S'porean couple fined after their 4 dogs, including Rottweilers & Cane Corsos, charged at & injured another dog

A Singaporean couple who kept four dogs without valid licenses were fined after their pets escaped and charged at a domestic worker who was walking her employer's Labrador retriever.

The retriever suffered a wound that was 9cm long and 7cm deep after the couple's dogs, consisting of two Rottweilers and two Cane Corsos, attacked it.

Both breeds require additional licensing requirements and are restricted as potentially dangerous dog breeds; a person can only own one of a restricted breed unless given prior permission by the Director-General of Animal Health and Welfare.

On Aug. 25, 51-year-old Merissa Leow Hwee Li was fined S$3,100, while her 52-year-old husband, Lionel Tay Wei Yuan, was fined S$5,400, CNA reported.

Leow was also ordered to pay S$4,000 to the victim, the dog's owner, for vet and medical expenses.

Dogs escaped through faulty gate

According to court documents seen by Mothership, at around 9pm on Jan. 9, 2024, the victim's domestic worker was walking the Labrador retriever around a Bedok estate.

While passing Sennett Road, the couple's four dogs escaped through the faulty gate without their owners, reported CNA.

The four dogs ran onto the road and began scuffling with the Labrador retriever.

This alerted the dogs' respective owners, who rushed onto the scene.

Together with their domestic workers, the victim and Leow managed to separate the dogs.

Injuries

According to court documents, besides the deep open wound on its neck, the Labrador retriever had multiple puncture wounds on its body, including its rump and ear.

The victim also developed pain in her feet and sought medical attention.

S$3,359.65 was spent on the dog's veterinary treatments and S$706.30 on the domestic helper's medical bills.

On Jan. 10, 2024, a complaint was sent to the Animal and Veterinary Services.

None of the dogs had valid licenses

Investigations revealed that all four dogs belonged to the couple, and none of them held valid licenses.

One of the dogs was registered under Tay's cousin, while another was adopted from Tay's colleague.

In May 2020, Leow contacted the authorities regarding a third dog, saying that the family could not get along with it and asked for the dog's license to be cancelled.

Despite the cancellation, tthe dog continued to stay at the family's home.

Court documents stated that the couple did not have approval to keep more than three dogs without prior permission.

'True dog lovers'

According to CNA, the couple's lawyer, Benjamin Gabriel Sew, said his clients were not running an illegal dog farm or breeding operation and were "just true dog lovers".

Sew said the couple were not deliberately irresponsible in the ownership of their pets and that one of the dogs they were helping to dog-sit belonged to a cousin who has since died.

Sew added that the couple adopted another dog because they did not want the dog to be put down unnecessarily, not because they had a "flagrant disregard for the law".

The lawyer added that the gate, which was recently serviced, had malfunctioned on the day of the incident, hence the circumstances were not a result of any negligence.

Couple pleaded guilty

Leow pleaded guilty to two charges under the Animals and Birds (Dog Licensing and Control) Rules for letting her dog be found at large and for owning a Rottweiler without a valid licence.

Seven other charges were taken into consideration for Leow's sentencing.

Tay pleaded guilty to three charges for owning a dog without a valid licence, keeping more than three dogs at his home and keeping more than one dog of a restricted breed, with two other charges taken into consideration during sentencing.

The couple paid their fines in full, reported CNA.

Penalties

An individual can be fined up to S$5,000 for keeping more than one dog of a restricted breed.

For owning a dog without a valid license, or letting a dog you own be found at large, and for keeping more than three dogs at a place that is not a dog farm or pet shop, the penalty is the same as above.