SINGAPORE – The Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority (AVA) madia released on Wednesday (July 20) stated that two men were charged after failing to care for dogs in their charge and not complying with animal licensing conditions
The Straits Times reported, Low Chong Kiat, 43, is suspected of abandoning 18 dogs in March this year.
He will be charged in court with 49 counts “related to failure in duty of care and non-compliance with dog licensing & control rules”, said AVA.
The owner of Prestige Grooming Academy, located at 52 Chun Tin Road, and Marine and Pet Image, faces 49 charges:
- 28 charges of keeping the dogs without a licence;
- 18 counts of abandoning dogs;
- 2 charges of failing to ensure the dogs were protected from and rapidly diagnosed of injury or disease;
- 1 count of keeping his 30 dogs in a place that is not a dog farm, without permission from the AVA.
One of the dogs, an unsterilised female Shih Tzu, was found with dental issues, skin problems and corneal damage in the right eye. It had to be treated for scabies, ringworms and erlichiosis, a bacterial illness transmitted by ticks.
Another dog, an unsterilised female Maltese, was found without teeth and had a broken lower jaw. It also had skin problems, and had to be treated for scabies, ringworms and erlichiosis.
Low, who did not have a lawyer, did not enter a plea to his charges. The case will be mentioned again on Aug 4.
If found guilty, he faces a fine of up to $40,000 and up to two years’ jail, for each charge of abandonment and for failing to ensure that the dogs were protected from and rapidly diagnosed of injury or disease.
In the same court, a 28-year-old dog farm owner was also charged with with nine counts of contravening the Animals and Birds Act.
Edwin Tan Guowei, who owns The Animal House, is accused of :
- Failing to ensure that eight dogs at a kennel in Pasir Ris were protected from and rapidly diagnosed of diseases or injuries.
- Failed to comply with the conditions of his AVA dog farm licence.
One of the dogs, a male unsterilised pomeranian, had corneal swelling in the right eye and was blind in its left eye, which was shrunken.
Another, an unsterilised male husky, had muscle wastage and open wounds on its left hindleg and posterior.
Tan, who did not have a lawyer, did not enter a plea to his charges. A pre-trial conference has been fixed for Aug 17.
He faces a fine of up to $40,000 and up to two years’ jail, if found guilty of failing to ensure that his dogs were protected from and rapidly diagnosed of injury or disease.
If found guilty of failing to comply with his dog farm license conditions, he faces a fine of up to $10,000 and up to one years’ jail.
