The agency said it takes a serious view of the case, and will take stern enforcement action if the pet grooming facility is found to be negligent.
SINGAPORE: The National Parks Board (NParks) is investigating an incident involving a pet groomer along Tanjong Katong Road, following the death of a dog that was allegedly left unattended last week.
In response to CNA’s queries on Sunday (Nov 2), NParks’ group director of enforcement & investigation Jessica Kwok said that the agency is “looking into a case involving a dog at a pet grooming facility”.
“NParks takes a serious view of the case, and will take stern enforcement action if the pet grooming facility is found to be negligent.”
Police also told CNA that a report had been lodged.
The dog’s owner, Tanya Dhillon, shared closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage on social media on Saturday showing an unattended dog in apparent distress while caged at Pawsome Singapore, a pet retail and grooming facility at 320 Tanjong Katong Road, last Thursday.
She also posted pictures of her deceased pet and vowed to “obtain the best outcome for Buddy and for every other dog that can be protected”.
OWNER SEEKING ANSWERS
Ms Dhillon, 27, told CNA on Sunday that she had arranged for her dog, a standard poodle named Buddy, to be sent to Pawsome for a routine grooming session that day. She claimed that Buddy, aged three, was left unsupervised in a cage while waiting for its appointment.
In the 12-minute long CCTV footage viewed by CNA, Buddy appeared to have had its front paws stuck in between the cage’s metal grills. The poodle was seen wriggling, panting and crying several times throughout, while it could also be heard barking non-stop.
Around eight minutes in, Buddy stopped standing and pushed against the cage with one leg.
The CCTV footage, recorded between 9.50am and 10.02am, showed no staff members present during that period.
Ms Dhillon, a trainee lawyer, said that Pawsome informed her family members that Buddy was discovered by a groomer at 10.33am and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was performed.
She added that the salon did not share the full CCTV footage of the incident.
“My first few questions to them were, when did Buddy arrive?” said Ms Dhillon.
“How long was he in the cage for? Was there anyone who supervised him at the point that he was in the cage and for what duration he was left alone?”
She noted that Pawsome had sent Buddy’s body to a veterinarian, where he was pronounced dead.
“When I lifted his ears, I realised that there were blood splatters (in its ears),” Ms Dhillon said.
“It didn’t seem natural at all … Why would there be blood splatters in your ears if you were fine?”
Ms Dhillon’s family has sent the dog’s body to the Animal & Veterinary Service (AVS), a cluster under NParks, for an autopsy, but the cause of death has not yet been determined.
Pawsome on Saturday issued a statement via Instagram Stories, saying that it was “heartbroken” over what happened to Buddy.
It added that every dog under its care “is treated with love, respect, and attention – just as we would our own”, before asking for “kindness and understanding” and stressed it would continue to provide a “safe, caring, and professional environment for all dogs entrusted to us”.