Singapore court fines man for mistreating dog

A businessman who failed to seek timely treatment for his pet dog was fined S$10,000 (about $7,900) by a court here under the Animals and Birds Act.

This is the first time the maximum fine has been imposed by the court for animal cruelty, Today online reported Friday.

Lim Soo Seng, 76, was convicted of failing to give his female cross-breed dog timely treatment.

Lim had taken the dead dog to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) for disposal in May last year.

The court stated that the dog was found to be emaciated and appeared "to have been chronically starved or malnourished, possibly for months".

Lim had adopted the dog from the SPCA about seven years ago, the report said. Lim's domestic help said the dog, along with other pet dogs he owned, was fed dry food twice a day.

A month before the dog died, she had informed Lim that it had become very thin, but he did not take it to a doctor for treatment.

By the time the dog stopped eating totally and Lim decided to take it for treatment, it was too late.