Woman hits dog repeatedly with wooden sticks

>> ASIAONE / NEWS / ASIAONE NEWS / SINGAPORE / STORY

		Tue, Jul 13, 2010 AsiaOne
Woman hits dog repeatedly with wooden sticks
Woman hits dog repeatedly with wooden sticks Click on thumbnail to view For more photos, click here. By Angelina Dass A video of a woman hitting a dog on the head is now under investigation by the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA). The video is currently circulated on popular video sharing website YouTube and social network Facebook.com. The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) told AsiaOne that the owner of the dog - not the woman in the video - contacted them and stressed the importance of getting the dog to the vet. In an e-mail to AsiaOne, AVA says SPCA has given them information on the "identities of the parties involved" and currently investigating. However, both AVA and SPCA have declined to reveal this information until investigations are completed. Further information on the location of the abuse has yet to be clarified. In the video, a woman disciplines a dog by hitting it on its head repeatedly with wooden sticks. The dog reacts by barking and cowering away from the woman. The dog also tries to get out of her way but is unable to because it is cornered. Its crime? Chewing on a cushion. A boy can be heard telling the woman to stop by saying "enough already". But the woman does not listen to him and continues hitting the dog and threatening it. If the woman is convicted of animal cruelty under the Animals and Birds Act, the offender can be fined $10,000 and/or imprisoned for 12 months. Spokesperson for SPCA Ms. Deirdre Moss said that when the officers at SPCA viewed the video together they were very shocked and "there's no doubt that the dog is not only being beaten but also terrorized". "We just hope the authorities will get to the bottom of this and that the person behind the beating will be identified and action be taken against them." SPCA also hopes the dog can be removed from the possibility of this happening again and is recommending to the authorities the dog be rehomed. A vet should also examine the dog to determine if it has suffered any physical injury. The SPCA also promotes positive reinforcement instead of negative reinforcement like physical abuse. "It does not teach a dog how to behave... (and instead may bring about) a host of other problems like aggression and fear and may have an adverse effect on the dog." The woman's actions have drawn much criticism from netizens. Facebook users have made their anger very clear in more than 450 comments about the video on SPCA 's Facebook page alone. Many have called for action by authorities. Says Facebook user Angelynn, "No matter what get this woman first and save the dog first". Anyone with information on the case can contact AVA at 64717198 or e-mail ava_cawc@ava.gov.sg or the SPCA at 62875355 extension 9.