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Former pet farm operator fined S$50,000 for not taking proper care of dogs
By Shaffiq Alkhatib | Posted: 25 May 2011 1843 hrs
SINGAPORE: A former pet farm operator was fined S$50,000 on Wednesday after failing to take proper care of 15 dogs in a facility he used to run.
31-year-old Benny Neo Terh Thong, formerly from Kennel 9, the Pet Hotel at Pasir Ris Farmway 2, pleaded guilty to 10 of the 15 charges against him. The remaining five charges were taken into consideration during sentencing.
The dogs under his care were malnourished and even though many were ill, Neo had not sought veterinary attention for any of them.
The 15 dogs mentioned in the charges were thin and had skin problems. They were also infested with ticks and had bad teeth as well as inflamed gums.
Neo bought over the pet farm and its 75 dogs from their previous owner, Gabriel Lee on January 15 last year as he thought it would be a profitable business venture. But Neo had no experience in the dog breeding business.
He slashed the amount which was supposed to be spent on dog food from some S$1,500 per month to only S$450.
And instead of allocating one bowl for each dog, some of the animals were made to eat from one big basin. As a result, the weaker dogs did not get to eat and became malnourished.
The poorly-cared-for dogs were only discovered after Neo decided to give up the business about three months later. He then handed it over to Derrick Tan Kah Heng and a group of volunteers.
It was Mr Tan who informed the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority about the dogs on April 16 last year when he found many of them in poor condition. Some of the dogs that required urgent medical attention were also sent to a veterinarian for treatment.
Defence counsel, Vinit Chhabra, told the court in his mitigation plea that Neo had put in long hours as well as time and energy to care for the dogs. The lawyer added that Neo regrets his efforts were not enough to prevent the suffering that the dogs appear to have endured.
-CNA/ac
