Authorities investigating after maid allegedly abused dog to death

SINGAPORE — Investigations are ongoing after a woman was seen hitting a dog several times on its head and leaving it tied up and hanging from a railing.

In response to CNA's queries, the Animal and Veterinary Service (AVS) said on Tuesday (Feb 27) that it "received feedback" on Jan 25 of an alleged case of animal cruelty that took place in a residential unit.

The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) said in a post on Facebook and Instagram that it was alerted to the case involving the abuse of a pet poodle by a maid.

Two pictures show the maid hitting the dog on an apartment balcony, while another shows the poodle tied up and suspended from the balcony railing. The dog died on Jan 22.

The dog's owner, who declined to be named, told CNA that he had his dog for nine years.

A Facebook post by Derrick Tan, the president of the charity Voice for Animals, showed closed-circuit television footage of the woman hitting a dog. 

In one video, she can be seen hitting the dog with her hand and holding it down on the ground by its neck. As the dog struggles, she uses what looks like cardboard bundled together to hit it twice.

In another video, she is seen using the bundle to hit the dog in the head while it is tied to a tap. The dog is also leashed and is left to hang from the balcony railing.

The owner told CNA that before the maid was employed, he had installed CCTV cameras around the house to look out for his dog.

"Because we (did not) have a helper, so we planted CCTVs around the house just for dogs. We need to monitor the dogs while we are busy working outside," he added.

According to the SPCA, the dog's owner was told by his girlfriend that the pet dog had died while she was sleeping. This information was relayed to his girlfriend by the maid. 

Due to concerns about the damage to the dog's skull, he viewed the CCTV footage and saw the woman hitting the dog.

The maid had only been working with them for about three to four weeks, according to the owner.

"The SPCA immediately contacted the authorities and advised (the owner) to file a police report against the helper, as well as report the case to the AVS," said the SPCA.

"We have been actively involved in gathering the necessary evidence and providing guidance to (the owner) on how to navigate this challenging situation," it added.

AVS said it does not condone the mistreatment of pets and first-time offenders caught abusing an animal may be charged under the Animals and Birds Act, and could be fined up to S$15,000, jailed up to 18 months, or both. CNA

ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY FIRDAUS HAMZAH AND RACHEL CHAN.