Man fined S$5,000 for providing dog 'staycay' services at unlicensed boarding facility
During an inspection, however, seven dogs were found being boarded at Urban K9 SG's Tessensohn Road premises on staycations.
A director of Urban K9, Loke Wei Kang, was fined S$5,000 (S$3,900) on Wednesday (Jun 4) over the company's lack of a licence to operate a dog boarding facility.
As the person in charge of overall operations at Urban K9, Loke was fully aware that the facility needed a dog boarding licence as he was informed of the requirement in 2023, a National Parks Board (NParks) prosecutor told the court.
However, Loke failed to ensure that Urban K9 was licensed.
He admitted to a breach under the Animals and Birds (Licensing of Farms) Rules.
Loke was one of the directors at Urban K9, which operated a dog training and care business. It advertised these services in addition to dog staycations on its website.
Owners could leave their dogs at Urban K9's premises overnight as part of its staycation service.
Customers would typically leave their dogs at Urban K9 when they went overseas on holidays.
According to court documents, NParks received feedback on the death of a golden retriever boarded at Urban K9 in January 2023.
NParks then began investigations into Loke and Urban K9.
In May 2023, the Animal and Veterinary Service, which is under NParks, informed Loke that Urban K9 required a dog boarding licence.
However, Loke continued his business as usual.
In July 2024, NParks received further feedback regarding the mistreatment of an animal boarded at Urban K9.
Officers conducted an unannounced inspection on Jul 24, 2024, and found nine dogs there. Seven of these dogs were there for Urban K9's "staycay" services, even though the facility had no boarding licence.
According to investigations, the number of dogs on staycations there could be between 15 and 20 during peak periods.
Court documents did not state the outcome of investigations into the mistreatment allegations.
Loke, who appeared in court without a lawyer, said in mitigation that he was the only person at Urban K9 who took steps to get the facility licensed, although he acknowledged that he did this when NParks' investigations were already in their latter stages.
He added that he eventually obtained certifications for pet management and care in October last year.
He said he was taking steps to move forward and had stopped offering boarding services as the lease for Urban K9's premises ends this month.
Loke told the court he would be moving into new premises and would apply for the proper licence as he "starts afresh".
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