Man fined S$5,000 for confining dog to balcony

[chinasuckz]

Updated: 09/03/2013 19:58 | By Channel NewsAsia

Man fined S$5,000 for confining dog to balcony

SINGAPORE: A man has been fined S$5,000 for keeping his pet dog in the balcony of his apartment, and exposing it to the elements for long periods of time.

Roy Ling Chung Yee was convicted of causing unnecessary suffering to his pet Border Collie.

The court heard that the dog was left on the balcony for up to six hours a day, over a period of six months, and given adequate food and water.

In an eight-page judgment, District Judge Ng Peng Hong said: "I think any reasonable person would no doubt conclude that this constitutes suffering and it is unnecessary."

Ling had said he was not aware of causing any suffering to his pet as it was healthy.

However, Judge Ng said: "Unnecessary suffering is not the same as the dog was sick or physically injured... the welfare of the dog is not dependent on whether the dog is healthy or not."

The judge said he agreed with the prosecution's veterinarians that the dog can be stressed when exposed to the elements for a long time, and that this was tantamount to cruelty.

The case emerged in June 2011 when concerned residents living in the apartment block, 88 Mackenzie, alerted the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) about incessant barking from the dog, which was seen almost every day on the balcony.

SPCA then alerted the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority (AVA) and gathered evidence over a period of three months, including photographs and video recordings.

"We are elated with this verdict," said SPCA's director, Corinne Fong.

"It sets a precedent for the future whenever the SPCA is called on to investigate cases where owners persist in keeping their pets in unacceptable living conditions; we have a critical judgement as our guide now, that this does cause unnecessary pain and suffering to the animal, and is against the law," she said. - CNA/ms