Last year, shocking abuse videos of a man hitting and threatening a poodle went viral.
While thankfully the poodle is being taken care of by another owner, it doesn’t excuse the treatment it faced.
The man in the videos pleaded guilty to 4 charges of abusing the dog today (8 Sep) and will be sentenced on 8 Oct, TODAY Online reported.
Clement Chia Tian Xiang, 42, bought the toy poodle named Leslie in 2016, Channel NewsAsia (CNA) reports. It was about 4 years old then.
In 6 videos taken between Oct 2016 and Nov 2017, Chia was seen abusing the dog through various means.
The videos were either taken by himself or his cousin, who was fined $4,500 for failing to stop the abuse.
The acts included:
Although the acts were committed on video in 2016, they went viral in Jul last year, prompting worries about the dog’s safety.
The dog also looked visibly scared and whimpering — Chia apparently knew this.
He commented in one of the videos that the dog’s eyes were watering but continued to threaten it.
SPCA posted on Facebook asking for information as to the identity of the man in the videos.
They eventually found out that the acts of abuse weren’t committed recently, which came as a relief.
Thankfully, the dog was found to be safe as well and with an ex-girlfriend of Chia, as it was given to her in 2017.
Judge Lorraine Ho asked for a statement from the dog’s new owner to check on its condition when she took ownership of it.
She also wanted to find out how the dog was affected by the abuse.
Animal cruelty carries a sentence of up to 18 months’ jail, up to $15,000 fine, or both.
The owner may also be disqualified from owning a pet for 12 months.
Animals, be it wildlife or pets like dogs and cats, are not playthings to be abused and then discarded later.
They have lives and feelings of their own.
We hope that the man will receive the appropriate sentence for his crimes and that he reflects on what he did.
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Featured image adapted from Facebook.
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