East Coast pet shop fires staff who caned dog; AVS investigating

A video of a pet shop staff caning a dog has recently surfaced online, sparking outrage among netizens. 

The heart-wrenching clip, which has been uploaded to various social media platforms, shows a man repeatedly caning a dog, who is backed into a corner and yelping helplessly. 

"Boycott Whatupdawg at 160 East Coast Road," wrote a caption in the video. 

It is not known who filmed the 19-second video. 

At the time of writing, the video has chalked up over 25,000 views, with netizens decrying the staff's actions. 

Several others also tagged the authorities in the comments, urging them to investigate the matter. 

Responding to the outcry, Whatupdawg released a statement on their Instagram stories on Tuesday (Nov 21) evening, clarifying the matter. 

In the statement, the pet store shared that the incident took place last November. However, the management was only made aware of the matter in June this year when their former staff, Mr Sim, was called up by the Animal & Veterinary Service (AVS) for questioning. 

In a second Instagram story, the pet store also uploaded a screenshot of a text message from AVS which was sent to Mr Sim, asking about the incident.

"Subsequently, Mr Sim was dismissed. Appropriate actions were taking following reports from AVS and NParks," wrote the pet shop.

"We deeply regret any inconvenience caused and are committed to collaborating with the authorities to address this matter." 

On Wednesday, the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) left a comment on the TikTok video confirming that the incident took place last year, and was reported to AVS in January this year. 

A representative from the pet store also told AsiaOne on Wednesday that the puppy in the video was unharmed after the incident.

AsiaOne has contacted AVS for more information. 

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claudiatan@asiaone.com