A reader wrote to Mothership alleging that her neighbours were failing to care for their Siberian husky.
The reader, who prefers to remain anonymous and shall be referred to as Z, shared with Mothership on Apr. 24 an Instagram story she posted about the situation, as well as a picture of a husky lying on its side in the driveway of a landed property.
Photo courtesy of Z
According to Z, she had been hearing the husky "crying consistently every day and night" as early as Apr. 14.
Z shared that the dog was kept within a playpen on the property, but was not brought indoors.
Z also alleged that the owners did not attend to the dog when it was crying. The dog also appeared to be unwell.
Additionally, she claimed that she did not see the family or their domestic worker interacting with the dog while it was left outside.
Contacted authorities
Z claimed to have contacted the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), the National Parks' Board's (NParks) Animal Veterinary Services (AVS) and the police regarding the husky.
Z claimed that SPCA told her that the dog is suffering from arthritis, and is unable to stand, drink, eat, urinate or defecate without assistance.
Z also claimed that SPCA told her that the dog had sores since it was unable to turn and was only lying on its side. She alleged that this showed "neglect in flipping the immobile dog".
Her concerns mainly stemmed from the recent spell of hot weather to which the dog is exposed to, and believed that the dog was apparently not being brought indoors.
Z also claimed that the dog is not being regularly supervised, and so is unable to drink water while being left out in the heat.
Owner remains committed to caring for dog: SPCA
In response to Mothership's queries, SPCA confirmed that a house visit was made to assess the situation.
SPCA noted that while the dog was "elderly and in poor health", the owner had sought veterinary care, was duly administering medicine, and "remains committed to seeing the dog through the rest of his life".
The owner explained to SPCA that they kept the dog outside due to the floor indoors being too slippery, which would affect the husky's mobility as it has arthritis.
SPCA suggested to the owner ways to improve the dog's living environment, such as by getting a dog bed or using anti-slip mats indoors.
SPCA added that they would be making a follow-up visit to check if improvements to the dog's living conditions have been made.
Z told Mothership on Apr. 25 that the owners had set up umbrellas to cover the dog.
SPCA also revealed that authorities have visited the premises as part of their investigation.
In response to Mothership's queries, Jessica Kwok, NParks' Group Director of Enforcement and Investigation, shared that they have received feedback on an "alleged case of failure in duty of care for a Siberian Husky", and that it is looking into the matter.
NParks "takes all feedback received from the public on animal health and welfare seriously", Kwok said.
Top photo courtesy of Z