SINGAPORE: A 45-year-old man was sentenced to 18 months' jail for animal cruelty and two months for pet abandonment, the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) said on Thursday (Oct 19).

On Dec 21 last year, the AVA found Yeo Poh Kwee's poodle, Yoyi, abandoned at a staircase landing at an HDB estate on Teban Gardens Road, with blood stains along the nearby walls and floors.



Yeo had brought Yoyi to the HDB block with the intention of abandoning it. He then ran down the stairs with Yoyi attached to him on a leash from the 38th floor to the 19th floor of the block. The poodle sustained multiple injuries and was found dead where it was abandoned.

The AVA found Yeo Poh Kwee's poodle, Yoyi, abandoned at a staircase landing at an HDB estate on Teban Gardens Road. (Photo: AVA)

Yeo was also sentenced to 12 months' jail for another count of animal cruelty, where he failed to take another poodle named Brownie to see a veterinarian for treatment on Nov 23 last year. As a result, Brownie died.



Yeo claimed that the dog sustained the injuries after its head was stuck between a water pipe and wall in the toilet.



The two sentences will run concurrently while a two-month sentence for pet abandonment will run consecutively, according to the AVA. One count of keeping an unlicensed dog was taken into consideration in sentencing.

Yeo is also banned from owning any animal for 12 months from the date of his release from prison.

"AVA investigates all feedback on animal cruelty and pet abandonment and will take the necessary enforcement action," the authority said.

Individuals who commit animal cruelty could be jailed up to 18 months and/or fined up to S$15,000. Those who abandon their pets could be jailed up to 12 months and/or fined up to S$10,000. The penalty for keeping unlicensed dogs is a fine of up to S$5,000.