Former pet farm operator fined S$50,000 for not taking proper care of dogs

Shaffiq Alkhatib Channel NewsAsia 25 May 11;

SINGAPORE: A former pet farm operator was fined S$50,000 on Wednesday after failing to take proper care of 15 dogs in a facility he used to run.

31-year-old Benny Neo Terh Thong, formerly from Kennel 9, the Pet Hotel at Pasir Ris Farmway 2, pleaded guilty to 10 of the 15 charges against him. The remaining five charges were taken into consideration during sentencing.

The dogs under his care were malnourished and even though many were ill, Neo had not sought veterinary attention for any of them.

The 15 dogs mentioned in the charges were thin and had skin problems. They were also infested with ticks and had bad teeth as well as inflamed gums.

Neo bought over the pet farm and its 75 dogs from their previous owner, Gabriel Lee on January 15 last year as he thought it would be a profitable business venture. But Neo had no experience in the dog breeding business.

He slashed the amount which was supposed to be spent on dog food from some S$1,500 per month to only S$450.

And instead of allocating one bowl for each dog, some of the animals were made to eat from one big basin. As a result, the weaker dogs did not get to eat and became malnourished.

The poorly-cared-for dogs were only discovered after Neo decided to give up the business about three months later. He then handed it over to Derrick Tan Kah Heng and a group of volunteers.

It was Mr Tan who informed the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority about the dogs on April 16 last year when he found many of them in poor condition. Some of the dogs that required urgent medical attention were also sent to a veterinarian for treatment.

Defence counsel, Vinit Chhabra, told the court in his mitigation plea that Neo had put in long hours as well as time and energy to care for the dogs. The lawyer added that Neo regrets his efforts were not enough to prevent the suffering that the dogs appear to have endured.

-CNA/ac

Ex-dog breeder fined $50,000 for animal cruelty
Elena Chong Straits Times 26 May 11;

A FORMER dog breeder who let his dogs suffer unnecessarily was fined a total of $50,000 yesterday for animal cruelty.

As Benny Neo Terh Thong, 31, cannot pay the fine, he will serve 10 weeks' jail.

The former operator of Pet Hotel, a boarding kennel at Pasir Ris Farmway 2, admitted to 10 counts of failing to provide 10 of his dogs with enough food and veterinary attention. As a result, they became malnourished and were poor in health. Five other charges against Neo were taken into consideration.

He had bought over 75 dogs from the kennel's previous owner Gabriel Lee in January last year, said Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) prosecutor Yap Teck Chuan.

It was agreed that, for the first month after purchase, Mr Lee would coach Neo in dog breeding and care for the animals as Neo had no experience in this line.

In mid-February last year, Neo took over the farm operations on his own.

According to the AVA, the food he fed the dogs was nutritionally inadequate; he spent only $450 a month on their food when it would typically have cost about $1,500. 'Instead of... one dog per bowl, several dogs were made to eat from one big bowl or basin,' said Mr Yap. 'As a result, the weaker ones did not get to eat and were ill from starvation and malnourishment.'

Although Neo had employed a worker to help clean the kennels and feed the dogs, the condition of the dogs still deteriorated.

But Neo did not seek veterinary attention for any of them.

Their plight came to light when Mr Derrick Tan Kah Heng, 30, and a group of volunteers took over the 75 dogs in mid-April last year after Neo decided to give up the dog-breeding business.

When Mr Tan found many of the dogs to be in poor condition, he alerted the AVA.

Six dogs requiring immediate attention were taken to the veterinarian, while another 13 dogs were treated after they were examined by a visiting veterinarian.

Neo's lawyer Vinit Chhabra said his client had thought that the pet farm would be a profitable business venture.

His client's actions were due to unfamiliarity and not knowing the exact nature of the care expected of him, rather than a wilful disregard or wilful cruelty towards the animals, he added.

A newspaper report last month said all 75 dogs have since been nursed back to health and adopted.

Neo could have been fined up to $10,000 and/or jailed for up to 12 months on each charge of animal cruelty.