Where to get a pet

Once you have provided ample consideration that you can be a responsible pet owner, the next step is to decide where to get a pet.

Adopting a pet

You can give a homeless animal a second chance through adoption instead of purchasing from a pet shop. Animal welfare groups usually have a wide variety of pets for adoption. These pets have been sterilised, and screened for good behaviour before matching them with potential pet owners. If there are adoption fees, they go towards paying for medical needs, such as sterilisation, deworming and vaccination, and the administrative cost of the adoption.

Taking home an older pet dog or cat, you can potentially avoid undesirable surprises since its personality, size, and appearance are assured. You could also be saving some time and effort on training, as an older pet may already be toilet-trained.

Contact the animal welfare groups below to find out more about their adoption procedures:

Buying a Pet

Do some research and check on the reputation of the pet shop that you are intending to buy the pet from. You can do so by checking the pet shop grades and reading their reviews. Ensure that you get a healthy pet through legal means. Only patronise responsible pet shops which comply with the necessary welfare conditions (dog farms are not graded as they are not licensed as pet shops but are also required to comply to the conditions).

A healthy pet should be in good physical condition. Here are some signs of a healthy pet:

The animal looks healthy.

The animal stands and moves naturally and comfortably.
The animal's eyes, ears, and nose are free from excessive discharge.
The animal's coat appears clean, and there is no obvious hair loss.
The animal does not scratch or chew on itself excessively.
The animal is free from external parasites such as fleas and ticks.

Use the checklists below as a guide when choosing your pet:

Potential pet owners must be assessed by pet retailers on their suitability to care for a pet. This is done through a pre-sale screening process where both buyer and retailer complete the Pet Purchase Declaration (PPD) form. Those buying a dog will have to complete the online PPD via the Pet Animal Licensing System (PALS) when the retailer transfers ownership of the dog upon completion of the sale.