On average, about 45 percent of lost dogs are claimed back by their owners. The majority of lost dogs we take in do not have any identification on them such as collars with licences/owners’ particulars, or microchips. This means there is no way for us to trace the owner.

All pets taken in by the SPCA that are deemed to be 'lost' will be scanned for a microchip, advertised in the 'found' column, Straits Times Classifieds for two consecutive days and kept for one day after that, to enable the owner to come forward to claim their pet. SPCA's Lost and Found service is also advertised in the Lianhe Zaobao twice monthly requesting that people who have lost their pets to call the SPCA.

If no one claims the pet, the SPCA will then consider it for adoption under our usual adoption criteria, which is based on health, temperament, age and availability of space. If the pet is selected for adoption it will be quarantined for ten days prior to being put up for adoption. If the animal does not meet the adoption criteria it will be humanely euthanased.

At the end of the quarantine period, SPCA's consultant veterinarian will conduct a health check on the animal, and if it is declared healthy, it will go to the adoption area. Once an animal is placed for adoption, it will be kept until it finds a home. Some animals find homes within several days. Others stay many months or even a couple of years before the right home is found. THERE IS NO TIME LIMIT for animals that are up for adoption at the SPCA.

Out of the 210 or so dogs received every month, only 25 to 30 manage to get adopted because the number taken in greatly exceeds the number of homes available.

If you find a lost animal, here's what you can do to help. Call the SPCA (6287 5355) and the AVA (1800-476-1600) to check if anyone has reported a missing pet matching the description. You can also place an advertisement in the Straits Times Classifieds 'Found' column and this service is free of charge.

**If the pet's owner cannot be found, please consider keeping the animal or re-homing it if possible. The SPCA takes in about 800 animals every month, and with so few potential homes available, we are sadly not able to keep every lost pet for adoption.

To increase their chances of finding lost pets, the SPCA urges all owners to licence their dogs with the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority, and to display the license tag on the dog’s collar. This is a legal requirement and punishable by law if not done.

Different types of identification tags that are worn on collars are also available in pet shops. Names, addresses or phone numbers can be written on engraved on these tags. ID tags are an easy way for anyone who finds a lost dog to get in touch with the owner.

Microchipping is a permanent means of identification and works as an additional safeguard. Dog owners can have this painless procedure carried out at their veterinarian and are advised to register the microchip number with the AVA (Tel: 6471 9987), the SPCA (Tel: 6287 5355) or Pet Call at (Tel: 6741 8466). Being a responsible owner means taking these necessary precautions to protect your dog in the event that it goes missing.