SHAH ALAM: The High Court here has ordered a dachshund to be taken away from its owner and placed in the custody of the Selangor Veterinary Services Department. 

Its owner, Chiew Shwe Lee, 44, had pleaded guilty on June 10 to hurting one-year-old Tim outside his business premises in Klang on May 21.  

The mini-market owner was jailed a day and fined RM150 by a Klang magistrate’s court.  

Tim had a 10cm wound on his neck caused by a chain when he was tied to a pole. 

Judge Datuk Muhamad Ideres Muhamad Rapee said that once Tim had undergone the necessary treatment, the case would be referred back to the Klang magistrate's court for a decision on the custody of the dog. 

The case was brought to the High Court after the Selangor Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) applied for a revision of sentence. 

The SPCA was represented by lawyer Edmund Bon who told the High Court that the magistrate court’s decision to return Tim to the owner was wrong and asked it to overrule the decision and place the dog under the care of the SPCA or the veterinary department. 

Chiew was calm while his lawyers Eric Yap and Toh Harnniann argued his case. 

Muhamad Ideres, after hearing both sides, said the health of the dog was of paramount importance. 

With this in mind, Chiew was ordered to hand over Tim to the veterinary department for further treatment for a month. 

“We will not deliberate on the revision of sentence at this juncture. Upon completion of a month, the parties concerned can refer the case to the Klang magistrate’s court for a decision on the custody of the dog,” he said. 

A representative from the SPCA, animal inspector Sabrina Yeap, was glad Tim would be handed to the veterinary department but said she also wanted to see the dog have a good home.