Backlash after pup put down

She adopted the brown puppy named Tammy in June and renamed it Coco.

Four months later, the pup allegedly turned nasty, attacking her, her children and a neighbour's children.

Clinic receptionist Alison McElvee then sought help from a professional dog trainer but to no avail.

She was even unsuccessful in re-homing her, so as a last resort, Ms McElvee had the dog put down.

That was when trouble started - for her and the vet who carried out the euthanasia.

A post on the Facebook wall of Save Our Street Dogs (SOSD) making claims about Tammy's condition and subsequent death went viral.

It received some 660 comments and was shared by almost 1,000 people.

Animal lovers and netizens were up in arms, calling both Ms McElvee and the vet from The Animal Clinic names.

Tammy the puppy was rescued in April together with its four siblings.

It was the first among the litter to find a home.

The post on SOSD's Facebook wall last Friday said Tammy was "a good natured dog and showed zero sign of aggression", and that it was "settling down well and seemed to get along very well with Alison's two young kids".

But a different picture emerged when The New Paper investigated.

In a statement to TNP, Dr Lennie Lee, managing director of The Animal Clinic, said the puppy was 13 weeks old when it was first seen at the clinic and the vets observed that it was already "fearful, guarded and edgy".

At subsequent examinations on July 8 and Sept 25 for booster vaccination and skin problems, the dog "exhibited escalating aggression".

On Oct 7, the owner asked for the dog to be put down.

Necessary Protocols

Dr Lee said: "As in every case, when such a request is made, we examined the reasons and followed the necessary protocols prior to any decision being made."

The vets were informed that the dog had been aggressive towards the owner and her young children, and had bitten them.

"We found and confirmed that there were bites on the owner which were consistent with animal bites.

"We also found that the dog was aggressive during the course of examinations," he added.

From the information provided by the owner, including unsuccessful attempts to correct the pup's aggression by a professional dog trainer, the vets concluded that "it would be in the interest of the dog and the family that the dog be put to sleep".

"We exercised our professional judgement and agreed with the owner's request.

"Our responsibilities extend beyond individual patients and clients but also to society in general.

At all times, we acted professionally and followed all protocols in coming to that decision," Dr Lee said.

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