A 51-year-old man has been charged with animal cruelty after a standard poodle allegedly suffered serious injuries while left unattended at a pet grooming facility in Tanjong Katong and later died.
Chan Yew Heng was a director of Pawsome.sg at the time of the alleged offence, according to court documents reported by The Straits Times and Mothership.
He was charged on Wednesday, 23 September 2026, and is expected to plead guilty on 21 October.
Buddy Was Allegedly Left Unattended for About 90 Minutes
The alleged incident happened at Pawsome.sg along Tanjong Katong Road on 30 October 2025.
According to the charge sheet, Buddy, a standard poodle aged around four, was allegedly left without anyone attending to him between about 9.15am and 10.45am.
During that period, Buddy’s forelegs became trapped in his playpen. Court documents state that he suffered severe traumatic injuries to his forelegs and died soon afterwards.
Buddy’s owner, Tanish Dhillon, previously told The Straits Times that the dog was dropped off at Pawsome at around 9.15am that morning.
At around 11.45am, he received a call from the grooming facility informing him that Buddy had died.
Pawsome Previously Said Buddy Was Found Unresponsive
The case first drew attention shortly after Buddy’s death in October 2025.
At the time, CCTV footage shared by Buddy’s family showed the poodle apparently in distress while inside a playpen. CNA reported that footage recorded between 9.50am and 10.02am showed no staff members in the area.
Pawsome told CNA then that Buddy had been placed in a playpen while waiting for his grooming session.
The company said a groomer later found him unresponsive and that he was immediately taken to a veterinarian, where he was pronounced dead.
Pawsome also said at the time that it was cooperating with the authorities investigating the incident.
The National Parks Board said in November 2025 that it was looking into the case and would take enforcement action if negligence was established.
He Could Face Up to 2 Years’ Jail If Convicted
Under Singapore’s Animals and Birds Act, a first offender convicted of animal cruelty committed while carrying on or working in an animal-related business may be fined up to S$40,000, jailed for up to two years, or both.
Chan has not been convicted at this stage. He is expected to enter a guilty plea when his case returns to court on 21 October.
