Last Updated on 2023-05-08 , 11:32 am
Many of us are paw-rents to lovely furry “children”. We may even spoil and pamper these beloved family members with expensive pet treatments.
This includes having our pets professionally groomed to look and smell the best that they can.
However, there are always risks involved with having someone else care for your pet outside of your line of sight, as those people may not treat your pet the way they deserve.
Can you imagine happily dropping your pet off for a grooming session with the expectation of picking up your freshly spruced-up “baby” just to hear that your pet is no longer in this world?
This nightmare manifested for one unfortunate pet owner. Due to the staff’s negligence, their beloved dog was strangled to death at a pet groomer’s shop along Ang Mo Kio Avenue 4.
Here’s what happened in this tragic turn of events.
Dog Died After Being Left Unattended at the Pet Groomer
A budding dog groomer, Ms Boon Regine Vienna, has unfortunately caused the death of a Maltese entrusted to her care. She was employed at Raku Inu pet shop when the mishap occurred.
Ms Boon, aged 22, had left the Maltese unattended for at least seven minutes when she left the pet to take a toilet and smoke break. When she left, the 10-year-old white Maltese was left on a grooming table with a short leash attached to its neck.
The dog eventually slipped off the edge of the grooming table while trying to lie down. As the leash was not long enough for the dog to reach the ground, the dog was suspended mid-air for an extended period of time before it finally passed on.
Ms Boon did not secure the dog with an extra sling under its arm before she left for her break. Her reasoning was that the dog did not appear to be very active, and based on her assessment, there was no need to further or move the animal from the grooming table.
When Ms Boon returned from her break and realised the dog was motionless, she called a colleague for help and took the dog to a nearby vet for treatment. Unfortunately, the dog was not revived.
Ms Boon was charged with causing unnecessary pain and suffering to the animal. She pleaded guilty, was eventually punished with an $8,000 fine, and was disqualified from running animal-related businesses for nine months.
The fine was in line with the amount suggested by both the prosecution and Ms Boon’s defence lawyer, while the disqualification sits between the number suggested by the prosecution and Ms Boon’s lawyer.
The former had requested a disqualification period of an entire year, given that Ms Boon had taken a calculated risk which eventually led to the death of a dog. The lawyer sought a disqualification of seven months by highlighting Ms Boon’s inadvertent cause of the dog’s death and her experience in dog grooming of about four years.
Ms Boon had previously been commended by previous pet owners for her skills in dog grooming.
The presiding judge for this case, District Judge Lorraine Ho, encouraged pet groomers and others responsible for caring for pets to care for the animals and to exercise due care and diligence. This would be crucial in ensuring the animals’ welfare.
As for Ms Boon, District Judge Ho expressed her wish for Ms Boon to upskill and upgrade herself during the disqualification period so that she can return to the pet industry more confidently in the future.
The pet groomer that Ms Boon worked with had also extended a compensation of S$20,000 to the aggrieved pet owners as compensation for the sad mishap.
Other Accidents Occurring at Pet Groomers in Singapore
Incidents occurring at various pet groomers in Singapore are uncommon, though several incidents have occurred over the years.
These incidents range from animal abuse allegations to actual physical damage inflicted on the pets.
We hope you’re ready to stomach the gruesome details (if not, skip to the next section to read about what you can do if your pet is harmed during a grooming session).
In 2021, a pet groomer came under fire for allegedly mistreating a poodle. The poodle in question was seen by some to be handled roughly, including being tugged on its tail, hit on its rear and held by its lower neck. The poodle had also slid and fell off the table during the grooming session. The pet groomer responded to the allegations by saying that the dog was hyperactive and that the pet was not cooperating with the staff. Thankfully, there was no lasting damage to the poodle in question.
In 2019, a poodle had a portion of its tongue accidentally snipped at the pet groomers. The poodle, Mario, was approximately ten years old at that time. As the horizontal snip had almost completely severed the bottommost portion of the dog’s tongue and some of the tissue had died, the vet treating the poodle advised removing the snipped portion completely. Mario survived the ordeal with a shortened tongue.
In 2013, a pet groomer accidentally left a pet entrusted to him for grooming in the boot of his car, causing the pet’s death. The groomer in question had picked up the three-year-old Maltese in a pet carrier but mistakenly placed the pet carrier instead of a child seat in the boot of his car. He then forgot about the dog for about six hours and thought he had lost the pet. More than two hours later, the dog was discovered in the boot of the car, covered in sweat and running a high temperature. The Maltese, Brownie, eventually died despite receiving treatment.
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Can You Sue a Pet Groomer in Singapore for negligence?
The thought of your pet being hurt at the pet groomer’s is a highly unpleasant thought, but it is still a practical consideration that we must have when entrusting the safety and well-being of our pets to others.
What can you do if your pet suffers at the hands of others?
One recourse you have is to do a private settlement with the perpetrator who caused the pain and suffering to your dear pet. This could be in the form of monetary compensation or in-kind gifts such as a lifetime supply of toys and treatment. Generally, all the parties in the incident should agree on the steps to take to resolve the issue as amicably as possible.
An alternative recourse you have is to make a complaint to the Singapore Police Force (SPF) or the National Parks Board (NPB). NPB is tasked with managing animal welfare, so it can investigate your complaint and prosecute the pet groomer if necessary. In particular, section 42 of the Animal and Birds Act in Singapore prohibits cruelty to animals, and an individual found guilty of animal abuse would be guilty of an office.
In this regard, cruelty to animals includes beating, kicking, torturing and terrifying an animal. It also encompasses acts that cause unnecessary pain or suffering to the animal.
A first offence would land the perpetrator a fine of up to $40,000 and imprisonment for a term of up to two years or both. The punishment is heavier for subsequent offences, with fines going up to $100,000 and imprisonment of up to three years or both.
Another method you can explore to get justice for your pet is to file a private lawsuit against the pet groomer for negligence. This is a potentially expensive recourse method since you must fork out the cash to hire a lawyer for legal advice and file a lawsuit against the pet groomer. You also have to convince the judge that the pet groomed owed and failed to fulfil the duty of care owed to your pet, how this failure caused your pet’s injury and that the injury inflicted is not too inconceivable.
The amount of compensation you can get is likely tied to the market value of the pet prior to the accident. So, there may be some “depreciation” of the value of the animal if it has lived a long life.
Finally, pet insurance may be a good option for those concerned that the pet groomers cannot provide any form of compensation for the harm done to your pet. Similar to how humans buy term and life insurance or critical illness insurance, you can consider pet insurance to cover various incidents and injuries your pet may encounter during its lifetime.
At the end of the day, our pets are our responsibilities, so it may be worth thinking twice before we send them for treatments by strangers.
Here’s a simplified summary of the South Korea martial law that even a 5-year-old would understand:
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