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GEORGE TOWN: An administrative clerk today pleaded guilty to one count of animal abuse in Sessions Court here and was fined RM30,000, with 10 months in jail by default.
Oh Ju Lian, 40, had abandoned two dogs in a vacant house in Tanjung Tokong last year, causing one to die and another to barely live after being without food for a week.
Breaking down in tears, Oh admitted to leaving the dogs at her old home on the Pepper Estate due to events in her life and limited space in her new home.
She said the dogs were primarily pets to keep her mother-in-law company.
After the woman fell ill with tuberculosis, Oh said, she had to move to a new home with her husband and two children to avoid becoming infected.
She said the dogs, however, stayed with her mother-in-law as she wanted them close.
“Then my mother-in-law died of tuberculosis. At that time, we couldn’t bring our dogs to our new home because it was too small, ”he said.
Oh, who was not represented, said she regretted her action. She asked the court to impose a lenient fine on her, as her husband had just found a job after being unemployed for a long time.
She said her spouse was also ill, suffering from high blood pressure and diabetes.
“My salary is only RM2,000 and I have two children to take care of,” he said.
Deputy Prosecutor Roziman Awang Tahrin told the court that a deterrent sentence should be imposed that would serve as a lesson to people who mistreat animals.
“When the dogs were found in the house, one of them was barely alive and the other was infested with worms.
“This shows that they didn’t care about dogs in the first place. This case should serve as a lesson for others not to abuse the animals, ”said Roziman, representative of the Penang Department of Veterinary Services (DVS).
Fortunately, the DVS cared for one of the dogs to regain good health.
He asked the court to award custody of the dog to the department.
Judge Mazdi Abdul Hamid fined Oh RM30,000 and ordered that the rescued dog be taken into the custody of the DVS.
