SINGAPORE: A dog breeder in Sungei Tengah was fined S$4,000 (US$3,100) on Friday (Jun 20) for regulatory breaches of terms and conditions for breeding dogs.  

Among these lapses, Lismore Pet Enterprise was convicted of failing to sterilise breeding dogs within six months of their retirement from breeding. 

Lismore Pet Enterprise is located at The Animal Lodge and was bound by regulations relating to breeding dogs as a licensed pet farm, the National Parks Board (NParks) said in court.

Officers from the Animal and Veterinary Services (AVS) found the contraventions when they inspected the company's premises at several units in two blocks on Nov 1, 2023.

During the inspection, AVS officers found kennels with multiple gaps and holes in the flooring that could trap feet or paws. 

Two kennels where three and five dogs were housed had multiple such gaps. This breached a condition that required flooring for dogs to be firm and safe.

In relation to the sterilisation of retired breeding dogs, in one instance, officers found a female Japanese spitz that was not sterilised despite being eight years and 11 months old. 

Lismore failed to sterilise the dog within six months after its retirement at the age of six. 

Apart from these lapses, the company failed to keep a register for the movement of dogs in its care. It did not have such a system, NParks said. 

Regulations require a licensee to maintain a register to record the movement of dogs to other premises such as homes, farms, pet shops and salons. 

In total, Lismore pleaded guilty to four charges, while another 22 charges of a similar nature were considered for sentencing. 

NParks sought a fine of S$6,000. 

Lismore's lawyer Victor David Lau said that his client's business had been one of the largest pet farms in Singapore for decades, having been in business for a long time.  

He added that Lismore has a clean record with no instances of animal cruelty. 

Since then, Lismore has taken steps to rectify its lapses, said Mr Lau. 

The company has had genuine reasons for failing to comply with some regulations, said Mr Lau, adding that Lismore's usual supplier of flooring was no longer in business, resulting in a delay in procuring replacements.