Four rottweilers broke through a faulty gate at a house in Sennett Road and attacked a labrador retriever on her “pre-bedtime walk”

[The_King]

Four rottweilers broke through a faulty gate at a house in Sennett Road and attacked a labrador retriever on her “pre-bedtime walk” on Jan 9.

Hobbit, the labrador, suffered several bites, the more serious ones on her neck, shoulder and rear end, and one of her ears was torn. If it was not for her owner Melanie Song throwing herself over her, Hobbit might have suffered worse, she said.

Ms Song, 44, who works at a bank, told The Straits Times she heard a commotion outside her house at around 9.20pm. Her domestic helper, Sri, had taken the dog on her usual night walk and was screaming when she saw the first rottweiler charging at them.

“There were cars screeching, dogs barking and humans screaming. My heart sank when I heard Hobbit’s cries and quickly realised she was being attacked,” she said.

Panicked, she ran towards the dogs to try and pry them off hers.

“They did not have collars, so I couldn’t grip them. Instead, I took the dustbin from the side of the road to ward the rottweilers off, but they would not let go of Hobbit. They were pulling her in all directions, and she was screaming,” Ms Song said.

Ms Song said she threw her body over her dog to protect it.

“I was in total panic mode. It was chaotic, and felt like an eternity. I knew I was at the eye level of the rottweilers. I only learnt what I did when my neighbours told me later,” she said, her voice breaking.

As soon as she managed to pull Hobbit away from the other dogs, a quick-thinking neighbour opened his gate slightly for both to enter his house safely.

Hobbit was taken to Gaia Veterinary Centre, where she was stabilised and had a draining tube inserted.

“I was told by the vet that it will take about seven days to fully assess the damage as some injuries would only surface after a few days,” she said, adding that the vet bill was more than $3,000.

Ms Song said she adopted Hobbit from the Police K9 Unit in 2018. “She was too playful and had failed her sniffer dog test, resulting in an early retirement,” she said.

Hobbit was then four years old.

Ms Song herself suffered cuts on her heel and ankle and sought treatment at Tan Tock Seng Hospital the next day. She was given a tetanus shot, antibiotics and painkillers.

She was particularly upset when the owners of the four rottweilers asked to settle the matter privately.

“It is never a good time to talk to me about a settlement when I’m rushing Hobbit to the vet, hurt and fighting for her life,” she said, adding that she had made reports to both the police and the Animal and Veterinary Service (AVS), a cluster of the National Parks Board (NParks).

Both authorities confirmed that reports had been lodged.

Ms Jessica Kwok, Group Director for AVS, said: “(We) take all feedback received from the public on animal health and welfare seriously. Investigations are ongoing.”

Under the Animals and Birds Act, an errant dog owner can receive a maximum composition fine of $1,000.

Owner of the four rottweilers, Ms Marissa Leow, told ST that whole incident was “an unfortunate accident”.

“The magnetic lock (at the front gate) was corroded by the rain and was not working. We had not realised this. On the fateful night, I had just returned from the supermarket and was unloading the grocery at the back of the house,” she said.

“The dogs are usually in the front yard. We did not realise the gate was faulty and the dogs managed to burst through the gate. It was not something we had wanted to happen,” Ms Leow said, eyes brimming with tears.

“We wanted to speak to the owner of the labrador but she was too upset to speak to us. The police advised us to perhaps wait for a while before we broach the subject with her,” she added.

Said Ms Song: “Dogs do not have any moral compass. It is not their fault but that of their owners. I hope the (four) dogs will be taken away and rehabilitated instead of being put down.”

[XianGe]

Poor doge

[aaur4man]

rich ppl problem 

[coffeenut]

3 hours ago, The_King said:

Said Ms Song: “Dogs do not have any moral compass. It is not their fault but that of their owners. I hope the (four) dogs will be taken away and rehabilitated instead of being put down.”

 

 

[The_King]

5 hours ago, coffeenut said:

 

 

I unsong Liao

 

 

[Londonchocolateroll]

When you have big dogs and all the more 4 of them, obedience school is a must. Otherwise, things are just waiting to happen