Dog left to die in a plastic bagSAVED, JUST IN TIME: Pom Pom the pomeranian was found tied up in a plastic bag near a rubbish bin in East Coast Park. Ms Esther Wong and Miss Rayne Gan have since looked after it and are hoping to find someone to adopt Pom Pom.
The Electric New Paper :
HORROR FIND IN EAST COAST PARK
Dog left to die in a plastic bag
By Teh Jen Lee
11 June 2009
IT WAS left to die in the most cold-hearted way.
A female pomeranian dog, about seven years old, was found in a tied-up plastic bag near a rubbish bin at East Coast Park last Friday night.
It had a nerve injury and was not able to stand on its own.
Fortunately, it was found by a group of about 10 friends who had planned to go fishing near Bedok Jetty.
Miss Rayne Gan, 26, a marketing executive, told The New Paper how they found the dog at about 11pm that night.
'One of my friends took along his dog, a Husky. It started straining towards the rubbish bin, towards a red plastic bag in particular.
'It's usually alert to the presence of other animals, so we thought there could be a dead dog in the bag, which was loosely tied up,' she said.
Out of curiosity, they opened the bag and found a motionless dog inside.
Miss Gan said: 'We thought it was dead at first. It was lying on its side, not making any sound. It was covered with pee and poo.
'When we looked closer, we realised it was alive. The poor thing was very weak and shivering from the cold.'
Her first thought: 'How could someone be so heartless to dump a dog like it was rubbish? Throwing it away, not bothering whether it survives or slowly dies of pain.
'The owner should respect a dog's life. Dogs have feelings too. A pet is for life and it should be treated like a family member.'
Miss Gan's friend wanted to send the dog to the Society of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) but she decided instead to call her friend, an experienced dog rescuer.
Her friend, nursing student Esther Wong, 22, has helped about 10 animals in the past four years.
She agreed to put up the dog for a few days so MissGan drove to Ms Wong's home in Woodlands with the injured animal.
Ms Wong, who has three dogs and a blind cat, said the dog had a good appetite. It gobbled up two trays of dog food.
Miss Gan, who has two mongrel dogs as pets, said: 'It was malnourished, like it had not eaten for days. I could feel its ribs.'
That night, the dog, which has been named Pom Pom, would howl loudly whenever it was alone.
Ms Wong said: 'My husband and I stayed up until about 4am, petting her head until she finally went to sleep.'
The next day, Pom Pom was taken to the vet and was prescribed vitamin B complex for its nerve injury.
Miss Gan said: 'The vet can't determine how the nerve injury came about. It could be an accident, abuse or an illness.'
If Pom Pom does not recover movement in two weeks, it means that its may be permanent. Ms Wong said she may go to another vet for a second opinion.
Meanwhile, she tries to help Pom Pom by stretching its limbs and exercising its muscles a few times a day, as instructed by the vet.
Pom Pom was also taken to a groomer, who cut off its fur as it was matted with dirt.
Although Miss Gan and Ms Wong have grown fond of Pom Pom, they can't keep it because of their existing pets.
Pom Pom's up for adoption
They have made postings about Pom Pom on forums, hoping that a prospective long-term owner will step forward.
So far, there have been donations of pee pads to line Pom Pom's basket and lactose-free milk suitable for dogs.
They are also hoping for witnesses who may have seen the culprit abandoning the plastic bag at East Coast Park.
Miss Gan said: 'My friend who had been there earlier that night said two joggers had passed by and mentioned that they saw someone dump the bag, but he's not sure at what time.'
The case has been reported to the SPCA.
SPCA executive officer Deirdre Moss said: 'It's blatant abandonment, which is against the law. The people responsible should be prosecuted.
'There's no excuse for that. If no one had seen the dog, it could have been carried away in a rubbish truck.'
Under the Animals and Birds Act, anyone convicted of abandoning an animal can be fined up to $10,000 and jailed for up to a year.
