Law Minister K Shanmugam suggests legal action in puppy case

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An honorable member of the Coffee Shop Has Just Posted the Following:

[Updated on 23 October 2013, 7:45pm: Added response from Law Minister K Shanmugam]

Law Minister K Shanmugam has suggested that Ada Wong, the rescuer of Tammy the seven-month-old puppy who was recently put down by veterinarians at The Animal Clinic, take legal action. The euthanasia took place at the request of Tammy's adoptive owner Alison McElwee.
"I have suggested to her [Wong] that she should get a lawyer to pursue this matter. She asked me for help and I have suggested a lawyer to her who will help her pro-bono," the minister said in a Facebook post on Wednesday.

His response came after the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) commented on Tuesday on the euthanasia, which drew flak among animal lovers in Singapore.

The minister noted the uproar and also said, "Many animal lovers have been upset about the events surrounding puppy Tammy. Ada, who was Tammy's rehomer, spoke with me. I asked for the document which was signed between Ada and Tammy’s adopter (Alison McElwee). Ada told me that she made clear to Tammy’s adopter in subsequent conversations that Ada was prepared to take back Tammy."

He later commented again on his post, which had already attracted over 200 comments and more than 1,000 Likes, to prevent more people from condemning McElwee's doing.

"I hope we can refrain (on this page) from making remarks which are insulting and of a personal nature, about the adopter and her family. She will have her version of events, and we should be fair. I hope we, as Singaporeans, can show our fair mindedness," he said.

In a statement posted on AVA's Facebook page on Tuesday, it stated that veterinarians "may at times be called upon to euthanise an animal for various reasons, such as to alleviate their suffering, or if they are aggressive".

AVA said it "has looked into the facts of the case in the media reports", and said that the vet clinic which carried out the euthanasia had "experienced first-hand the aggressiveness of the dog".
The statement said the vets at The Animal Clinic, the vet clinic that Tammy's owner had brought her to, "found (the dog's) behaviour to be hostile" and that the "degree of its aggressiveness escalated".

However, Ricky Yeo, president of animal welfare group Action for Singapore Dog and a dog trainer whom Tammy's owner got in touch with, said the dog "did not exhibit any signs of aggression".

Tammy had three 2-hour sessions with Yeo in July and August. While Tammy started off nervous and cowering, by the end of the sessions she was "much more confident, and I was told that Tammy was playing well with (Alison's) kids and integrating well into the family", Yeo said.

He said when news broke via a Facebook post that Tammy had been put to sleep, he was "shocked and very disappointed".

According to the Facebook post that first started circulating early October, Tammy was adopted by Ms Alison McElwee in June.

The rescuers, whom had rehomed Tammy and her siblings, had a signed agreement with Ms McElwee - should the latter wish to give up the dog, the rescuers must be informed "so we can take our dog back".

Four months later, Ada Ong, one of the rescuers, was notified that McElwee found the puppy aggressive. Talks on how to handle the situation was ongoing when Ong said McElwee told that her that she managed to “(find) someone for Coco to go and she left yesterday afternoon.

It was only after a police report and much effort that McElwee told Ong that Tammy had been put to sleep.

The Facebook post went viral, with McElwee and the clinic that had put down Tammy facing a storm of criticism.

Animal lovers are up in arms about AVA's statement, with many asking if AVA had spoken directly to the parties involved.

Facebook user Jasmine Kee asked, "Facts from the media reports? Seriously? Did you even speak to the parties involved? Why is there no mention of the rehomer wanting to bring Tammy back?"

Another comment left by Serene See said, "Did AVA spoke to the rescuer? There's totally no mention of her and the trainer's point of view. This is totally unfair and biased"


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