Think about the case since it transpired - of how 2 dogs 'stray' all the way from Bukit Timah to Punggol ... of how they were found after 7 days on the streets ... of how Ginne could have been put down at SPCA if no one claims her back ... of how distraught and thin both Junior and Ginne were when they are found ... of how mere members of the public were MORE concerned than their owners in trying to find them back ... of how the owners themselves made NO sincere attempt to search for their 'lost' pets ... of how the owners did not contact us at all during the search for Junior and Ginne while we were the ones trying hard to contact them ... of how mere members of the public were so kind to come forward to pay for their boarding fees at a private boarder and now at ALL ... of how the owners, knowing that their dogs have been found, did NOT contact us at all to find out how they are and did NOT offer to be responsible for their boarding fees..... (the donations we have received for Junior and Ginne's boarding will only last till the month of May)
And most telling of all, of how the owners had themselves informed the authority that "they are NOT ABLE TO TAKE THE DOGS BACK".
I am more than a bit weary today and more than a bit disappointed at how this abandonment case had developed and been judged as 'not a case of abandonment', but I'll try to accept the need for objective evidence and eye witness in order for any charge to be taken against the family, despite the reasoning, the circumstances and the obvious (to me) intention of the family.
Here are some email exchange with the authority (read from bottom up). We appreciate the time the authority has taken in this case, and I do understand that in the absence of eye witness and concrete evidence, they have done what they could to bring some justice to this case with the charges they can pin on the family.
Emails of April 2007:
Thank you for your email. The family has informed us that they are not able to take the dogs back.
Animal Welfare Regulations Branch Agri-Food &Veterinary Authority
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Thank you for your time in this case. We would like to know if the family has been informed that their 2 dogs have been found?
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Thank you for your email. We would like to reiterate that based on the evidence available, we are not able to take action against Mrs R and her brother for abandonment under our Animals and Birds (A & B) Act. Abandoning a pet is considered as an act of cruelty. However in order to take action against someone for abandoning a pet, we would need a witness who is able to testify in court that he / she saw the act of abandonment.
Under our A & B (Dog Licensing and Control) Rules, it is an offence for a person to own or keep a dog which is over 3 months of age unless that person has taken out a licence in respect of the dog. Although presently Mrs R has only one dog, she has admitted that she had kept 3 dogs in her premises without valid licences. Furthermore the family had admitted that they routinely let their dogs stray around the neighbourhood unsupervised.
Hence we will be taking action against them under the A & B (Dog Licensing and Control) Rules for unlicensed dogs and for allowing the dogs to be at large. Thank you.
Animal Welfare Regulations Branch Agri-Food &Veterinary Authority
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Email of March 2007:
Thank you for bringing this case to our attention. We would like to thank you for your assistance and for providing your detailed accounts on the case. We have now completed our investigation. I regret that based on the evidence available, we are not able to take action against Mrs R and her brother for abandonment under the Animals and Birds Act. However, we will be taking action against Mrs R under the Animals and Birds (Dog Licensing and Control) Rules for not having valid licences for the three dogs and for allowing them to stray in a public place. Thank you.
Animal Welfare Regulations Branch Agri-Food &Veterinary Authority
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