A man linked to a video which showed a dog was being hit with a metal bowl, has been charged in court on Nov. 29, 2023 with animal cruelty.
The Straits Times (ST) reported that 39-year-old Matthew Ng Zhaohui, who was the director of a MacPherson Rd dog training facility, K9 Connection, was accused of beating a dog.
ST stated that court documents did not disclose if Ng was the person in the video or if the dog in the video was the one referred to in his charge.
A video of a man shouting at and hitting the dog at K9 Connection was first posted by animal welfare group Chained Dog Awareness in Singapore's (CDAS) Facebook on Jul. 13, 2022.
The incident occurred in March 2022.
A National Parks Board (NParks) prosecutor said on Nov. 29, 2023, that there was no confirmed sentencing position but that he would be seeking a fine, reported CNA.
Ng's lawyer stated that the charge shown to her client was "slightly different" from the given, CNA reported.
The previous charge had named the dog involved and alleged that Ng had kicked it. The charge also did not state the capacity in which Ng was charged, which was as a licensee.
The case will be heard again on Jan. 10, 2024.
Those convicted of animal cruelty can be jailed for up to two years and fined up to S$40,000.
What happened
The video appeared to be security camera footage taken at the kennel, and showed a brown mongrel tied to a leash.
In the video, a man could be heard saying:
"Bite me ah. Welcome to hell my friend, four weeks of hell."
He added, "You make a single noise you see what happen to you".
The man, wearing white slippers, approached the dog and said, "You want to try me? I'll smash another bowl for you to see".
He approached the brown dog with a metal hook and bowl, and the dog was seen retreating into a corner.
The man then bashed the mongrel in the head with the metal bowl three times.
CNA stated that the Animal and Veterinary Service (AVS) had suspended the handler involved from a list of accredited dog trainers at the time.
AVS added that the dog was safe and returned to its owner after the incident.
Both K9 Connection outlets at MacPherson and Geylang East Ave 3 are "temporarily closed", according to Google Maps.
Top photos via CDAS/Facebook