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Animal welfare group drops lawsuit against owner of Loki the dog, urges public to refrain from further comment

SINGAPORE — Animal welfare group Exclusively Mongrels has dropped its lawsuit against the owner of Loki the dog. The animal's demise earlier this year had sparked public backlash.

The euthanisation of Loki the dog sparked an online furore after a staff member at Exclusively Mongrels posted about it on Facebook on May 6.

The euthanisation of Loki the dog sparked an online furore after a staff member at Exclusively Mongrels posted about it on Facebook on May 6.

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SINGAPORE — Animal welfare group Exclusively Mongrels has dropped its lawsuit against the owner of Loki the dog. The canine's demise earlier this year had sparked public backlash.

The group sued the owner on May 18 for getting the two-and-a-half-year-old male dog euthanised and called the act an “outrageous” breach of the adoption agreement that required the owner to consult the group before taking any action.

In a statement on Facebook on Thursday (Nov 5), Exclusively Mongrels said that it has reached a settlement with Loki’s owner, Mr Christian Parker Mygind, and the lawsuit has been discontinued.

Mr Mygind has also agreed to donate S$1,000 to Noah’s Ark Cares Singapore, a charity that sterilises and rehomes stray dogs and cats.

The animal rights group said that it started the suit to ensure that Loki’s death “will not be in vain” and to send “a strong message to all current and future adopters and pet owners that euthanisation should always be a measure of last resort”.

Though Exclusively Mongrels acknowledged that Mr Mygind had tried to help Loki with its behavioural problems, the group regretted that he did not fulfil the conditions set out in the adoption papers, namely the obligation to contact the group so that it can help rehabilitate and rehome Loki.

“We also regret that he did not inform us of Loki’s demise and that we had to learn about (it) through a third party,” it said.

In a separate statement, Mr Mygind said that he had loved Loki deeply and the decision to euthanise the dog was “extremely difficult” and “a last resort” after he had exhausted all other avenues.

“In hindsight, more could have been done under the obligations of the adoption agreement and I should have reached out to Exclusively Mongrels earlier,” he said.

Mr Mygind added that it was not his intention to exclude the group from the process.

“I recognise that Exclusively Mongrels should have been given the opportunity to rehabilitate and rehome Loki should my family and I no longer be able to have him in our home,” he said.

In its statement, Exclusively Mongrels asked the public to refrain from commenting further about the incident.

It added that it will continue to push for stronger and clearer guidelines surrounding euthanisation.

THE CASE

The euthanisation of Loki the dog sparked an online furore after a staff member at Exclusively Mongrels posted about it on Facebook on May 6.

The post has since been taken down after the owner and his wife reported the staff member to the police for alleged doxxing, which refers to the publishing of private information about someone on the internet.

The incident prompted a four-month investigation by the Animal and Veterinary Service (AVS) on the owner’s conduct. AVS later concluded that the owners did not commit animal abuse.

It also prompted Mr Louis Ng, Member of Parliament for Nee Soon Group Representation Constituency, to call for new regulations on pet euthanisation.

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Exclusively Mongrels Loki Dog euthanise lawsuit

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