Thursday • July 24, 2003

WITH the lack of pet-friendly eateries in Singapore, it's no wonder Sparky's gone roaming overseas.

And now SIT Café, operating in the East Coast as a pet cafe since April, is being hounded by the Ministry of the Environment (ENV) for allowing pets to eat with their owners.

"We've had three ENV ground staff drop by over the past two weeks," said Mr Anand Vathiyan, 36, one of three partners running the ENV-licensed business.

The bone of contention is that, as protectors of public health, ENV food hygiene regulations make it an offence for any person to take a (live) animal or bird into licensed food premises.

Anyone caught doing so can be fined $100 and the licensee given four demerit points. Should the licensee accumulate more than 12 points in a year, the licence will be suspended for two weeks.

ENV officials have said they will issue an official warning letter during their next visit.

The ENV and the NEA (National Environment Agency) requirement is now keeping customers out of SIT Café's premises — but not off it.

According to Mr Anand, some 300 to 400 dogs and owners frequent the East Coast area during weekend peak periods and petronage is still high.

In a show of dogged determination to keep its business going, the cafe has shifted most of its seating outside — because al fresco dining areas are not under the ENV's "licensed premises" prerogative — leaving its 700 sq ft interior largely empty.

According to Mr Anand, the partners had explained their pet cafe concept very clearly to the ENV and sought approval at every stage of its development.

"For ENV to turn around now and apply the original letter of the law is both unfair and unreasonable," he said.

The crux of the issue is that there is currently no licence or legislation for a pet cafe in Singapore.

Hence, SIT Café was licensed as a food shop by the ENV, with the understanding that it would not be air-conditioned and would provide modifications such as separate pens for the animals.

What got the ENV hot on its heels was a posed photograph in Today three weeks ago featuring a dog and human having their meals at the same table.

According to the ENV, SIT Café has since been advised to create "an area separated by a glass wall adjoining the food shop's premises for pets to have their dog biscuits, while the pet owners have their meal in the food shop".

Mr Anand said: "My question is, why isn't there a pet cafe licence? There weren't Internet laws before the Internet but now there are.

"If the Government is letting the consumer make up his own mind about staying up all night at a bar, dancing on a bar top … why can't he or she have the same right to eat with his or her pet at a cafe where fellow pet lovers gather? Does the ENV and NEA not realise that pet lovers dine with their pets every day?"

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