Adoptions

Where is ASD located?
To keep overheads low, ASD does not have an office, but we do have an Adoption & Rescue Centre (ARC) in Lim Chu Kang  and also some kennels at The Animal Lodge in Sungei Tengah.

Where can we go to view the dogs up for adoption?
We have dogs at our 2 kennels in Lim Chu Kang and Sungei Tengah as well as with foster families located in different parts of Singapore. 

How can we view the dogs?
Interested adopters should first consider whether they are ready for a dog, then they should browse through our website and select the dogs they are interested in and fill in an Adoption Application Form. Viewings are strictly by appointment.

What is the procedure for adoption?
Our adoption procedure is fully explained in the "Adoption Procedure" section under "Adopt" (top yellow bar) on our website.

What are the conditions for adoption?
Adoptors must sign an adoption agreement which serves to protect the dog against malnutrition and abuse, and vaccination and sterilisation is mandatory and at the adoptor’s expense unless the dog has already undergone such procedures.

What is a bonding session?
A bonding session is an interaction session between the adoptor and the adoptee and takes place at the foster parent’s home. This is to gauge the chemistry between the potential adoptor and adoptee.

Are there any charges for adoption?
There is a token adoption fee to defray the costs of rescues and initial medical treatment. 

What is meant by the term local breed?
The local breed dog aka Singapore Special is a mixture of many breeds such that there is no distinct pedigree appearance. They have evolved over many generations and are very aclimatised to our environment, highly intelligent and very hardy. 

How can I help as a volunteer?
There are many areas of help that you can be involved in. Please refer to the "Volunteer" section for more details. 

Can you help pick up a stray that I saw recently?
We are a small group of volunteers and do not have the resources to answer to every call. As space resources are limited, once they are full, we cannot take in anymore unless some of the dogs are adopted. Our mode of operation is more of a collaborative one, where the rescuer has to help us hold the dog temporarily, then we can start the rehoming process.

I would like to give up my dog, can you help rehome him?
Our philosophy has always been ‘A Dog for Life’ and we advocate a philosophy of responsible pet ownership for the duration of your dog’s life.

Almost all problems have solutions and it really up to the owner’s mindset to work out the issues. We do not qualify reasons like ‘No time’, ‘Moving house’, ‘Having a baby’, ‘Financial woes’, ‘Dog too old’, ‘Maid is leaving’ or similar premises as genuine.

If you are experiencing behavioural issues with your dog, we have very effective classes and consultations which which will help you manage and resolve the issues.

We’d like to stress the point that it is a very traumatic experience for a dog to be separated from its owners after a period of time, and it may cause the dog to alter its personality. We urge everyone to work to overcome the problems and not take the easy way out. 

If you are open to working out the issues so that you can continue keeping your dog, you can email us at info@asdsingapore.com and we will do our best to help you come up with solutions to overcome the problems. 

If you adamant in giving up your dog, these are some of your alternatives :
- Contact other animal welfare organizations
– Check with your friends and relatives to see if they will like to adopt your dog
– Put up posters in the more than 700 pet shops, groomers, vets around Singapore
– Put up ads in the e-classifieds or the classified ads in the newspaper
– Put your dog in commercial boarding kennels

Do not abandon your dog, as he has become domesitcated and will lose the instinct to forage. Abandonment is also a crime punishable by law of a year’s jail and $10,000 fine.

Remember your dog is just like a child and should be treated as part of the family. Will you give up your child for any reason ?

Contributions

How can I be sure that my contribution will directly benefit the animals?
ASD’s financial accounts are audited yearly by a Certified Public Accountant and sent to the IRAS and ROS (Registry of Societies) for auditing as well. Society members get a copy of the annual report which details the financial operations of ASD for that year. The financial report also gives a breakdown of the expenses, and it can be seen that the majority of the expenses are spent on medical, boarding, transport which directly benefit the animals and costs like salaries, administrative expenses are kept to a minimum

What is the proportion of funds spent on salary and administrative costs?
As a guideline, we usually try to keep the salary and administrative costs to 1/3 or less of the total expenditure. This has been achieved for the past few years and is still continuing because all the administrative duties of running the society are done by volunteers

Do the ASD Committee get paid?
No, the ASD Committee of 10 members do not get paid. The regular pool of volunteers who help out at events and the centre also do not get paid. The administrative chores of running the society are distributed amongst the committee members who handle the duties on a fully volunteer basis

Who are the people in ASD who are paid?
At the moment, the caretakers of the Adoption & Rescue Centre in Lim Chu Kang as well as our kennels at The Animal Lodge are paid a salary as the amount of work required to look after the dogs requires full time personnel.

What is their salary structure like?
The salary policy of ASD is to pay a fair wage to be on par with the market and to allow us to retain talent which is difficult to come by in this area of work. At the end of the financial year, if there is a surplus of funds, the committee will decide on an adjustment based on the current market average, which is usually in the form of a one time bonus