Woman Gets To Keep Emotional Support Dog, Even After She Killed Her Previous One
For pet owners, our pets are like adorable furry kids we love with all our hearts. To see one in pain would be heartbreaking.
But 26-year-old Sophia Ong Daijuan allegedly abused her pet chihuahua so terribly that the female pup died.
For that, she received “a year-long mandatory treatment order” today (14 Nov), according to a report by TODAY Online.
The order prevents her from keeping new pets, though she can keep her current emotional support dog, to help manage her depression.
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But before we dive into the details, here’s some context on what happened between Sophia and her chihuahua a year ago.
Woman’s chihuahua died at home
According to a TODAY Online report, Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) received a tip-off on 23 Feb last year that Sophia may have killed her dog in her Yishun home.
She initially claimed that the dog had probably drowned after she left it in a basin under running water for a bath.
However, a postmortem revealed that Sophia’s chihuahua had died from traumatic injuries, and not drowning. Among the injuries were:
- Head injuries
- Abdominal bleeding
- Bleeding in the lungs
- Liver lacerations
Investigations by the AVA found that Sophia may have picked her chihuahua up by its neck and slammed it to the ground.
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TODAY also shared that Sophia would starve her dog, only feeding it once every 2-3 days.
Begged to keep her emotional support dog
Fast forward to September, Sophia decided to turn herself in while begging the district court to allow her to keep her current dog — which she insisted was for emotional support.
TODAY reported that Sophia claimed to have suffered panic attacks whenever her dog is not with her during investigations.
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A psychiatrist vouched for her by adding that Sophia’s depression will worsen if her current emotional support dog was taken away from her.
As her current dog seems healthy, the court decided to let Sophia keep it while serving her year-long punishment.
Everyone deserves a second chance
With that, we genuinely hope that Sophia has learnt from her mistakes and not take her frustrations out on her doggos again.
After all, everyone deserves a second chance right?
What are your views on this? Let us know in the comments below.
Feature images adapted from The New Paper and Top Dog Products (for illustration purposes only).
