[Deki]

Pom Pom the pomeranian was found tied up in a plastic bag near a rubbish bin in East Coast Park, Singapore. Two Samaritans - Ms Esther Wong and Miss Rayne Gan have since looked after it.

A female pomeranian dog, about seven years old, was found in a tied-up plastic bag near a rubbish bin at East Coast Park, S'pore last Friday night.

It had a nerve injury and was not able to stand on its own.

Fortunately, it was found by a group of about 10 friends who had planned to go fishing near Bedok Jetty.

About 11pm taht night, one of Ms Rayne Gan's friends took along his dog, a Husky. It started straining towards the rubbish bin, towards a red plastic bag in particular.

They thought there could be a dead dog in the bag, which was loosely tied up, out of curiosity, they opened the bag and found a motionless dog inside.

They thought it was dead at first. It was lying on its side, not making any sound. It was covered with pee and poo.

When they looked closer, they realised it was alive. The poor thing was very weak and shivering from the cold.'

Her first thought: 'How could someone be so heartless to dump a dog like it was rubbish? Throwing it away, not bothering whether it survives or slowly dies of pain?'

The owner should respect a dog's life. Dogs have feelings too. A pet is for life and it should be treated like a family member.

They put up the dogs for a few days and said the dog had a good appetite. It gobbled up two trays of dog food, it was malnourished, like it had not eaten for days, they could feel its ribs.

That night, the dog, which has been named Pom Pom, would howl loudly whenever it was alone.

They stayed up until about 4am, petting her head until she finally went to sleep.'

The next day, Pom Pom was taken to the vet and was prescribed vitamin B complex for its nerve injury.

Miss Gan said: 'The vet can't determine how the nerve injury came about. It could be an accident, abuse or an illness.'

If Pom Pom does not recover movement in two weeks, it means that its may be permanent.

Meanwhile, she tries to help Pom Pom by stretching its limbs and exercising its muscles a few times a day, as instructed by the vet.

The case has been reported to the SPCA, Singapore.

SPCA, S'pore executive officer Deirdre Moss said: 'It's blatant abandonment, which is against the law. The people responsible should be prosecuted.

'There's no excuse for that. If no one had seen the dog, it could have been carried away in a rubbish truck.'

Under the Animals and Birds Act, Singpore, anyone convicted of abandoning an animal can be fined up to $10,000 and jailed for up to a year.

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