Animal lovers cry foul over beating

SINGAPORE - A video of a woman beating her dog with a bunch of sticks has made animal-lovers in Singapore see red and many have rallied on forums, YouTube and Facebook, calling for the dog to be rescued and its owner punished.

Yesterday, the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals told MediaCorp that its male owner had contacted the animal welfare group.

The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) also said it will launch an investigation and will not hesitate to take action against the owners if there is sufficient evidence of cruelty. If convicted of animal cruelty, the offender can be fined $10,000 and/or imprisoned for 12 months.

In an apparent attempt to discipline the beige-coloured canine for biting cushions, the woman in the video rains sharp blows to the head of the dog, which yelps and cowers in a corner.

A man is heard telling her to stop but she continues for another 11 seconds.

But some animal lovers told MediaCorp that the cruelty pales in comparison with the abuse inflicted at puppy mills and that the woman in the video was ignorant.

"Rather than vilify her, we should reach out and let her and the dog attend obedience-training sessions," said Mr Daryl Ng, an accountant.

Dog trainer and president of welfare group Action for Singapore Dogs, Mr Ricky Yeo, told MediaCorp that dogs develop certain habits from their formative years.

"Puppies chew because their gums are painful and itchy when teething. If they are not taught what not to chew, then they carry it into adulthood," said Mr Yeo. The solution is to catch the dog in the act and startle it with a stern "no", or isolate the dog in a darkened room until it calms down.

The next step is to focus the dog's chewing tendencies on "allowable objects" like chew toys, Mr Yeo added.

Dog trainer Harry Quek said changing its diet would help as a dog chews or bites out of boredom or nutritional deficiency.

Both AVA and SPCA said reports of animal abuse are on the rise due to greater public awareness. SPCA received 864 reports last year, a 13-per-cent increase compared to 2008, while AVA received 383 reports last year - six more than in 2008.

Last year, the AVA took action on four cases of animal cruelty and four more this year. Just last month, the AVA fined a rabbit owner $150 for keeping it "poorly".

In March, AVA's deputy director of risk communication Wong Hon Mun told MediaCorp it was difficult to prosecute animal abusers as those who report the cases do not provide enough evidence.