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Probe into alleged animal welfare offences at Platinium Dogs Club completed: Lawrence Wong

Undated photo of Prince, the Shetland sheepdog that died during its stay at Platinium and was cremated. (PHOTO: Elaine Mao/Facebook)
Undated photo of Prince, the Shetland sheepdog that died during its stay at Platinium and was cremated. (PHOTO: Elaine Mao/Facebook)

SINGAPORE — NParks has concluded its investigations into the alleged animal welfare-related offences by Platinium Dogs Club, more than a year after the saga over the controversial pet boarding facility first came into the spotlight.

Giving the update in a parliamentary written reply, National Development Minister Lawrence Wong said, “The matter is currently undergoing legal assessment. It would not be appropriate to share investigation findings at this stage.”

Wong was responding to a question from Nee Soon GRC MP Louis Ng, who had asked for an update on the investigations into Platinium.

The animal welfare activist said in a Facebook post on 17 February, “What happened there has raised many questions and the investigations should help shed light on what happened to the animals in its care. It’s time for an update.”

Several allegations of negligence had been made by dog owners who left their pets at Platinium in December 2018, which prompted an investigation into the facility by the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA).

The AVA said on 9 January 2019 that its preliminary investigations revealed that Prince, a Shetland sheepdog, had died during its stay at Platinium and was cremated.

One dog owner told Yahoo News Singapore that QQ, her 14-year-old Jack Russell Terrier, died after a stay at Platinium.

A worker at Mobile Pet Cremation Services told Yahoo News Singapore on 31 December 2018 that he had handled requests from a woman associated with Platinium in December.

The operator of Platinium, a 30-year-old woman, was arrested on 6 January last year, said the AVA in response to media queries.

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