AVA confirms that missing dog died while boarded at Platinium Dogs Club

The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) has confirmed that the missing Shetland Sheepdog named Prince had died while it was boarded at Platinum Dogs Club and subsequently cremated.

On 30 Dec 2018, Prince’s owner, Elaine Mao Yanlan, appealed for information on the whereabouts of her beloved dog and offered a $2,000 reward to anyone who might find him.

Elaine revealed that she had boarded Prince at Platinum Dogs Club but the boarding facility allegedly said that the dog had gone missing when the AVA conducted a raid of their Bukit Panjang facility.

A video of a heartbroken Elaine crying for her lost dog, kneeling outside the boarding facility and begging for information went viral online and tugged at the heartstrings of many Singaporeans, sparking a hunt for Prince.

Sadly, the AVA has since confirmed that Prince had died days ago, in the care of Platinum Dogs Club. It is unclear how the dog died.

The AVA raided the boarding facility after getting complaints of mistreatment of pets in its care and arrested the 30-year-old owner of the company. AVA took temporary custody of the 18 dogs and one rabbit it found at the facility.

The Government authority has since reunited all the dogs with their owners except one, whose owner is presently overseas. The owner of the rabbit remains unknown and the AVA is working to establish the identity of the owner. It added on social media:

“Separately, preliminary investigations have revealed that Prince, a Shetland Sheepdog reported to be missing from PDC, had died while it was boarded there and was cremated by a pet cremation service provider.

“AVA’s investigation is still ongoing. The public is advised not to speculate and let the investigation take its course. AVA takes animal welfare seriously and will take enforcement action against any offenders to safeguard animal welfare.”