Points to note for dogs and cats adoption:
After registering your personal particulars, you will be a potential dog and cat adopter. Please make sure that you read and understand the following:
1. Dogs and cats can only be adopted after sterilization. This is to prevent future abandonment problems due to their surplus offspring. It is also required by law that dogs must be microchipped, licensed, and vaccinated against rabies;
2. Dogs and cats to be adopted will be given by the veterinarian a combined vaccine against canine distemper, infectious canine hepatitis, leptospirosis, canine parvoviruses, parainfluenza, feline respiratory infections, coronaviruses and feline panleucopaenia;
3. Dogs and cats to be adopted will be treated for internal and external parasites by oral dewormers and external flea repellents; (Attention: most flea repellents cannot be used on dogs and cats under three months old)
4. Dogs and cats still in their infancy (puppies and kittens) can only be adopted after they have been given combined vaccines by veterinarians, as their immune system is still weak and they are likely to suffer from infectious diseases which result in a high death rate. However, even vaccinated dogs and cats may get infected and fall ill for different reasons, including prior infection though no symptom has been developed at the time of vaccination, vaccination at an improper timing, abnormal immune system and failure to produce antibodies immediately after vaccination;
5. Since the dogs and cats to be adopted are susceptible to infectious diseases both before and after their arrival at the kennel, and some highly pathogenic viruses have an incubation period, even animals that look healthy may be virus carriers. Their symptoms may be triggered by various stimuli such as surrounding temperature, medicine, and changes in environment. Due to the lack of effective curative treatment for viral infections, the cure rate is low, and death is likely for infected animals that have developed symptoms;
6. Given the constraints on our environment, manpower and workload, dogs and cats waiting to be adopted are still susceptible to diseases, injuries and death caused by various factors such as infection before arrival at the kennel and parasitic diseases as a result of environmental problems;
7. As an adopter, you should consult with your family and think carefully whether your living environment and financial means allow you to keep a pet. You should also be able to spend time with and take care of your pet, through sickness and old age, until its death;
8. After you have registered your personal particulars, please wait for our call. Our staff will inform you when your dog or cat is ready to be taken home. In general, the waiting time is about two weeks or longer;
9. Our veterinarians have the rights to reject the adoption of any dog or cat by any adopter as appropriate; for example, when the cat or dog has a ferocious temperament, or when it is too old, or when it suffers from serious chronic diseases or injuries, or when it is considered unsuitable for a particular adopter to keep a pet given his/her living environment and financial means. The decisions made by the Macao Municipal Kennel shall be final and shall not be disputed by any adopter;
10. If a particular dog or cat becomes unsuitable for adoption due to certain reasons, our veterinarian will contact the first person on the adopter list, while the rest on the list will not be notified. In case the first person on the adopter list abandons the right to adopt the dog or cat he/she has registered, the veterinarian will inform the second person on the list to adopt the animal, and so on;
11. After receiving the notice for adoption of the dog or cat, please complete the adoption procedures in person at the Macao Municipal Kennel during office hours. The adopter should bring along a copy of his/her ID card (aged 18 or above), proof of address (e.g. water or electricity bills) and MOP330 for the initial licence fee for dog . Please also bring along a suitable leash or cage to take the pet home;
12. After taking the dog or cat home, please pay attention to anything unusual about the pet’s eating and toilet habit, behaviour and mental condition. Any change in the environment or feeding pattern may induce uneasy feelings, resulting in refusal to eat, overactive behaviour or unusual quietness. If you doubt whether your pet is ill, please bring it back to the kennel immediately, or call the veterinarian of the kennel at 28572805 or 28569776. In case of emergency, you may also consider taking your pet to a private veterinary clinic for examination and treatment. The Macao Municipal Kennel bears no responsibility or liability for any compensation.
13. If you are unable to take care of your dog or cat, please bring it back to the kennel. If you give your pet to another person, please remember to update the information at the kennel in person. Never abandon your pet on the street.