Home-based pet grooming salon Pawkins said it had cared for Fendi for about two years and loved her dearly. - Photo: Hadesfendi/Instagram
SINGAPORE: The death of a pet dog is being investigated, after a video of it falling off a table and being hanged to death by its leash went viral online.
When contacted, National Parks Board (NParks) group director for enforcement and investigation Jessica Kwok said the board was informed that “a dog allegedly died at a grooming salon and is investigating the matter”.
In a video posted on Instagram on Wednesday (July 24), six dogs seen in a room start to bark after being triggered by something off camera. No one can be seen in the footage at this point.
A brown dog tied to a table by a rope to its neck collar then falls off the table at 1.42pm, according to the video’s timestamp.
It struggles for about a minute to get back onto the table on its own, but fails to do so.
It eventually stops moving.
The video had received more than 2,500 likes on Instagram as at July 25.
In a separate video seen by The Straits Times, a woman is seen entering the room at 2.17pm and moving towards that dog.
She picks the dog up and places it back on the table before knocking on the adjacent door.
A second woman enters the room from another entrance, looks at the motionless dog and leaves the room. Shortly after, a man enters the room with the woman and leaves after looking at the dog.
The two women stay on with the dog.
At 2.19pm, one of them starts to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation on the dog.
The other woman then takes out a towel from a cabinet to wrap around the dog before carrying it out of the room at 2.20pm.
The pet’s owner Sonia Tan, 24, told ST that she had sent her dogs, Fendi and Hades, for dental scaling and full grooming services, which include nail cutting and a hair cut, on July 24.
But only one returned.
Tan, who is self-employed, said she was informed of Fendi’s death at 3.14pm that day by the salon, after it took the dog to the vet.
“Fendi was my first ever dog and baby. I don’t think I can or ever will get over this,” she added.
“She would have turned four in August.”
The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) said in a Facebook post on July 25 that it was alerted to the video by members of the public and had reported it to the authorities.
SPCA Singapore added that the pet owner had also reported the groomer to the authorities.
Home-based pet grooming salon Pawkins SG said in an Instagram post on July 25 that its team is “distraught over the most unfortunate incident involving Fendi the Corgi”.
Pawkins said it had cared for Fendi for about two years and loved her dearly.
“We sincerely hope that all those who loved and cared for Fendi can accept our deepest and most heartfelt condolences and sympathies,” the post said.
Pawkins added that it has contacted the pet’s owner and is looking into the matter.
It added that it has stopped operating for now, and would cooperate with the authorities.
In a separate message sent by Pawkins to Tan, it offered its “condolences and apologies” and said that it had offered to reimburse various expenses, such as veterinary and cremation charges.
ST has contacted Pawkins for comment.
SPCA Singapore noted in its Facebook post that there are currently no licensing requirements for pet grooming services.
There is a Code of Animal Welfare (for the Pet Industry), where it is specified that “animals sent for grooming, bathing, or drying should not be left unattended on grooming tables, rooms, or in shower baths”.
SPCA Singapore said of the code: “While there are some minimum standards specified... failure to comply is not considered an offence.
“While breaches of the code can be used to support prosecution or enforcement action, the resulting penalties may not serve as effective deterrents.”
It added that there is “an urgent need for stronger legislation in animal welfare”, and that the society has been lobbying the Government on several issues concerning animal protection. - The Straits Times/ANN
