'No one should have to suffer as we have': Pet owner speaks out after dog gets mauled to death by another

They may be man's best friend, but they certainly aren't all friends with one another.

A pet owner has urged other dog handlers to be more responsible after his Pomeranian was attacked by another dog, according to a Facebook post by user Hadrian Tay on Tuesday (Aug 20).

Tay's mum was walking their dog, named Hugo, near Block 112 Geylang Lorong 3 between 11am and 12pm on Monday.

However, an "uncontrolled and aggressive" dog suddenly began barrelling towards them from about 100 metres away.

"Despite the owner's attempt to restrain their dog, it broke free from its leash and viciously attacked Hugo, shaking him violently like a ragdoll," Tay's post read.

"After numerous desperate attempts to control her dog, it eventually released Hugo, but by then, the damage was done."

Hugo laid motionless on the grass, bleeding profusely and struggling to breathe, while Tay's mum called her daughter, Brenda, to help.

Meanwhile, the owner of the aggressor dog had already left together with her pet, calling her husband down to speak with Tay's mum, according to the post.

The trio then rushed Hugo to the veterinary where he was taken to the emergency room.

Although surgery was necessary to save Hugo's life, they had to stabilise his critically low blood pressure first, according to the veterinarian.

Tay also shared graphic photographs of Hugo's injuries, documenting the excessive bleeding and deep puncture wounds on the dog's body.

In Instagram Story posts on his account, he also shared a short clip of Hugo lying on the operation table, his internal organs protruding out of his wounds every breath it took.

Faced with the very real possibility of losing their beloved pet dog, Tay's family, who had all gathered by then, were very emotional.

"We confronted the male owner (with vulgarities), but he was uncooperative and refused to provide his particulars," the post stated.

Tay himself contacted NParks for assistance, but the other owner still refused to provide personal particulars.

The police were also called down but left shortly after collecting particulars from the other owner.

$3,000 in compensation

After Hugo's death, the other pet owner allegedly said he would take full responsibility for the incident, placing a $3,000 deposit with the veterinary to offset the bill and other costs, according to Tay.

The bill from the veterinary was a third of the $3,000 provided, and the other party purportedly mentioned that the remaining amount would be credited to Tay's family as a form of "compensation".

The two parties also chose to settle this privately, outside of court. 

"The legal route would have required a full autopsy on Hugo, in layman terms, cutting his body and brains open without returning his body in intact form to us which is something we couldn't bear," the family also wrote in the post.

"As his family members, we couldn't endure seeing our beloved Hugo suffer any longer, especially after the way he was taken from us."

Once Tay's family began preparations for funerary services, the other owner refused to pay for it, however.

"He started to play punk and gave all sorts of excuses on why the amount will not be paid in full," the post claimed. 

"He also mentioned about the emotional trauma that he was dealing because of the vulgarities hurled at him earlier."

'The only thing we want is for justice to be done'

Despite the other owner's alleged non-co-operation, Tay's family has decided to focus on other things on the horizon.

Stating that "no amount of compensation is enough", the family has given up on pursuing recompense and has decided to give Hugo "the best send-off possible".

"The only thing we want is for justice to be done so that we could re-shift our focus to grieving and doing the necessary arrangements," they said.

The family added: "We do not wish for any other person to go through what we went through. It is truly a difficult time for our family with this heart-breaking tragedy, and no one should have to suffer as we have."

They also advised owners to be more responsible when dealing with their pets, also requesting for stricter and more effective regulations from authorities to prevent incidents like this from occurring again.

AsiaOne has reached out to the SPCA and Tay for more information.

NParks investigating

Responding to queries from AsiaOne, National Parks Board (NParks) group director for enforcement and investigation Jessica Kwok said that they've received feedback regarding a case where a dog was allegedly fatally attacked by another dog.

"The National Parks Board takes all feedback received from the public on animal health and welfare seriously," Kwok stated. Investigations are ongoing.

Back in 2022, the owner of a large dog that mauled a smaller dog was fined by the Animal and Veterinary Service (AVS), The Straits Times reported last January. 

In September 2022, a small dog named Milo was attacked by an Alaskan malamute - which was over 10 times the former's weight - at Bukit Timah.

Milo was rushed to a veterinary hospital, and was in intensive care unit for over a week, Jennifer Fan, Milo's owner, told The Straits Times then.

Although the AVS declined to reveal the fine amount then, according to the Animals and Birds Act, an errant dog owner can receive a maximum composition fine of $1,000.

The composition fine was reportedly issued to the malamute owner following the AVS' probe into the incident. 

ALSO READ: 'I just want my baby back': Woman's pet corgi dies after falling off grooming table

khooyihang@asiaone.com