A 26-year-old woman has pleaded guilty to abusing her dog.

Abused pet chihuahua

According to a Today report, Sophia Ong Daijuan had picked up her chihuahua by the neck, and "(slammed) it onto the ground with great force" from a height of 1.5 metres.

She also violently pulled its hind leg, beat the dog, and only fed it once every two to three days.

The dog died in February 2018, and Ong's mother arranged for a pet cremation service provider to collect the carcass for cremation.

Apart from the chihuahua, Ong also owns another dog, which was found to be healthy during investigations.

There was also no sign of abuse.

Unclear how dog died

According to court documents, Ong claimed she gave her dog a bath on Feb. 23, 2018, after noticing that its tailed was soiled with faeces.

She said she left the dog unattended in the basin with tap water running, and then went to use her phone in her room.

After returning five minutes later, she claimed she saw the chihuahua submerged in the water, lifeless. She also said that its right front paw was also stuck in the drainage hole.

However, a post-mortem conducted before the dog was cremated revealed that the dog's death was caused by trauma directed at its head and abdomen.

The dog also suffered from liver lacerations, a bleeding abdomen and bleeding within its lung. There was no evidence to suggest drowning.

Pleaded with judge to not ban her from keeping pets

In court on Sep. 18, the prosecution sought a fine and disqualification order to ban Ong for keeping any animal for one year.

According to Today, Ong reportedly broke down in tears, saying that she is "really not okay with (her) dog being taken away".

Her other dog had been taken away from her during investigations, and she claimed that she had panic attacks when that happened.

She also claimed that her dogs were a source of emotional support for her mental illness. Her diagnosis was not revealed in court.

"He is my emotional support so I really can’t have him away," she said.

Ong will return to court for sentencing on Oct. 23.

Top photo via Unsplash