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EACH GROUP TO INTERVIEW at least 1 pet owner in your school/neighborhood or your extended family, or you can also call up an Organisation.

BE CURIOUS! Use the Questionaire interview questions to guide you (adapt accordingly), and post the findings (do not paste image of worksheet) in detail in your respective columns to be ready for the session on 28th April.

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Pets offer companionship, emotional support, physical activity, and even social connection. But behind every happy pet-owner photo lies a deeper story. Caring for an animal is a long-term commitment that comes with responsibilities, sacrifices, and challenges.

Animal welfare also goes beyond pet ownership; abandonment, animal cruelty or strays are very real issues in Singapore too.

In your design thinking based VIA project, your goal is to go beyond the surface. What’s it really like to care for a pet every day? What worries or struggles do pet owners face? What keeps them going, and what kind of support might they wish they had?

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One Pet Owner’s Response - Current Owner of a 3 yr Old Dog (member of public near the Bukit Panjang Area - Queen Abrielle Santosa ):

“It’s the guilt of not being able to give my pets all the time and care they deserve, especially when my schedule gets hectic or finances are tight. The emotional weight when pets get sick or aging is heavy as you don’t know how their condition will continue on and when they will give us their last bit of love and breath. Nonetheless, the love they give, which is unconditional and constant, is what keeps me going; they make every sacrifice worth it.”

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How might we improve animal welfare in terms of the environment for animals in order to preserve the habitats animals live in

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Who we interviewed:

Neighbours

Friends

People who have pets

Public

What did they say?

“Neighbourhood stray cats are cold when it rains”—poor environment

“Sometimes there’s no food when normal feeders don’t show up“—starvation

“Dangerous environment due to traffic/ human activities” — endangers them

“They are just there waiting to be eaten by predators”—life threatening

Cause of problem - what do they think about the causes

Abandonment by pet owners

Loss of habitat

Lack of support from governments and neglect by humans

What do they feel?

many think the issue of stray animals habitat is neutral and somewhat serious

Some think it is extremely serious

some think it is serious at all

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Along your VIA, please use this document as a guide to identifying your problems and progressing your empathy and VIA.

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The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) requires $4 million annually to operate critical services.

Services include a 24-hour rescue hotline, a clinic, and a shelter for approximately 150 animals each month.

Adoption rates are at their lowest in five years, while animal cruelty and welfare cases have reached an 11-year high.

Abandonment cases have doubled, with nearly 278 pets abandoned this year.

Financial Shortfall

SPCA has launched a year-end campaign called the "Christmas Wish List" with a target of $380,000.

Currently, they are about $200,000 short of their fundraising goal.

Operating costs have significantly increased, leading to a greater need for public support.

Challenges in Animal Care

The shelter is currently at full capacity, limiting the ability to take in new cases.

Prioritization of cases is necessary, focusing on life-or-death emergencies.

Many community animals, especially geriatric patients, require treatment but are difficult to accommodate due to space constraints.

Reasons for Increased Abandonment

Abandonment is difficult to trace and is considered a crime in Singapore.

Lack of a licensing framework for cats contributes to the problem.

Many abandoned pets are the result of unsterilized breeding, leading to overpopulation.

The aftermath of COVID-19 has led to financial difficulties for some pet owners, resulting in increased abandonment.

Regulatory Suggestions

SPCA advocates for stricter licensing and sale conditions for small animals like hamsters and guinea pigs.

Current regulations allow easy purchase of these animals, leading to irresponsible breeding and abandonment.

New regulations for cat licensing in HDB flats are expected to help reduce abandonment rates.

Education on responsible pet ownership and the importance of sterilization is crucial for long-term solutions.

Conclusion

SPCA is facing significant challenges due to rising abandonment rates and financial shortfalls.

Public support and education on responsible pet ownership are essential for addressing these issues.

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Lack of Education and Awareness: Many individuals who commit pet cruelty may not fully understand the needs of animals or the consequences of their actions. They may lack knowledge on how to properly care for a pet, which can lead to neglect, improper handling, or mistreatment. In some cases, cultural or societal factors can also play a role in perpetuating harmful practices towards animals.

Mental Health Issues: Some individuals with mental health disorders, such as certain personality disorders or emotional distress, may direct their aggression or frustrations toward animals. In extreme cases, these individuals might find cruelty to animals to be a means of exerting control, releasing pent-up anger, or feeling a sense of power.

Violence and Abuse in the Household: People who have been exposed to violence or abuse, especially during childhood, may repeat these behaviors later in life. Children or adults who grow up in environments where cruelty toward animals is normalized may be more likely to repeat such behaviors in their own lives. Additionally, people who experience abuse or violence themselves may lash out at animals as a way to cope with their trauma.

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Fur folks home helps to take care of old and disabled pets. One example is a cat who had its ear removed due to an infection. However, she now has a permanent tilted head. The home helps to fix its spine through therapy, spending efforts and resources to help one cat. They also do house visits to help pets who are unable to go to the home for treatment. “We try to alleviate the stress through medical boarding.” “We can also provide nursing services similar to polyclinics to humans to prevent early euthanasia.”

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https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1YTKCgROqWHwalyTwxGjyo57WDDHE9zRn2bE-Ktcijcw/edit?usp=drivesdk

Best answers to why people abandon their pets:

Inflation, low financial availability, not enough resources, loss of interest, Initial impulsive purchase of pet.(this points were interesting or were given by multiple people)

4 individuals that we had interviewed had witnessed animal abandonment in residential areas.

What most individual would respond to animal abandonment include:

Calling animal services, taking the pet to animal services, reporting to authorities, anger, confront them at Takagi Ramen (the last one was one of the responses we received)

Most individuals we interviewed felt that laws/articles/organisations protect animal wellbeing adequately

When asked to how they would prevent animal abandonment, the responses included, new laws and longer punishment times, and posters.

Option 1

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Top 3 responses in animal cruelty survey

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Top 3 responses in animal cruelty survey

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We interviewed animal lovers or pet owners about animal cruelty

What does animal cruelty look like to you?

-beating up animals

-ill-treating animals , not feeding them well and with correct food , beat them unreasonably.

-malnutrition, kept in cage without freedom to roam , hitting & inflicting pain on animals

On a scale of one to five , how hurt do you feel when you see animal cruelty with one being the least hurt and five being the most hurt.

-50% of respondents said 5

-25% of respondents said 4

-12.5% of respondents said 3

-12.5% of respondents said 2

Why do you think animal cruelty is happening?

-Lack of responsible people in society , same of which get access to pets or animals they’re supposed to look after

-Irrational buying/owing of pets , lack of values & morals in younger generation as they treat animals as just another toy for them to play.

-People take their anger out on animals

How would you prevent animal cruelty?

-Propose stiffer laws to punish culprits who deliberately act in such a manner.I’d also tell these people off is if I witness such acts.

-Spread awareness

-Stop them when I see it happening

Have you seen animal cruelty happening,if so please explain what you saw otherwise type NIL.

-Most respondents typed NIL

-only in news articles

-in news articles and social media

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How might we raise awareness for the pet owners in order to reduce animal abandonment.

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How might we improve the efficiency and reach of animal rescue operations to ensure timely and effective care for animals in need?

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How might we educate pet owners for the pets so as to ensure their pets’ wellbeing