Records on Death of Licensed Dogs at Dog Farms and Pet Shops in Past Three Years

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang asked the Minister for National Development for each year in the past three years (a) how many dogs have died while licensed to (i) dog farms and (ii) pet shops respectively; (b) how many of these dogs died as a result of euthanasia in these premises respectively; and (c) whether the Ministry will start collecting such data if it is not already doing so.

Mr Lawrence Wong: In 2019, dog farms and pet shops reported that 134 and 14 licensed dogs died at their establishments respectively. In 2018, the figures were 162 and 26 licensed dogs respectively. We do not have figures for 2017, as the requirement for these establishments to report deaths of licensed dogs in their care only came into effect then.

Currently, NParks does not require the establishments to provide information on the cause of death. NParks will look into this as part of its ongoing efforts to enhance traceability of animals, in order to protect public and animal health.