Pet Welfare Group Claims SPF Has Inconsistencies When Handling Animal Related Cases
When members of the public witness animal or pet abuse cases, the easiest number to call would be the police.
However, the situation may differ depending on the circumstances, and things can get tricky.
Recently, pet welfare organisation Chained Dog Awareness in Singapore (CDAS) took to Facebook to call out the Singapore Police Force (SPF).
Apparently, SPF officers appeared to have inconsistencies when handling different cases where animals are involved.
Hence, they hoped SPF would leave any investigations related to pets and animals to Animal & Veterinary Science (AVS) instead.
Pet welfare group calls out police handling of animal cases
On Sunday (7 Nov), CDAS reshared a post from Lily Low’s Whiskers & Tails on Facebook, alleging SPF’s inconsistent handling of cases involving pets.
According to the post, a lady found 3 malnourished dogs running around rummaging rubbish bags on 29 Oct. She quickly lured one of the dogs into her house to give him food and water.
Seeing how thin they were, she lodged a report with AVS and arranged a health check for the dog she fed.
Since it was underweight, the lady brought the dog to be taken care of at a private boarding.
Lady allegedly told to release dog even though case was under AVS’ investigation
Though its owner tried to ask for the dog back, the lady refused to reveal its location as the case was under AVS’ investigation.
The police eventually paid a visit to the lady after receiving a complaint from the dog’s owner. They allegedly told the lady to release the dog despite the case being investigated by AVS.
The lady eventually relented and gave the police the contact of the pet boarding centre, where the dog was currently staying at.
She said police told the boarding centre to release the dog to the brothers of the owner. You can read the full post here for subsequent updates.
CDAS cites 2 other cases of inconsistencies
Besides sharing the post, CDAS also listed down 2 notable cases, further signalling SPF’s apparent inconsistencies.
The 1st case involved a dog that was suspected to be neglected. CDAS said they had evidence to prove that the owner put up an adoption notice to give away the dog in the first place.
Even though the owner lodged a complaint to the Singapore Police Force and NParks, the dog remains under the care of the welfare volunteers.
The 2nd case mentioned a senior golden retriever bleeding at the void deck of an HDB. Though it was suspected to have pyometra (womb infection), the owner allegedly refused to bring it to the vet.
However, this time, SPF apparently refused to get involved and notified AVS instead. AVS officers who went to the scene reportedly convinced the owner to bring the dog to the vet immediately.
Pet welfare group hopes SPF leaves animal investigations to AVS
After citing these cases, CDAS hopes SPF will leave all investigations where pets and animals are involved to AVS instead.
It said this is especially since AVS is more specialised in handling such issues that aren’t so straightforward and should be on a case-by-case basis.
In the case of the malnourished pets, CDAS found it difficult to comprehend why SPF demanded the dog to be returned to its owner, who did not seem to treat it well.
Additionally, CDAS hopes to clarify why some SPF officers take up animal cases while others do not.
MS News has reached out to SPF for comments and will update the article accordingly when they get back.
Hope police can clarify their stance on pet welfare
Since pet abuse cases can often be complicated, they should be handled on a case-by-case basis.
Thus, it is important for those experienced in animal welfare to handle such issues. Hopefully, SPF will be able to clarify their stance on how they handle animal cases soon.
The public can also obtain accurate information on what to do if they spot animal abuse and which authorities to inform.
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Featured image adapted from Lily Low’s Whiskers & Tails on Facebook.Â
