Dog petting cafe We Are The Furballs announces retirement of 3 dogs after being accused of neglect

One visitor to the cafe said that some dogs were limping or had fur falling out.

Lee Wei Lin | May 28, 2022, 02:32 PM

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Dog petting cafe We Are The Furballs (WTF) has hit back at allegations that it ignores the welfare of their resident dogs.

Although they did not specify the source of these accusations, their post was made hours after TikTok user @jezzlez shared a video about an "upsetting experience as a dog lover" at their cafe.

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Customer saw dogs that did not look healthy

TikTok user @jezzlez, who identifies herself as Jessie on the platform, shared a footage of a Pomeranian that had long, untrimmed nails which appear to be growing downwards towards the direction of the paw pads.

The Pomeranian could "hardly walk properly", she said.

In the same video, a French Bulldog could also be seen partially dragging its hind right leg while walking.

Video via @jezzlez on TikTok.

Video via @jezzlez on TikTok.

In the comments section, Jessie alleged that she was kicked out after attempting to inform the staff of the issues that she noticed. She added that the Pomeranian was taken away and hidden after she took photos of the dog.

Sharing further observations about the dogs at the cafe, Jessie said they "lay around, don't really interact much like a normal healthy dog would, some are limping, their nails are uncut, fur is falling out".

One commenter claimed that they saw "a dog which looked sick and couldn't move" when they visited the cafe in the past, while another alleged that "one of the dog chew its entire paws wet and red (sic)".

Nevertheless, Jessie clarified that she is not accusing the cafe of abusing the dogs, although she maintains that the dogs are neglected.

Similar reviews that point out the "poor physical condition" of the dogs could be found on Google as well, with a reviewer claiming that the dogs are "balding from stress" and that they are only walked once every two days, according to the cafe staff.

We Are The Furballs issues statement

The cafe's statement touched on the medical conditions that three of their dogs, Bui Bui, a French Bulldog, Yuki, a Pomeranian, and Lulu, a Toy Poodle, have.

They started off by explaining that all three dogs are 11 years old. According to Pets Magazine, dogs below 9kg are considered senior when they reach the age of 10. As for small breeds, 11 dog years is the equivalent of 60 human years.

WTF said that Bui Bui suffers from muscle atrophy, or the degeneration of muscles, due to her age, and has been put on supplements to manage the condition. They added that "her condition seems to have improved after taking her supplements", and that the vet suggested that Bui Bui receive acupuncture during their April review. They claim to be "in the midst of waiting for (an) appointment".

2012 photo of Bui Bui. Photo by We Are The Furballs.

Yuki allegedly has a "very mild heart murmur", which WTF claims they found out "when she suddenly started coughing and wheezing last year". They alleged that she wheezes and coughs "when she gets overly excited".

They continued:

"Her condition has stabilised and she is otherwise not very affected by it other than the occasional cough and wheeze. When she does have her occasional wheezing spell, we will put her in the counter with us because it helps calm her down and stop her wheezing.

It is not true that we would purposely stop anyone from taking pictures or videos of her when she starts to wheeze and hide her in the counter because we don’t want any evidence of this."

WTF attributes Yuki's long nails to her condition as she "gets very agitated and struggles" when they try to clip her nails, so they "try not to prolong the nail cutting session because (they) are afraid it will exacerbate her wheezing condition".

Lulu is described as a dog with a "very sensitive stomach" who is "allergic to many kinds of food and certain chemicals".

More recently, she was diagnosed with a collapsed trachea after she "started coughing and would sometimes choke (which would) usually happen after she drinks water". They emphasised that she is doing well apart from "occasional flareups", and that her condition is being managed with medication.

After describing Bui Bui, Yuki and Lulu's medical conditions, WTF announced that their time with guests will be limited, and that they will be retiring from service:

"For a start we will be limiting their interaction hours with guests, and we will monitor their condition to see if it is possible to retire them by the end of the year, so that people who might want to visit them can visit them for the last time.

However, this is also dependant on their individual conditions. If their condition deteriorates, then their full retirement will start earlier."

They did not mention what their plans are for the dogs after retirement.

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Top screenshots via @jezzlez on TikTok.