GEORGE TOWN: An administrative clerk was fined RM30,000 after she pleaded guilty to unreasonably causing pain and suffering to her two pet dogs, resulting in the death of one, in March last year.
The sentence was meted out by Sessions Court Judge Mazdi Abdul Hamid against Oh Ju Lian, 40.
Mazdi also ordered the surviving brown mongrel dog, named "Boy" to be surrended to the Veterinary Services Department (VSD).
"The court accepts your guilty plea and convicts you of the crime.
"As such, you are sentenced to RM30,000 fine, in default of 10 months' jail. The surviving brown dog will be surrendered to the Veterinary Services Department," he ruled.
Oh had pleaded guilty to committing the offence at her mother-in-law's house in Pepper Estate at about 3pm on March 4, last year.
She was charged under Section 29(1)(e) of the Animal Welfare Act 2015, punishable under Section 29(1) of the same Act, which provides a fine of between RM20,000 and RM100,000 or jail up to three years or both upon conviction.
According to the facts of the case, a team of Animal Welfare officers and two policemen had gone to the house in Tanjung Bungah at 3pm on March 4 last year, to carry out checks after receiving a complaint on animal cruelty.
When they arrived, they found the house abandoned.
When they looked inside the house from the outside, they found a dog carcass tied to steel chain which was mounted to the wall. Next to it was a male brown mongrel dog, also chained to the wall in the same manner.
The team entered via an unlocked door to conduct further checks.
They found the dead dog's hair had shed, its mouth opened and filled with maggots with liquid coming out, and the stench was unbearable. Next to it was a water container.
As for the brown mongrel dog, it looked very weak, almost lifeless, tired, scared and covered in fleas. There was also a water container next to it.
Suspecting mistreatment, the team seized the carcass and the brown mongrel dog as well as other samples for lab testing.
When the team was about to leave the premises, Oh arrived and admitted that the dogs belonged to her, and the house was her mother-in-law's, who had since died.
The team then notified her of the offences committed before proceeding to seize the carcass and the brown mongrel dog and later lodged a police report.
Lab tests found both dogs had been mistreated without being given food and proper care, resulting in both to be in unnecesary pain and suffering.
Earlier, a teary Oh, who was unrepresented, pleaded for a lenient sentence, saying she regretted her actions.
"I admitted that I had been negligent and did not care for the dogs properly. I promise I will not repeat the same mistake in the future.
"As such, I appeal to the court for a light sentence," she said in between sobs to the court interpreter.
She also said that she has two school-going children and earned RM2,000 as an administrative clerk while her husband, who is suffering from high blood pressure and diabetes, has just gotten a job and undergoing treatment.
She also told the court that she was staying in Seberang Jaya while her kids are studying on the island, incurring huge costs.
"I am afraid that if the fine is too high, I may not be able to pay it," she said.
Asked why the dogs were in the house in Pepper Estate, Oh said the dogs had accompanied her mother-in-law there while she was alive.
She explained that after the senior citizen died of tuberculosis, the family moved and did not take the dogs along as their new place was much smaller.
Meanwhile, VSD prosecuting officer Roziman Awang Tahrin pressed for a deterrent sentence to serve as a lesson to Oh and society not to mistreat their pets.
He said animal cruelty cases were widely reported in the media, and often a sensitive issue to the community.
"In the case before us, the dogs had suffered and were in misery. Just because they can't talk or think, they were treated in such a manner.
"As human beings who can think, they should not have done this to the dogs," he said, adding that that the dead dog was in a sad state when it was discovered.
This clearly showed the owner had not given proper care to the dogs, he added.
