Foreign worker smashes dog's face

[Blanka]

Foreign worker smashes dog's face

My Paper
Published Jan 5 2011

The injured dog was left wandering for two months before it was taken to a shelter.​

A dog with a huge wound festering on its face was left wandering for two months before it was finally taken to a shelter in Singapore on Sunday.

The dog, a mongrel named Wander, was brought in by a feeder of strays, who wishes to be known only as Mr Ng. The 48-year-old van salesman has been feeding Wander for over six years at an industrial area in the western part of Singapore.

He told my paper that when he first saw the dog's injury last October, it was an open wound that was about two inches wide. Shocked, he went asking around the industrial area, and a Bangladeshi worker told him that he saw another foreign worker hitting Wander with a thick bicycle chain.

According to the Bangladeshi worker, the man cycled off immediately after being yelled at. Mr Ng said: "I didn't take Wander to the vet immediately because I could not afford the medical bills. Usually, stray feeders try to medicate animals on their own for things like cuts and maggot infestations, so I bought some cream for Wander's wound."

The wound healed for a while, but erupted again and pus started coming out of the dog's eye area, he said. That was when he realised he had to seek further help, and took the dog to Madam Wong's Shelter, located in Pasir Ris Farmway.

He had been actively volunteering at the animal shelter for about four months. Ms Lyn Loh, another volunteer at the shelter, said she was appalled by the state Wander was in and the actions of the person who bashed the dog up.

She said that they have called in a vet to take a look at the dog. The dog has since been put on a week-long course of antibiotics, and might need surgery. "Medical bills could easily go up to the thousands. We really need help with that," she said.

Ms Loh added that they have not lodged a police report, as they know from past experience that the workers tend to clam up when the authorities speak to them.

The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals said in a statement that the "injuries on the dog are horrific and action needs to be taken if the dog was abused, as reported".

Its executive director, Ms Deirdre Moss, urged members of the public to come forward if they have information.