Maltese Dog Drowns At Sentosa; Board n’ Play Service Involved Also Recruited Tourist ‘Volunteers’

Boarding Service Board n’ Play May Also Be Linked To Heatstroke Case Last Month

Update (19 Apr): The Straits Times confirmed on Friday (19 Apr) that Garfield, the 1-year-old Maltese dog, tragically passed away at a veterinary centre after drowning at Tanjong Beach, Sentosa.

Garfield reportedly blacked out after falling into the water, but regained consciousness after someone performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on him.

He was then rushed to a veterinary centre but sadly met his demise later that afternoon.

Many working Singaporeans turn to pet boarding services to take care of their beloved furry friends.

One such boarding service named Board n’ Play recently came under fire after several netizens took to Facebook to reshare a post alleging that a Maltese blacked out while under their care.

The Maltese sadly passed away that afternoon.

Here’s the post in full.

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Facebook user claims dogs were forced to swim

According to the post, Board n’ Play staff would bring dogs under their care to Tanjong Beach at Sentosa every day.

The writer claims some of these dogs were allowed to roam around without a leash, while the remaining canines were “dragged by their necks” or tied to trees.

Next, he or she observed that staff began bringing dogs over to a tiny island separated from the beach by a small body of water.

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While smaller dogs were placed on paddleboards, bigger canines were allegedly forced to swim to the island by themselves.

Maltese allegedly fell into the sea

The writer further claims to have witnessed a tiny aged Maltese dog named Garfield allegedly slipping and falling from a paddleboard into the sea.

According to the post, staff present at the scene merely watched as Garfield stopped moving and sank, instead of trying to rescue him.

The Maltese was eventually pulled out of the waters and regained consciousness after someone performed CPR on him.

He was then rushed to a veterinary centre to seek treatment but sadly passed away later that afternoon.

Recruiting of tourist ‘volunteers’

The boarding service was also criticised for reportedly recruiting tourists as ‘volunteers’ to look after the dogs.

These ‘volunteers’ were allegedly given free accommodation, meals, and EZ-Link cards in exchange for their services.

Board n’ Play may be linked to heatstroke case last month

This may not even be the first time an unfortunate incident has occurred under the care of Board n’ Play.

Another dog-owner claimed that her golden retriever suffered a heatstroke last month after a stint with the boarding service, and was in dire need of a blood transfusion.

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You can read about that incident in full here.

Boarding service’s Facebook page has been taken down

Interestingly, Board n’ Play appears to have taken down their Facebook page.

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MS News has reached out to them via their handphone number and Instagram account and will update this article accordingly once more information is made known.

Our condolences to Garfield’s owners for their tragic loss.

We hope the relevant authorities will tighten regulations on the pet boarding industry to prevent similar deaths in the future.

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Featured image from Google Maps.