Missing cocker spaniel ‘Teh-O’ last seen in Sembawang, family offers S$1K reward for safe return

Sembawang family searching for missing pet since 4 May, filed police report due to suspected kidnapping

A family in Sembawang has been desperately searching for their missing dog, Teh-O, after the four-year-old cocker spaniel disappeared from their home earlier this month.

Teh-O, a male brown cocker spaniel who is almost 4 years old, was last seen around Blk 402 Admiralty Link in the Sembawang area on 4 May.

He is microchipped and licensed, but was not wearing a collar when he went missing.

The family is offering a S$1,000 reward for information leading to his safe return.

Dog slipped out while family member was throwing rubbish

Speaking to MS News, owner Desiree, 28, said the family only realised Teh-O was missing when she returned home at about 7am after being away for five days.

“Usually, he would run to the door to greet me,” she shared.

At first, Desiree assumed Teh-O was sleeping in one of the bedrooms. However, after checking the rooms, she realised he was nowhere in the flat.

The family later reviewed their home CCTV footage and discovered that Teh-O had slipped out of the house shortly after midnight, after Desiree’s sister opened the door to throw rubbish.

The door was then accidentally shut behind him.

Family suspects Teh-O may have been taken

According to Desiree, Teh-O is generally friendly but can be skittish outdoors, especially around loud noises and busy roads near their block.

She said it would be unusual for him to wander far from home on his own.

“If he were to make his way down to Level 1, he would typically sniff around the nearby grass patch before circling back to the lift lobby area to wait to be brought back home,” she explained.

Given his typical behaviour, the family and volunteers assisting in the search suspect that Teh-O may have been taken by someone.

A police report was eventually lodged over the suspected theft of property after several days had passed without any confirmed sighting.

CCTV access requests unsuccessful

Desiree said the family attempted to seek assistance from their MP as well as the Town Council and HDB to review CCTV footage from the staircase and lift lobby cameras.

However, they were told the case was considered non-criminal and that the footage could not be accessed for locating a missing pet.

Since Teh-O’s disappearance, the family has received numerous public tips claiming sightings of a brown curly-haired dog believed to be him.

However, none of the sightings came with photo or video evidence.

“In several instances, the individuals reporting the sightings mentioned that they were either running or driving past at the time,” Desiree said.

Family and volunteers continue late-night searches

The search efforts have since expanded far beyond the neighbourhood, with volunteers, friends, and relatives joining in to help look for Teh-O.

Desiree said the family has spent countless nights conducting stakeouts and searching industrial estates, forested paths, and empty roads.

“The house has been unbearably quiet without him around,” she shared.

“The search has been emotionally and physically exhausting.”

Despite repeatedly putting up missing posters, Desiree said many of them have also been removed.

“It’s confusing because why are the real estate advertisements and others still up there when this is always taken down at random blocks,” she told MS News.

Family appeals for Teh-O to be returned

Desiree described Teh-O as a gentle and non-aggressive dog who would likely allow strangers to approach or even carry him.

She appealed to anyone who may have taken him in to contact the family.

“If someone has taken him in thinking they were helping, or for any other reason, we sincerely and wholeheartedly ask for Teh-O to be returned to us,” she said.

“Teh-O is not ‘just a dog’. He is family, and we truly just want him back home where he belongs.”

Anyone with information on Teh-O’s whereabouts is encouraged to contact the family immediately.

Teh-O’s Instagram handle is @Tehodaze, and his owner’s Telegram handle is @dibidibides.

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