paragraph (d) of paragraph (1) and substituting the word “; and”, and by inserting immediately thereafter the following sub-paragraph:

“(e)	the licensee whose licence was obtained on or after 15th November 2010 shall subject his dog to undergo obedience training in a manner and within such period that may be determined by the Director-General.”; and

(d)

by deleting paragraphs (2) and (3) and substituting the following paragraphs:

“(2) Where a licensee owns or keeps any of the breeds of dogs specified in Part II of the Second Schedule, he shall comply with the following requirements:

(a)

the dog shall be implanted with a microchip;

(b)

the licensee shall have in force a policy of insurance approved by the Director-General for an amount of not less than $100,000 to cover any injury to persons or animals or damage to property that might be caused by the dog;

(c)

the licensee shall furnish to the Director-General security in the form of a banker’s guarantee for $2,000, which shall be forfeited if —

(i)	the licensee allows the dog to be in a public place otherwise than on a leash and securely fitted with a muzzle sufficient to prevent it from biting a person; or
(ii)	the dog is reported lost; and

(d)

the licensee whose licence was obtained on or after 15th November 2010 shall subject his dog to undergo obedience training in a manner and within such period that may be determined by the Director-General.

(3) The Director-General may, in his discretion, give a direction to any licensee who owns or keeps any dog that is not of a breed specified under the Second Schedule to comply with all or any of the requirements specified in paragraph (1) or (2).

(4) Any licensee who is given a direction by the Director-General under paragraph (3) shall comply with the direction.”.

New rule 8A

6. The principal Rules are amended by inserting, immediately after rule 8, the following rule:

“Dog bite cases

8A.—(1) Where a person makes a report to the Director-General that he was bitten by a dog, the Director-General may require the person to provide a medical report relating to his injury for the purposes of investigation.

(2) Where a person makes a report to the Director-General that an animal belonging to him or under his charge was bitten by a dog, the Director-General may require the person to provide a veterinary report relating to the animal’s injury for the purposes of investigation.

(3) The Director-General or an authorised officer may in writing direct the licensee of any dog that is reasonably believed to have bitten a person or another animal to deliver the dog as well as the whole or any sample of any article or substance which has been in contact therewith to an authorised examiner at a specified place and time.

(4) The Director-General may, having regard to all the circumstances of the case and the severity of the injury caused to any person or animal by a dog as a result of biting, in his discretion direct the licensee of the dog involved to —

(a)	comply with all or any of the requirements specified in rule 8(1) or (2); and
(b)	secure the premises where the dog is kept to prevent the escape of the dog from the premises.

(5) Any licensee who is given a direction by the Director-General under paragraph (3) or (4) shall comply with that direction.

(6) This rule shall apply only to cases of dog bites occurring on or after 15th November 2010.”.

Amendment of rule 9

7. Rule 9(1) of the principal Rules is amended by inserting, immediately after the words “otherwise than on a leash” in sub-paragraph (b), the words “and under the control of the person in charge of the dog at the time”.

Amendment of rule 12

8. Rule 12(3) of the principal Rules is amended by deleting the words “within 14 days of the notice” and substituting the words “within such period (which shall not be less than 7 days) as stipulated in the notice”.

Deletion of rule 15

9. Rule 15 of the principal Rules is deleted.

Deletion and substitution of rule 16

10. Rule 16 of the principal Rules is deleted and the following rule substituted therefor:

“Offences

16. Any person who contravenes rule 3(1), (2) or (4), 4(7), 6(1), 7(1) or (4), 8(1), (2) or (4), 8A(5), 11(2), 13(2) or 14(1) shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $5,000.”.

Amendment of First Schedule

11. The First Schedule to the principal Rules is amended —

(a)

by deleting the Schedule reference and substituting the following Schedule reference:

“Rule 5(1) and (2)”; and

(b)

by deleting Part I and substituting the following Part:

“Part I

Licence Fee for Dogs Other Than
in Dog Farms

1. For a dog below 5 months of age

$15 per annum

2. For a sterilised dog

$15 per annum

3. For a non-sterilised dog

$90 per annum

4. For a fourth or subsequent dog

$180 per annum.

”.

Amendment of Second Schedule

12. The Second Schedule to the principal Rules is amended —

(a)

by deleting the Schedule reference and substituting the following Schedule reference:

“Rules 3(4) and (5), 8(1), (2) and (3) and 9(1)(c)”;

(b)

by deleting item 8 of Part I and substituting the following items:

“8. Perro De Presa Canario

9. Crosses of 1 to 8.”; and

(c)

by deleting the words “Perro De Presa Canario,” in item 5 of Part II.

Transitional and savings provisions

13.—(1) A person who, immediately before 15th November 2010, holds a valid licence for a dog that is of a breed specified in Part II of the Second Schedule to the principal Rules, or any crosses thereof —

(a)	need not comply with the requirements in rule 8(2)(b), (c) or (d) of the principal Rules as amended by these Rules if, and only if, the licence remains in force or is renewed under the principal Rules; and
(b)	need not comply with the requirement in rule 8(2)(a) of the principal Rules as amended by these Rules while the licence remains in force and until such time when the licence is renewed under the principal Rules.

(2) Rule 9(1)(b) of the principal Rules as amended by these Rules shall apply only to dogs that are found in the circumstances referred to therein on or after 15th November 2010.

Made this 15th day of November 2010.

TAN TEE HOW

Permanent Secretary,
Ministry of National Development,
Singapore.

[ND 202/1-71 Vol. 13; AG/LLRD/SL/7/2010/2 Vol. 1]

(To be presented to Parliament under section 80(4) of the Animals and Birds Act).

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