Story By: Lee Bullen, Sub Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Asia Wire Report
Video Credit: AsiaWire
This is the moment a cruel dog owner films himself whacking a small Pomeranian with a helmet before chasing the animal to set its fur on fire with a lighter.
According to local media, the incident was filmed and shared on Facebook by netizen ‘Samuel Woo Zhi Heng’ who has since taken his account down.
Reports said that the man, who is Singaporean and resides in the island city-state of Singapore as well as Thailand, said on social media that anyone is welcome to “come [to] Bangkok [to] take” the dog as he has “many” others.
In the footage, the dog owner is seen hitting the small Pomeranian with a helmet before chasing the animal to set its fur on fire with a lighter.
The clip was shared by other netizens, prompting anger online and demanding that ‘Samuel Woo Zhi Heng’ be investigated for animal abuse.
The Singapore Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) said in a statement on 4th November that they have filed a complaint with the local police.
According to the SPCA, representatives visited a flat in the Singaporean town of Tampines with police officers as part of the investigation, but found that the dog was not there and is probably not being kept in Singapore.
Following the online backlash, Samuel Woo has turned himself over to the Thai police after issuing an apology on social media where he assured netizens that it was “the first and the last time” he had abused the dog.
He also said that the footage was filmed “several months ago” and that the Pomeranian is doing fine.
Samuel Woo alluded to suffering from a mental illness and promised to seek treatment, adding that netizens should “not give up on me”.
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