Maid jailed 4 weeks for throwing poodle from third floor balcony, dog euthanised

[The_King]

 

(PHOTO: Dou Dou the toy poodle/NParks)

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SINGAPORE — Annoyed that a toy poodle kept barking at her, an Indonesian domestic helper threw the dog off the third floor balcony of her employer’s house.

Giyanti Wulandari, 28, was given four weeks’ jail on Wednesday (8 July) after she pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary pain and suffering to the 11-year-old dog, named Dou Dou. She was first charged on 10 June for the offence.

Dou Dou was so severely injured that it had to be euthanised the next day.

Giyanti had been working for the household, located along Sunrise Walk, since December last year. Her main chores consisted of housework, cooking, and looking after her employer’s two children and his pets. The family owned two birds and two dogs. 

On 13 May, at about 9am, Giyanti went to the level three bedroom to feed and clean a bird cage. Dou Dou was also in the room. 

As the birds were noisy, and Dou Dou kept barking at her, Giyanti felt annoyed. When the dog did not stop barking at her, Giyanti opened the glass door of the bedroom to the balcony, picked up Dou Dou, and flung the dog from the balcony. 

Dou Dou landed on the ground floor grass patch at the front porch of the house.

Panicking, Giyanti ran downstairs to check on Dou Dou before informing her employer that the dog was bleeding from the mouth on the ground floor. The employer immediately brought Dou Dou to a vet clinic where it was found to have multiple injuries. 

The next day, Dou Dou was euthanised due to its critical condition, and in order to reduce its pain and suffering.

A post mortem examination conducted on Dou Dou found that the dog had suffered significant blunt-force injuries to its spine and organs, resulting from an external traumatic incident.

On 15 March - a day after Dou Dou was euthanised - suspecting that the maid was responsible for the injury, the employer reported the incident to the National Parks Board. 

While under investigation, Giyanti said that she was under a lot of stress as her boyfriend had just broken up with her and her employer’s father - who had been helping her with caring for the children - had returned to Hong Kong, resulting in her heavier workload.

She admitted to throwing Dou Dou out from the third-floor balcony.

For wantonly doing an act which causes any unnecessary pain or suffering or to an animal, Giyanti could have been jailed up to 18 months or fined up to $15,000, or both, on a first offence.

 

[ManOfTheHour]

Good. Hurting animals should be taken as seriously as crimes against humans