Dog owner 'bawling her eyes out' after corgi left unattended by pet groomer hangs itself on leash
A dog in the care of a pet groomer hung itself to death on its leash after it was left unattended on July 24.
CCTV footage of the incident circulating online shows Fendi the corgi on a table in a room with several other leashed dogs at 1.42pm.
As Fendi moved around, it fell off the table and was left dangling on the leash tied around its neck.
After struggling for about 70 seconds, the dog became still.
At 2.17pm, a woman entered the room and noticed what happened to Fendi.
Facebook user Elizabeth Goh posted at 11pm that her friend Sonia was "bawling her eyes out" at the cremation of her corgi, who was one month shy of its fourth birthday.
"Earlier today, Sonia sent her furkids, Fendi and Hades for their grooming session," recounted the post.
"The three groomers went for lunch together, leaving all furkids unsupervised. Fendi, her Corgi baby, was hung on a short leash on the left table by herself.
"Other furkids could be seen running around on short leashes in the room and all."
The pet grooming company Pawkins apologised to the dog owner, describing the incident as "entirely unforeseen". It had also offered to reimburse the various expenses.
The company also addressed the incident in an Instagram post on July 25.
It said: "Everyone at Pawkins is distraught over the most unfortunate incident involving Fendi the Corgi. We sincerely hope that all those who loved and cared for Fendi can accept our deepest and most heartfelt condolences and sympathies.
"We have groomed and cared for Fendi for about 2 years and all of us love her dearly. We are deeply saddened and affected by her passing. We have reached out to Fendi's owner.
"We are looking into the matter and will cooperate with the authorities. In the interim, we have ceased our operations and will, on request, refund any outstanding packages purchased with us."
The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals posted on social media that the case has since been escalated to the authorities for action.
It added: "In Singapore, there are currently no licensing requirements for pet grooming services. While there are some minimum standards specified under the Code of Animal Welfare (for the pet industry), failure to comply is not considered an offence. While breaches of the code can be used to support prosecution or enforcement action, the resulting penalties may not serve as effective deterrents."
National Parks Board group director for enforcement and investigation Jessica Kwok told The Straits Times the board was informed that "a dog allegedly died at a grooming salon and is investigating the matter".
In a similar incident on Nov 9, 2021, a pet groomer went for a toilet and smoke break, and the dog she left unattended slipped off the grooming table, hanging itself to death on its leash.
Boon Regine Vienna, 22, was fined $8,000 on May 3, 2023, for causing unnecessary pain and suffering to the animal, and disqualified from running any animal-related business for nine months, reported Lianhe Zaobao.
