A dog owner was furious when she discovered her pet had been muzzled with cable ties at a pet grooming service in Bukit Timah.
The woman confronted the owner of First Class Pets after noticing a mark resembling a cable tie on her dog’s muzzle area.
Source: Facebook
After the incident went viral on social media, the owner apologised and announced the closure of her grooming service.
On Saturday (29 June), the woman shared the worrying incident on the Dogs Singapore Facebook page to alert her fellow pet owners.
When questioned, the owner admitted to using a cable tie to muzzle the dog, citing it as a measure to prevent biting during grooming.
While the woman understood the intent, she strongly opposed the use of cable ties as a muzzling tool.
“It left a deep mark on my dog’s muzzle area, proving how tight and uncomfortable it was,” she wrote in her caption on the Facebook post.
The owner of First Class Pets even showed the woman videos of other dogs being muzzled with cable ties.
“I wonder if their pet owners are even aware,” the woman remarked.
Source: Facebook
According to the owner, First Class Pets determined that using cable ties to muzzle pets was the most effective method for their grooming service.
The woman expressed outrage over what she perceived as a lack of professionalism from the grooming service.
“Aren’t professional groomers supposed to have [the] relevant skills to handle pets properly and do what is best for the pets instead of what is best for themselves?” she questioned.
She also highlighted that many people would likely be uncomfortable knowing their pets were being muzzled with cable ties.
On Sunday (30 June), the owner of First Class Pets issued a public apology on Facebook.
Source: Facebook
She clarified that she was not the groomer who used the cable ties on the dog in question, Mochi.
It was only after Mochi’s owner raised concerns that she became aware of the issue.
Despite the groomer’s explanation that the cable ties were designed for quick release and allowed the dogs to pant, she reprimanded him and asked him not to employ such a method.
She also emphasised the importance of informing pet owners if a dog shows signs of aggression.
Taking full responsibility, the owner of First Class Pets apologised without making excuses for what happened.
“We are not justifying our actions, just explaining our side of the story in full,” she wrote. “We understand that this incident was completely our fault [due to] very bad decisions.”
Furthermore, the owner announced the closure of First Class Pets as they take action to “be better and do better”.
MS News has reached out to both the dog owner and the owner of First Class Pets for further comments.
Also read: Pet groomer allegedly loses poodle later killed in accident, NParks looking into incident
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Featured image adapted from Facebook.
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