KUALA LUMPUR, April 1 — Singapore has opened its first animal rehabilitation centre to help strays adapt to human homes.
Opened by the National Parks Board’s (NParks) Animal & Veterinary Service (AVS) on Thursday (March 31), the Centre for Animal Rehabilitation is the city state’s first dedicated facility for animal behaviour rehabilitation, Mothership reported.
The centre, which is about 1,522 sq meters, is equipped with a Visitor’s Lounge with a fully furnished living room and dining area designed to mimic a home environment to help stray animals adapt to pet life.
Dogs will be introduced to common household items such as furniture and appliances (example vacuum cleaner, television) in a safe environment.
Dogs will also be taught to behave appropriately in home settings, such as how to be calm when visitors arrive at the door or around the dinner table.
This setting will help familiarise stray dogs with the sight, smell, and sound of a typical home and reduce their fear and anxiety when they are adopted.
There are also several activity rooms for obedience skills training, two dog runs and compartmentalised kennels with blinds.
The kennels are specially designed to allow the dogs to “exercise choice and control over its living environment”.
They are built with special materials that reduce noise reverberation, are equipped with privacy blinds and do not face each other.
All this to provide the dogs with privacy and a sense of security.
The Centre for Animal Rehabilitation supports the existing nationwide Trap-Neuter-Release-Manage (TNRM) programme and builds on the results of Project Rehab, a pilot canine rehabilitation programme.
Under the TNRM programme, AVS’ priority is to rehome as many trapped and sterilised stray dogs as possible.
Over 70 stray dogs have been successfully rehabilitated since the start of Project Rehab in November 2019.
Although many stray dogs are typically fearful of people, anxious, or show aggressive behaviour, the dogs show positive behaviour towards humans and are able to live comfortably in a home setting after the rehabilitation process.
