Pet hotel owner jailed, fined for failing to properly care for animals
Two dogs died in her charge; she is also fined $35,700
The owner of pet hotel Platinium Dogs Club has been jailed and fined for failing to properly care for the animals entrusted to her.
Charlotte Liew, 33, was jailed for two weeks and fined $35,700 yesterday.
She pleaded guilty to four charges of failing in her duty to care for the dogs, and one charge each of giving false information, obstructing the course of justice, and registering the business under a different address and in her sister's name.
Another five charges, which include four for failing in her duty of care for the dogs, were taken into consideration during sentencing.
Liew has also been banned from running pet-related businesses for a year.
Numerous dogs suffered under Liew's care and two of them died.
The pet hotel operated from January 2018 at a residential house in Bukit Panjang, offering boarding services for dogs.
But it was registered only in October that year, under the name of Liew's sister, with an address in Woodlands.
On Dec 16 that year, a Shetland sheepdog named Prince was boarded at the house, but he died some time between Dec 22 and 24.
Liew claimed Prince had died after being bitten by another dog housed there.
But the actual cause of Prince's death could not be determined, as Liew had cremated the dog under a false identity on Dec 24.
It was almost a week later that she told the owner that Prince had gone missing. She ignored further questions from the owner.
The owner went to look for Liew at the house, even getting down on her knees to plead with her to reveal Prince's whereabouts, but Liew continued to ignore her.
UNSUITABLE FOOD
In another instance, a Jack Russell terrier named QQ was boarded at the house on Dec 20 that year. She had suffered acute pancreatitis in 2017 and Liew was told that the canine should be fed only special low-fat kibble provided by the owner. But Liew did not ensure this and on occasion fed the dog unsuitable food.
A week later, QQ was on the verge of death and looking skinny, with abrasions on her inner thighs, and faeces and urine over her body and limbs.
Liew then took her to a vet, where QQ died of acute renal failure a few hours after admission.
On Dec 29, the pet boarding house in Bukit Panjang was raided by the authorities following complaints that pets in its care were mistreated. The then Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) found 12 dogs and a rabbit during the raid.
Some of these animals were leashed to fixtures while others were roaming freely.
Urine and faeces littered the three floors of the house, and some dogs were found in hot and stuffy rooms without ventilation and water.
The AVA subsequently took temporary custody of the animals.
Yesterday, Liew's lawyer Tang Shangwei said Liew was remorseful and had "suffered a fair bit as a result of the circumstances".
Deputy Presiding Judge Jennifer Marie said it was important that the sentence send a strong signal to owners of animal-related businesses that the courts take a dim view of such offences.
For each charge of failing in her duty to care for the dogs, Liew could have been jailed for up to two years and fined $40,000.
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