Manager, 29, of pet grooming salon Pawkins SG charged over death of corgi which was left unattended

A manager of a home-based pet grooming salon has been charged on Dec. 11 with causing unnecessary pain and suffering to a corgi named Fendi.

Vanessa Chiu Yan Er, 29, who The Straits Times reported is also a partner at the grooming salon named Pawkins SG, allegedly left the dog unattended on a table in the salon.

Failed to secure dog

Court documents seen by Mothership stated that Chiu was Fendi's groomer and allegedly failed to secure the dog with a "double arm lock", leaving it unattended on the table.

The corgi then slipped off the table and died after hanging from its neck by its leash for an extended period.

Fendi was only one month shy of its fourth birthday.

Chiu is scheduled to be back in court on Jan. 15, 2025.

Those convicted of causing unnecessary pain and suffering to an animal can be jailed for up to two years and fined up to S$40,000 for a first offence.

What happened

Fendi's owner, Sonia, told Mothership previously that she had dropped the corgi and her other pup, Hades, for grooming at Pawkins SG on Jul. 24, 2024.

According to the closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage shared by Sonia, Fendi could be seen lying on the grooming table while leashed and muzzled at 1:41pm.

At 1:42:03pm, something off-camera triggered all the dogs to start barking.

Fendi stood on the grooming table and barked before it fell off at around 1:42:08.

The short leash around Fendi's neck left it struggling as it stood on its hind legs.

At 1:43:13, Fendi became motionless, and its tail stopped moving.

About 30 minutes after Fendi stopped moving, an employee entered the room and noticed Fendi was motionless.

A second employee came in and checked on Fendi before rushing out and getting a third employee.

The third employee came in and saw Fendi before leaving the room.

The second employee started to perform chest compressions on Fendi, and at 2:20pm, the first employee wrapped a towel around Fendi before carrying it out.

Sonia previously shared with Mothership that she was only told about Fendi's passing at 3:14pm.

Pawkins later stated that they were "distraught over the most unfortunate incident" involving Fendi, and shared that they have since ceased operations.

Top photos from Soniayjing/Instagram and Sonia