'Disgustingly inappropriate': Dog trainer suspends staff who were filmed hitting dogs in public

A dog trainer suspended his staff after they were seen rough handling several dogs in public on Monday (Jan 15).

A video shared by Instagram user Monkey_bear2 showed two employees from Xavian and Pack getting the canines ready for a photo taking session.

One of them forcefully pushed a dog down to make it sit while his colleague smacked another dog on the head and back. 

Another video showed one of the men shouting at the dogs.

"Witnessing the treatment of the poor furkids for a photo op made us furious," the Instagram user wrote. Down with unscrupulous businesses out there. Shame on you!"

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The videos garnered over 300,000 views at the time of writing.

In the comments section, several netizens said they were furious about the rough treatment of the dogs.

"So upsetting, poor dogs," one of them said, while another urged Monkey_bear2 to report the incident to the authorities.

On the same day, the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) said that they were alerted to the "troubling video".

"Pet owners and trainers must refrain from using violence or intimidation. Hitting, hurting, or threatening animals can cause increased fear and anxiety, that could result in long-term health and behavioural issues," SPCA wrote in its social media posts.

"If you or someone you know has had any negative experiences with the training provider in the video, please write to us at depinspector@spca.org.sg so that we can further investigate the matter."

In an Instagram Story on Tuesday, the founder of Xavian and Pack, said that he suspended the staff who displayed "disgustingly inappropriate" behaviour towards the dogs.

"This is definitely not what Xavian and Pack stands for and we will not condone any of such behaviours," he said. "As a dog parent myself, I would not want my dogs to be treated that way.

"We will be scrutinising all aspects of our service moving forward to avoid such events from happening."

Responding to AsiaOne's queries, the Animal and Veterinary Service (AVS) said that they are aware of the videos and are looking into the matter.

"AVS takes all feedback received from the public on animal cruelty seriously," said Joshua Teh, director of AVS, adding that members of the public can report suspected cases via its website at www.avs.gov.sg/feedback or through its Animal Response Centre on 1800-476-1600.

Under the Animal and Birds Act, a person found guilty of animal cruelty can be imprisoned for up to 18 months, fined up to $15,000, or both.

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