Owning a dog is like owning a child, except you have to take care of it for its entire lifetime.
A child can take care of you once they have grown up. However, owning a dog is a lifetime commitment and their lifespan is about 20 years or less.
So before making any impulse decisions to buy or adopt a puppy, know you have to commit to it for 20 years.
TL;DR, Adopting a Dog VS Buying a Dog
Buying A Pet Dog
- Cost: At least S$1,000
We all know that this is going to cost us at least S$1,000. It does give us the freedom to choose our “dream dog” but whether or not the breeder is ethical or not, is a question for another day.
Try not to buy a dog as purebred dogs usually come with more health complications compared to a stray dog like a mongrel which is a chapalang breed.
*Chapalang is a Singlish slang mostly used for something randomly mixed.
Adopting A Pet Dog Instead
Adopting a dog is a popular suggestion when it comes to owning a pet dog.
Not only you are saving that dog’s life from it being put down (a.k.a. killed), you are also saving your pocket from the excessive price tag for purchasing a dog from a breeder.
Here are some places you can go to adopt a dog:
- Society for the Protection of Animals (SPCA)
- Animal Lovers League (ALL)
- Action for Singapore Dogs (ASD)
- Voices for Animals (VFA)
- Save Our Street Dogs (SOSD)
- Exclusively Mongrels
- Causes for Animals (CAS)
- Mutts ‘n’ Mittens
- Cat Welfare Society
- Project SOKS (Save Our Street Kittens)
- The Right to Live
You can even adopt your very own SNIFFER DOG (but retired) from the Singapore Police Force and Singapore Civil Defence Force K-9 units, and the SAF Military Working Dog Unit.
Even if you are living in HDB flat! Hooray to them!
Their Adoption Fees
Places to Adopt a Pet Adoption Fees Fees Cover
SPCA $180 (dogs) /
$80 to $100 (cats)-
Voices for Animals (VFA) $250 -
Causes for Animals (CAS) $250 [For Private Housing Dogs]
1 Vaccinations
1 Sterilisation
1 De-worming
1 Flea and tick treatment
1 Micro-chipping
[For Public Housing Dogs]
6 sessions of Good Canine Citizen classes
Save Our Street Dogs (SOSD) $300 1 Microchipping
3 Vaccinations
1 Sterilisation
1 Administration
Action for Singapore Dogs (ASD) $230 (Male Dog) / $250 (Female Dog) 1 Vaccination
1 Microchipping procedure
1 Health checkup
1 Sterilization procedure
Cat Welfare Society $40 – $80 -
Animal Lovers League (ALL) No Adoption Fees -
*For more details, please visit their respective website stated below.
I wouldn’t mind paying a bit to the organisation for adopting my dog. It helps to provide the organisation with a bit to go on and SAVE THE DOGGOS!
The Initial Sunk Cost of Keeping A Dog
There are a lot of costs involved when it comes to keeping a pet dog, e.g. dog food. If you are taking care of a pet that is like A MINI HUMAN for its entire lifetime, for sure it would cost you.
Adopting a Dog VS Buying a Dog
Here we compare the difference in costs incurred when adopted vs buying a dog.
| Adopting a Dog | Purchasing a Dog | |
|---|---|---|
| Getting the dog | $300 | $2,000 |
| Microchipping | $0 | $50 |
| Sterilisation | $0 | $200 |
| AVA Dog Licensing | $15 | $15 |
| Vaccinations | $0 | $100 |
| Total Cost | $315 | $2,365 |
*Assuming you are adopting from SOSD. Pet licensing is a requirement by AVA, if your pet is found without one, you will be fined!
The huge bulk of difference actually comes from the initial purchase of the dog.
By adopting it SAVES YOU OVER $2,000! You could use this $2,000 to pamper your pet a little more with treats or with a dog spa.
Recurring Costs of Keeping A Dog
| Dogs Needs | Costs | How Frequent? |
|---|---|---|
| Vaccinations | $50 | Every year |
| Dog Food | $50 | Every month |
| Grooming | $100 | Every 3 months |
| Dental Scaling | $200 | Every year |
| Toileting Necessities | $30 | Every month |
| Licensing | $15 | Every year |
| Pet Insurance | $300 | Every year |
| Total Cost (Over 10 years) | $15,550 |
That seems A LOT but since the cost is spread out over 10 years really helped AND the companionship from your pet is really irreplaceable.
This is just an estimate cost which might not be the same for everyone, some people would LOVE to pamper their pet but some wouldn’t, no one takes care of their pets the same, sometimes you can choose to save in some aspects, sometimes you can’t afford to choose.
For example, you can save in some aspects like training your dog to do their business in your toilet, which helps reduce the pee pads that you need. But if your pet needs urgent medical attention you should not choose to save money on that.
Some tips to help you save costs!
- Get toys and leash (for small dogs) from Daiso for 2 bucks.
- Visit the vets and grooming centres near you.
Do not travel across the island for a grooming session as you will definitely incur transportation fees (as pets are not allowed in public transports and not all taxis allow you to transport your pet in them!)
If you have any other tips to share with our readers, please leave them in the comments section below!
Taking Action to Adopt a Pet
Now comes the final step, after all these considerations above, here are the addresses and details:
Places to Adopt a Pet Details
Society for the Protection of Animals (SPCA) 50 Sungei Tengah Road, Singapore 699012
Tel: 6287 5355
www.spca.org.sg
Voices for Animals (VFA) Voices For Animals Facebook
CAS (Causes for Animals) 81 Seletar West Farmway 5
Singapore 798057
www.causesforanimals.com
SOSD (Save Our Street Dogs) 59 Sungei Tengah Rd, The Animal Lodge
Singapore 669014 (by appointment only)
www.sosd.org.sg
ASD (Action for Singapore Dogs) 80 Lim Chu Kang Lane 1
Singapore 718911
www.asdsingapore.com
Cat Welfare Society www.catwelfare.org
ALL (Animal Lovers League) 61 Pasir Ris Farmway 3
Singapore 518232
---
The Animal Lodge (Moving soon!)
59 Sungei Tengah Road
Block Q units 01-29 to 01-32, 02-29 to 02-32
Block R units 01-35 to 01-36
Singapore 669041
http://www.animalloversleague.com/
Exclusively Mongrels Exclusively Mongrels Facebook
https://www.exclusivelymongrels.org/
Mutts ‘n’ Mittens 59 Sungei Tengah Road Blk B
#01-03/04 The Animal Lodge
Singapore 699014
Tel: 6583 7371
http://www.muttsnmittens.com/
Project SOKS (Save Our Street Kittens) Proejct SOSK Facebook
The Right to Live 59 Sungei Tengah Road, Block S,
#01-37/38/39/40, Singapore 699014
The Right to Live Facebook
Someone once told me by looking at the dog’s paw, you are able to tell how BIG that little puppy will grow to. So if you intend to adopt that lil’pupper and size is a concern for you, you know what to do!
I hope that this has helped you to decide to adopt a dog in one way or another. But please remember that it is a HUGE commitment!
Have a question? Ask here!
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