37-year-old Goh Chong Tse was given a fine of $9,000 on 31 May after pleading guilty to five charges. One of the charges was related to using his home as a commercial farm without a proper license, as he bred his dog for commercial purposes.
The remaining four charges were for owning three dogs without the necessary license and for keeping more than three dogs without obtaining permission from the Director-General of Animal Health and Welfare. It’s worth noting that Goh’s residence was not officially registered as a dog farm or pet shop.
According to Ms Joanne Wee, a prosecutor from the National Parks Board (NParks), Goh and his wife, Ms Jamie Ng Sze Eng, had a corgi named Waffles between 2019 and July 2020. Ms Ng found the dog as a stray and later registered it under Goh’s name.
In December 2020, Goh met Ms Jermaine Ang, and they reached an agreement to artificially inseminate Waffles using sperm from Ms Ang’s stud dog. Ms Ang agreed to cover the cost of the insemination and it was also decided that she would keep one puppy from the resulting litter.
Around February 27, 2021, Waffles gave birth to six puppies. Ms Ang kept one of the puppies, while Goh and his wife kept four. One of the puppies was sold for $9,500.
On February 9, 2022, officers from NParks conducted an inspection at Goh’s residence based on information they received. During the inspection, the officers verified the licenses for the dogs. It was discovered that Goh did not possess valid licenses for three of the dogs from February 27, 2021, to February 9, 2022.
Operating a farm without the necessary license could have led to a maximum sentence of 12 months in jail, a fine of up to $10,000, or both.
For each count of owning a dog without a license, Goh could have been fined up to $5,000. The same penalties could have been imposed for owning more than three dogs on his property without it being registered as a dog farm or pet shop.