November 4, 2025
SINGAPORE – The National Parks Board (NParks) is investigating a case where a dog died after it was sent to a pet shop for grooming and was reportedly left unattended.
The animal’s owner Tanish Dhillon said the dog, called Buddy, had been picked up by a transport service at around 8.30am on Oct 30, and dropped off at pet shop Pawsome Singapore at around 9.15am.
At 11.45am, Mr Dhillon received a call from the grooming facility in Tanjong Katong telling him that Buddy, a white standard poodle, had died.
Mr Dhillon, 20, said he was told by an employee that Buddy “wasn’t feeling well and he collapsed”.
“The groomer brought me upstairs (to where Buddy was) and I saw my baby lying there, with pee pads covering him. His mouth was covered in blood. His front paws were covered in blood,” Mr Dhillon told The Straits Times.
He added that footage from the pet shop’s CCTV showed that Buddy, who was almost four years old, had been left alone before his death.
The 12-minute video posted online by Mr Dhillon on Nov 1 showed Buddy in a crate at a corner of the room at the pet shop. The footage had been provided to Mr Dhillon by the pet shop.
The sounds of metal clanking and Buddy barking and yelping can be heard as he moves about in the crate. He is seen standing on his hind legs at several parts of the video, with his front paws, positioned between the grilles of the crate, holding him up.
Mr Dhillon said Buddy’s body has been sent for a post-mortem to identify the cause behind his death.
NParks’ group director of enforcement and investigation, Ms Jessica Kwok, confirmed that a post-mortem examination is being conducted.
Mr Dhillon told ST that he had asked the Pawsome Singapore employee why Buddy had been left unattended. The employee said it was the standard operating procedure (SOP) as staff were cleaning the shop, said Mr Dhillon.
Pawsome Singapore did not elaborate on the SOP when asked by ST.
In a reply on Nov 3, Pawsome Singapore said Buddy had been placed in a playpen in the facility’s grooming area, which is done for all dogs at the facility, “to allow them comfort and freedom of movement while they wait instead of keeping them on a leash”.
“When our groomer returned to begin his session, Buddy was found unresponsive. He was taken immediately to the vet, where he was sadly pronounced deceased,” said Pawsome Singapore.
It said it was heartbroken about Buddy’s death, and that it had deeply affected its entire team. Buddy had been a regular at the grooming centre since he was a puppy, it added.
“We are cooperating fully with the authorities as they look into this matter,” it said.
Mr Dhillon said Buddy had been a part of his family for more than three years.
Weighing 26kg, Buddy was a gentle and inquisitive dog, Mr Dhillon said. “Buddy was a gentle giant – that’s the nickname my grandma gave him… He was our angel.”
Mr Tanish Dhillon said footage from the pet shop’s CCTV showed that Buddy had been left alone before his death. PHOTO: TANYA DHILLON/INSTAGRAM/THE STRAITS TIMES
The family is seeking answers to how Buddy died.
Mr Dhillon said that when he asked for fuller CCTV footage from the time Buddy arrived to when he left the premises, he was told by Pawsome Singapore that it could not provide the footage owing to an internal review.
When asked by ST, Pawsome Singapore said the footage has been shared with the authorities.
Mr Dhillon said a police report has been made. The police have confirmed with ST that a report was filed.
In her statement, NParks’ Ms Kwok said people working with animals, including in the pet grooming sector, are expected to uphold higher standards of animal welfare under the Animals and Birds Act, as they are entrusted with the care of the animals by their clients.
Any person found guilty of animal cruelty while operating or under the employment of an animal-related business will face up to two years’ jail and/or be fined $40,000, she added.
She also said the Animal and Veterinary Service, a cluster of NParks, has a Code of Animal Welfare (for the Pet Industry) which lists the minimum standards for pet businesses, including pet groomers.
She said owners of businesses in the pet industry are encouraged to adopt the standards, and that any non-compliance may be used as evidence to support enforcement action.