SINGAPORE: A woman whose fur baby got into an unfortunate accident took to social media to appeal to cyclists to be more careful. Her post has elicited a lot of sympathy from netizens, many of whom went on to share her post.
On the Dogs Singapore Facebook page on Monday (May 19), Wendy Ong wrote, “This morning, while my helper was walking our beloved dog, a nightmare happened.”
Ms Ong explained that after the dog had done his business and the helper was cleaning up after him, a man speeding by on a bike suddenly came out of nowhere and collided with the dog from behind.
“The impact was so severe — it shattered his jaw and knocked out all his front teeth,” she added.
However, the worst part for Ms Ong was that the cyclist, who had stopped momentarily, sped away without a word to Ms Ong’s helper after he saw that the dog was bleeding from his mouth.
The fur baby was rushed immediately to the vet, where an X-ray of the dog’s jaw showed that it was completely fractured, and several of the dog’s teeth needed to be extracted.
Ms Ong ended up needing to pay the veterinary clinic’s bill of $1,250 for surgery and consultation. She added a copy of the bill along with her post.
“I’m devastated. My dog is in so much pain — and all because of an irresponsible, heartless cyclist who didn’t even have the decency to stay and take accountability.
Please — if you cycle, slow down near pedestrians and pets. One reckless moment can destroy a life,” she added.
In comments to her post, Ms Ong wrote that the incident occurred between 8 and 8:15 a.m. at Tampines BLK 874B, in a small park right under her block.
When asked if the helper had been able to identify the type of cyclist who caused the mishap, she wrote, “My helper only managed to describe the cyclist as an uncle. She’s still quite new to Singapore, just a few months here, so she’s not too familiar with the types of cyclists yet.”
Fortunately, even if the veterinarian had said that the dog’s bottom jaw bone had been completely shattered and broken bones were removed during the surgery, the jaw has been repaired, and the dog will be able to eat normally. Dogs mainly chew using their back teeth, the vet explained to Ms Ong.
Many commenters urged Ms Ong to file a police report over the incident.
The Independent Singapore has reached out to Ms Ong for further comments or updates. /TISG