Pet Sitting Contract (Singapore)

A Pet Sitting Contract in Singapore records the terms the parties accept and the commitments each makes to the other.

Singapore's pet industry has grown substantially, with NParks estimating that over 64,000 dogs are licensed in Singapore and a significant (though unregistered) population of cats and other companion animals. The demand for pet sitting services has increased as pet ownership rises and as owners seek alternatives to traditional boarding facilities. Pet sitters offer in-home care (visiting the owner's home to feed, walk, and check on the pet), live-in care (staying at the owner's home), and host-family care (taking the pet to the sitter's own residence).

The Animals and Birds Act (Cap. 7) imposes a general duty of care on any person having the care or custody of an animal, including pet sitters. Section 42(1)(d) makes it an offence to cause unnecessary suffering to any animal, and Section 42(1)(a) requires that animals be provided with adequate food, water, and shelter. A pet sitter who neglects, mistreats, or abandons an animal in their care commits an offence under the Act, with penalties including fines of up to S$15,000 and imprisonment of up to 18 months for a first offence.

Pet boarding facilities — as distinct from individual pet sitters — are regulated under the Animals and Birds (Pet Shops and Establishments) Rules and must hold a licence from AVS. Individual pet sitters who provide care in the owner's home or in their own home on a small scale are not currently required to hold an AVS licence, but are subject to the general animal welfare provisions of the Animals and Birds Act. The regulatory position may change as NParks has indicated its intention to review the regulatory framework for pet services.

The Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Act (Cap. 52A) applies to pet sitting services provided by businesses to consumers. The Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE) and the Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (CCCS) enforce the CPFTA and may investigate complaints about unfair practices by pet sitting businesses, including misrepresentation of services, failure to provide services as agreed, and unfair cancellation terms.

The Unfair Contract Terms Act (Cap. 396) restricts the ability of pet sitting businesses to exclude liability for negligence. Under Section 2(1), liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence cannot be excluded. Under Section 2(2), exclusion of liability for other loss or damage (including damage to the pet) is subject to the reasonableness test. A pet sitting contract that purports to exclude all liability for the sitter negligence may be unenforceable under UCTA.

A Pet Sitting Contract is needed whenever a pet owner in Singapore engages a pet sitter — whether an individual, a sole proprietor registered with ACRA, or a pet sitting business — to provide care for their companion animal, particularly for engagements extending beyond a single day or involving overnight care.

Owners travelling overseas or within Singapore require pet sitting contracts to document the care arrangements, emergency protocols, and financial terms during their absence. The contract is particularly important for longer absences (more than three days), where the sitter will be responsible for the pet's full daily care including feeding, exercise, medication administration, and veterinary emergencies.

Owners of pets with medical conditions, special dietary needs, or behavioural issues should always execute a written contract specifying the pet's medical history, current medications, dietary requirements, veterinary contact details, and any behavioural protocols. A pet sitter who is not informed of a pet's medical condition and fails to administer required medication may cause serious harm to the animal.

Pet sitters providing regular ongoing services — such as daily dog walking, weekday daytime care, or weekly visits for elderly pet owners — should have a written contract documenting the service schedule, fees, cancellation policy, and access arrangements (keys, security codes, building management access).

Owners of dogs subject to specific regulatory requirements under the Animals and Birds (Dog Licensing and Control) Rules must confirm that the pet sitting contract addresses: the requirement to keep the dog leashed in public places; the muzzling requirement for specified breeds; and the dog licence and vaccination records that the sitter should have available during the sitting period.

HDB residents engaging pet sitters should confirm compliance with HDB's pet-keeping rules, including the restriction to one dog from the approved breed list and the cat management framework. The pet sitting contract should confirm the pet type and confirm that the sitter's premises (if the pet is being cared for at the sitter's home) comply with the applicable housing rules.

Pet owners using online pet sitting platforms -- such as PetBacker, Pawshake, and other digital marketplaces connecting pet owners with sitters -- should review the platform Terms of Service and understand whether the platform acts as an intermediary or assumes any liability for the sitter services. A separate written pet sitting contract between the owner and the individual sitter provides additional contractual protection beyond the platform standard terms.

A Singapore Pet Sitting Contract should contain specific provisions addressing the parties, pet details, service terms, emergency protocols, liability, and payment, reflecting the requirements of Singapore's common law of contract and the animal welfare standards under the Animals and Birds Act (Cap. 7).

Parties section must identify the pet owner by full name, NRIC or passport number, residential address, and contact details (phone, email, emergency contact). The pet sitter must be identified by full name, NRIC or UEN (if a registered business), address, and contact details. The forms-legal.com Singapore Pet Sitting Contract template includes all standard party identification fields for both individual and business sitters.

Pet details section must record each pet's name, species, breed, age, weight, colour and markings, microchip number (mandatory for dogs under AVS rules), AVS dog licence number (if applicable), vaccination records (rabies vaccination certificate, annual boosters), spay/neuter status, and any medical conditions, allergies, or behavioural issues. Current medication details — including medication name, dosage, frequency, and administration method — must be documented with precision.

Service terms section must specify: the type of service (in-home visits, overnight care, live-in care, or host-family care); the service dates and times (start date and time, end date and time); the frequency of visits (for in-home services, the number of visits per day and the duration of each visit); specific care tasks (feeding schedule and portions, walking schedule and routes, litter box cleaning, medication administration, grooming, play and enrichment); and the location of service (owner's home address or sitter's address).

Emergency and veterinary section must specify: the pet's regular veterinarian (name, clinic address, phone number); the nearest 24-hour emergency veterinary clinic; the owner's authorisation for the sitter to seek emergency veterinary treatment if the owner cannot be contacted; the maximum pre-authorised veterinary expenditure; and the reimbursement terms for emergency veterinary costs. The sitter should carry a signed copy of the veterinary authorisation during the sitting period.

Liability section must allocate risk between the owner and the sitter. The sitter's liability for injury or death of the pet caused by the sitter's negligence or failure to follow the owner's care instructions cannot be excluded under the Unfair Contract Terms Act (Cap. 396, Section 2) for personal injury caused by negligence. The owner's liability for injury to the sitter caused by the pet (such as a dog bite) should be addressed, noting that the owner's duty under the Animals and Birds Act to control their animal and the common law of negligence (the scienter principle, applicable where the owner knows of the animal's dangerous propensity) apply.

Fees and payment section must specify: the service fee (daily rate, per-visit rate, or total package fee); payment timing (in advance, upon completion, or instalment); accepted payment methods; GST treatment (if the sitter is GST-registered); cancellation and refund policy (notice period for cancellation, forfeiture or refund of prepaid fees, and the sitter's right to charge a cancellation fee for late cancellations).

Governing law clause must specify Singapore law and the Singapore courts (or the Small Claims Tribunals for claims up to S$20,000) as the forum for disputes.

Photography and social media provisions should specify whether the sitter may photograph the pet and post images on social media during the sitting period. Under the PDPA 2012, photographs of the pet in the owner home may constitute personal data if they reveal identifiable information about the owner residence, belongings, or lifestyle.