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Pasir Ris pet farm owner admits to not caring for dogs properly

SINGAPORE — An unannounced inspection by the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority (AVA) at a Pasir Ris pet farm in March last year uncovered a nasty surprise, where eight dogs were found in poor physical condition.

Edwin Tan Guowei. TODAY file photo

Edwin Tan Guowei. TODAY file photo

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SINGAPORE — An unannounced inspection by the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority (AVA) at a Pasir Ris pet farm in March last year uncovered a nasty surprise, where eight dogs were found in poor physical condition. 

The affected dogs, which included an unsterilised bulldog, a schnauzer, a husky and a pomeranian, were suffering from conditions such as a corneal swelling in the right eye, discolouration of the eyes and muscle wastage. 

The pet farm’s owner, Edwin Tan Guowei, 29, on Wednesday (May 24) admitted to six counts of failure to provide proper care of the dogs under the farm’s watch. 

The court heard that Tan has been the licensee of The Animal House at Pasir Ris since 2015, and had been in the pet business since he was 18. At the time of the offences, the farm had close to 200 dogs. 

The prosecution, led by Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Selene Yap, argued for a fine of at least S$30,000 per charge, as well as a disqualification order to prevent Tan from engaging in any animal-related business for 12 months. 

DPP Yap said that the sentence should have a deterrent effect “to prevent any like-minded pet business owners from engaging in similar activities”. 

The dogs found in the surprise inspection were in bad shape and “despite treatment, they remain in terrible condition”, so a fine alone is not deterrent enough a message, she argued. The “added penalty” of a disqualification order will provide a stronger deterrence. 

The prosecution also asked for the disqualification order to start two months after the sentencing date, to allow Tan to re-house the dogs,  and the dogs must not be sent to the AVA. 

In his mitigation plea, defence counsel Daniel Ho said that the issue here was “not a case of maltreatment”. 

He said that the dogs, which were found to be in bad shape, were already isolated before the inspection on March 9 last year, when Tan “noticed that they needed treatment”. Mr Ho also said that his client feels that the disqualification order “is very harsh”. 

DPP Yap countered an earlier point made by the defence counsel, saying that “while it is not that (Tan) ill-treated his dogs, there is a positive duty for him to ensure they are well-treated”. 

Tan will next appear in court on June 7 for sentencing. 

For failing to provide proper care of animals while conducting an animal-related business, he could be fined up to S$40,000, or be jailed two years, or both, for first convictions.

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