A townhouse owner, who raises about 30 dogs, has threatened to sue her neighbours for making animal-torture allegations against her.
Saengrawee Kanjairungroj, 69, said on Sunday that she would also sue the Din Daeng District Office for raiding her house to conduct a search.
Officials from the office, together with police, inspected her townhouse on Saturday in response to complaints filed by her neighbours.
People in the neighbourhood said that Saengrawee kept too many dogs, tormenting them in the process, as she apparently could not provide proper care. They also complained about the disturbance caused by the barking of the dogs and the smell emanating from Saengrawee’s house.
Assoc Prof Panthep Rattanakorn, dean of the Mahidol University’s Faculty of Veterinary Science and a vice president of the Thai Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, said the dog owner should comply with rules and social norms but relevant parties should also give her the opportunity to adjust.
“From pictures I’ve seen, it’s indirect torture,” he said.
He said Saengrawee might love all her dogs but she did not know how to properly care for them.
He added that if Saengrawee wished to raise dogs, she also had to comply with rules, including on sanitation and environment.
“Also, she cannot yet have rabies vaccination for her dogs,” he said.
