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SINGAPORE: A dog owner who euthanized his pet because of his assault said he feels “vindicated” after a recently completed four-month investigation found he did not violate the law.
Christian Mygind, 37, and his wife did not fail in their duty of care or commit animal cruelty after their dog Loki was euthanized in April, the Animal and Veterinary Service (AVS) said in research findings published Tuesday. (September 15). .
The couple from Denmark adopted Loki in December 2017 from the canine welfare group Exclusively Mongrels. Loki grew up to become “more confident and confrontational,” with more frequent and severe incidents of biting or seizures, AVS said.
Loki bit and attacked other dogs and people 12 times between 2018 and 2020, AVS stated, adding that his owners had explored various options prior to euthanasia, including medication, training and relocation.
The case sparked outrage among some netizens who felt the euthanasia was not justified. Some identified and exposed the owners and criticized the Mount Pleasant Veterinary Group that carried out the euthanasia.
Exclusively Mongrels has taken legal action against Mr. Mygind for what he said was a breach of the adoption agreement. The parties are subject to mediation, Mygind said.
“Of course we feel vindicated, but we’ve still lived through personal hell for four months, where we just had to sit back and wait for the findings,” Mygind told CNA in an email interview, referring to the AVS investigation. CNA also spoke to him on a WhatsApp video call.
“Of course, we could have jumped online like so many others, but we wanted to respect AVS, the court and its processes,” he added.
READ: Euthanasia of the Loki dog: AVS finds no breach of duty of care, animal cruelty on the part of the owners; no breach of ethics by veterinarians
Mygind said that he and his wife went through more than 10 hours of interviews with AVS representatives, and presented “innumerable evidence” showing training and relocation efforts, as well as scathing documentation and medical reports.
“AVS has also interviewed several people who knew Loki and had experienced his behavior problems first hand,” he added. “I am relieved that AVS has concluded the investigation after four months.”
Since an Exclusively Mongrels volunteer posted about the case on Facebook in May, Mygind said he and his family had received a “large amount of negative comments (and) messages.”
One of the messages, which Mygind showed to CNA, contained hopes that he and his family would die. Another contained multiple profanities, including some directed at his wife.
“This was extremely difficult and became so much that we had to close our social media profiles and we were afraid to go for a walk if we were recognized and attacked,” Mygind said.
READ: After Loki Dog Euthanized, Veterinarians and Animal Groups Discuss How to Euthanize Healthy Pets
Mr. Mygind made a police report after the torrent of hateful comments. In the report seen by CNA, Mygind says the couple received death threats through comments and messages on Facebook.
Comments that her baby should die were also mentioned in the police report. Police told CNA on Friday that investigations are still ongoing.
The couple had a baby in early April and noticed that Loki was uncomfortable and nervous with the child, AVS said. Loki had also bitten Mr. Mygind on his lips at that time.
Mygind said that he has returned to Denmark after accepting a job offer there. “Obviously, the decision was made easier when you are receiving death threats in Singapore.”
WHY WAS MONGRELS NOT SOLELY ASKED FOR HELP?
Some netizens have continued to criticize Loki’s owners as they expressed disappointment at AVS’s findings.
Exclusively Mongrels said in a Facebook post on Tuesday that he was “saddened and disappointed” by the “expected” result.
Mygind said he is not surprised that some “have already made a decision and cannot be convinced differently by all the facts in the world.”
In particular, some netizens have questioned why Loki’s owners did not seek help from Exclusively Mongrels prior to euthanasia. AVS had said that the owners did not ask the group for help in relocating Loki.
READ: Dog euthanized case for investigation, AVS should be able to do their job ‘without public pressure’: Shanmugam
In response, Mr. Mygind said that he only reached out to people he knew personally, who were familiar with Loki’s story and specific behavioral challenges, and that he had no children.
Mr. Mygind said he needed an assurance that would-be rehomers were “ready to continue the necessary work with Loki” and not confine or cage him, which he said “is not animal welfare in my opinion.”
“If Loki was relocated with a family that was not 100 percent aware of their problems, I consider the risk of Loki having more biting incidents to be very high,” he added, noting that Loki gave “zero warning” before a aggressive act.
“Consequently, a high risk of Loki being relocated once again is that it would put more stress on him, leading to a vicious cycle of even more scathing incidents and a poor quality of life for Loki.”
Ultimately, Mygind said that he had no faith in Exclusively Mongrels as a hostage, as he felt the group would not have reacted constructively to his request.
Exclusively Mongrels has not responded to requests for comment.
Regrets not having reached other shelters sooner
Mygind said he regrets not reaching out to a number of animal welfare groups and an animal shelter in Malaysia earlier in the relocation process, though he said as of February he still believed he could stay with Loki.
In March, the owners agreed to send the dog to a shelter in Malaysia, but after Malaysia implemented its movement control order to reduce the spread of COVID-19, these plans were shelved.
“If we could have brought him to the sanctuary in Malaysia, he would have been running with dog friends all day, which would have warmed my heart even though he would no longer be with me and my family,” Mygind said. .
Mygind advised dog owners in a similar situation to use euthanasia only as a “last resort.”
“But if you’ve taken advantage of all other options and the dog is a danger to your family or the general public, I still believe that euthanasia by a reputable vet, like the one we use, is the best option for both humans and animals. dog”. he said.
Mygind said he is saddened that the Loki case may discourage prospective mixed-race adopters who fear being misled or sued.
“I strongly support the mission to rehouse mongrel dogs, so I would still encourage prospective adopters to work with appropriate animal welfare groups,” he added.
