Lawyer and MP Edwin Tong is assisting the animal welfare volunteer involved in the controversial case in which a seven-month-old mongrel was put down by its adopter of four months for alleged aggression.
This comes after Law Minister K. Shanmugam weighed in on the issue last week, saying in a Facebook post on Oct 23 that volunteer and assistant project manager Ada Ong "should get a lawyer to pursue the matter". He also said he had suggested one to her.
"Minister Shanmugam approached me and asked if I was prepared to assist, and I agreed," said Mr Tong, who is a partner at law firm Allen and Gledhill and MP of Moulmein-Kallang GRC.
The case first made waves three weeks ago when netizens criticised the adopter, Briton Alison McElwee, for putting down the healthy dog on Oct 7, saying it had bitten her and her children.
Negative sentiment intensified after Ms Ong, 35, insisted that she had been willing to take the dog back, pointing to the adoption agreement signed between her and Ms McElwee and text messages between the two.
Mr Louis Ng, executive director of welfare group Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (Acres), who had said that money for legal action could be raised if necessary, said in a statement that "Ada has engaged lawyers to consider and pursue the appropriate recourse in this case".
He added: "Acres is also supporting her in this matter."
Ms McElwee and her lawyer declined to comment.
