AVS launches first animal shelter guidelines, including max capacity and exit plans

The guidelines come after animal shelter Animal Lovers League, which was accused of animal overcrowding, poor hygiene standards and delays in treating sick animals, shuttered earlier this year.

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28 Aug 2026 05:00PM

SINGAPORE: From financial planning to animal housing conditions, the Animal and Veterinary Service (AVS) on Friday (Aug 28) launched a new set of guidelines spelling out minimum standards and best practices for animal shelters in Singapore.

Previously, there were no common benchmarks for shelter operational practices, as the roughly 15 animal groups operating shelters that were known to the AVS had developed their own welfare practices over the years.

The new guidelines, which are not legally binding, seek to establish common ground on what is “minimally appropriate” for the care of animals in shelters, and distinguish between minimum standards that all shelters are expected to follow and best practices that they are encouraged to adopt, said the regulator.

The guidelines span four key areas: the management of shelter operations; animal housing and environment; animal management; and animal healthcare. 

They include guidance on the maximum number of animals that are kept by shelters, as well as the need for shelters to have exit plans if they cease operations.

Speaking to the media at an adoption drive at Guoco Tower, Minister of State for National Development Alvin Tan said: “We've held focus group discussions with stakeholders like animal shelters, vets, and animal trainers, as well as a public consultation with the wider community to develop these guidelines.

“Now, animal groups currently rely on their own internal practices for housing, for rehoming, and for the care of animals. We know they do their best to care for the animals under their care … but that's not enough.”

The adoption drive, named Paws in the City, is run by AVS, a cluster under the National Parks Board. It is AVS' first adoption drive in the central business district. 

The guidelines come after Animal Lovers League (ALL), one of Singapore’s largest and longest-running animal shelters, came under scrutiny in 2025 for rental arrears and was ordered to leave its premises in February this year.

The incident highlighted broader pressures facing Singapore’s animal rescue network, with welfare groups grappling with limited capacity, rising costs and slowing adoptions.  

At the time, volunteers raised concerns about deteriorating conditions at its premises at The Animal Lodge in Sungei Tengah, including overcrowding, poor hygiene and delays in providing medical treatment to sick animals. 

The group, which has a no-kill policy and at its peak housed more than 500 rescued animals, said it had struggled with funding and rising veterinary costs, particularly after the COVID-19 pandemic.

ALL is being investigated by the Commissioner of Charities for alleged non-compliance with the Charities Act.

Asked how the guidelines were informed by the ALL incident, Mr Tan said the authorities received feedback from animal shelters at The Animal Lodge, trainers and vets on establishing the guidelines.

“I think many lessons we've learned as well will help us to ensure that best operational practices are being applied to these guidelines.

“But the most important part of this is how the animal shelters themselves and the animal welfare groups apply these guidelines, and AVS is on standby to support them to raise the standards.”

AVS first consulted its animal group rehoming partners on the guidelines, before holding a focus group discussion in September 2024 with involved parties, including animal shelters, veterinarians and animal trainers.

This was followed by a public consultation from Dec 3, 2024 to Feb 2, 2025, which drew more than 600 responses. Of these, 82 per cent supported the development of guidelines for animal shelters in Singapore.

Respondents cited greater accountability, transparency and public trust in animal shelters as key benefits of having common reference standards to safeguard animal welfare. 
 

WHAT THE GUIDELINES SAY

Under the category of shelter operations, the guidelines address areas such as accountability, record-keeping, staffing and training, security, emergency preparedness and resource management.

As a minimum standard, the guidelines stipulate that the maximum number of animals kept at any one time should be appropriate for the shelter’s premises.

"Shelters should know what care they can provide based on their resources (for example, the number of staff) before taking in animals, to reduce the animals’ stay time," the guidelines stated.

Shelters should also, at the minimum, have a clear financial plan to manage the expected income and costs for the next six to 12 months.

There should be exit plans if the shelter ceases operations, such as adequate funds to meet the costs of closure and remuneration for staff, and plans for the ongoing care of the animals. Financial accounts and records should be maintained according to the prevailing legal requirements, the guidelines stated.

The guidelines also set out recommended practices for animal housing and environmental conditions, as well as feeding, exercise, enrichment, socialisation and animal handling.

On healthcare, the guidelines cover health monitoring, disease prevention and access to veterinary care and treatment.

Animals should be inspected at least once a day to monitor their health and well-being, with prompt veterinary attention sought for significant illnesses, injuries or diseases.

Each shelter should also engage a veterinarian to oversee a written disease prevention and healthcare programme, while every animal should go through a veterinary health check at least once a year.

Responding to a question about the lack of legal teeth, Mr Tan said: “We've worked very closely with (animal welfare groups) over the years to ensure that we've gotten their feedback to establish these guidelines as well as these operational best practices.

“So AVS works very closely with them to formulate these guidelines and now to partner with them to apply these guidelines in their operations.”
 

STERILISING FREE-ROAMING DOGS

AVS on Friday also provided an update on the Trap-Neuter-Rehome/Release-Manage programme for free-roaming dogs.

Launched in 2018, about 4,500 free-roaming dogs have been enrolled under the programme as of July 2026.

Around 80 per cent of free-roaming dogs have been sterilised, more than the original target of 70 per cent.

More than 65 per cent of the dogs have been rehomed, fostered or sheltered.

AVS has worked with animal groups to rehome more than 2,700 dogs under a project to facilitate the adoption of local mixed-breed dogs in HDB flats,

AVS said that dogs that could not be rehomed were released at suitable locations where they could continue to be cared for by community caregivers.