Department of Veterinary Services to take over dog abuse case

PETALING JAYA: Police have left the investigations into a man physically hitting and abusing a dog that was caught on tape last week to the Department of Veterinary Services (DVS).
Serdang police chief ACP Megat Mohd Aminuddin Megat Alias told theSun that the case will be handled by the DVS and that they have already opened an investigation paper into the case.
In a statement released earlier, the DVS confirmed that they had opened a case file on the incident and are investigating it under Section 44 of the Animals Welfare Act 2015 which carries a minimum fine of RM20,000 and maximum of RM100,000 or a three-year jail term, or both upon conviction.
Under the Act, cruelty offences include the act of beating, mutiliating, poisoning, confining in areas that restrict natural movements of the animals, and abandonment.
DVS also said that the dog, known as Furby, has been under the care of DVS' Selangor division since the incident.
"The dog has been sent to the veterinary office in the Petaling district and is receiving treatment. The dog had suffered bruises on its face. Further checks are being done to see if there is any other injury," the department said in the statement.
Since then, the man who abused the dog has come out and apologised for his actions.
Terence Yee, a Singaporean living in Puchong, had claimed that he had lost patience with the dog after he was allegedly attacked numerous times previously.
He said that he was attacked six times by Furby but the only video that was released was the one where he retaliated ruthlessly.
D. Mariayee, the guard on duty at the time who was also seen in the video, had refuted Yee's claims. She said that Furby was playful and loving and had never attacked any of the residents in the Puchong residential area and that Furby just wanted to play with Yee's dog at the time.
The video of Yee losing his cool and violently attacking the dog had gone viral since last Thursday. In the video, Yee is seen to be riding his bicycle to the guardhouse when Furby runs up to him. Yee, visibly startled, falls off his bike. In a fit of rage, Yee then gets up and charges at the dog, grabbing it by its neck and hitting it repeatedly.
Mariayee also claimed that Yee had pushed her away when she tried to stop him. Yee also used a helmet that was at the guard post to hit the dog.
Yee had been questioned by the police on the incident.
At press time, the DVS was not available for comment and updates on the case.