Leashed dog bites boy, 4, at Gardens by the Bay, parents file police report for ‘bite-&-run’ – Mothership.SG

It was supposed to be a day of fun for a 4-year-old boy celebrating his sister's birthday with his family at Gardens by the Bay's Christmas Wonderland.

The “Garden Rhapsody” light show had just ended, and he was walking towards the snow area with his elder sister for “Blizzard Time” when he suddenly knelt down and cried hysterically.

Cynthia Tan, the boy's mother, thought he only fell. To her shock and horror, her son told her a dog bit him.

Tan filed a police report and took to Facebook for help as the dog owners left without providing her with their contact details.

Family went there to celebrate daughter's birthday

Tan took to Facebook to complain about what happened.

Speaking to Mothership, she said she and her son were there with her husband and their two daughters.

They were there to celebrate their younger daughter's sixth birthday.

Two women walking three dogs

Tan said her son was bitten by a dog among the three dogs two women were walking.

She and her husband had been walking behind her son, and knew that her son had not provoked the dog.

After realising their son had been bitten, Tan's husband immediately confronted the dog owner.

She said the dog owner “admitted” to the dog attack but claimed she was “not liable” as the “incident happened in a public place”.

Furious, Tan's husband requested to exchange contacts, but the dog owners refused.

When he said he would call the police, the dog owners left.

The couple then filed a police report and appealed to the public on Facebook to help identify them.

Boy traumatised

After the incident, Tan and her husband took their son to KK Woman's and Children's Hospital. Fortunately, his wound has since been healing well.

However, they are still worried that the wound can get infected, and their child is still on antibiotics. They will return to the hospital in a week for another review.

While he might be well superficially, she said her son is suffering from psychological trauma.

Tan said her son has autism and would be more overwhelmed by experiences as his mind is more sensitive.

She said that after the incident, her son has been afraid of stepping outside of the house. Whenever he manages to leave the house, he wants to be carried because he fears being attacked by dogs again.

“We are actively counselling him and have asked for a referral to see a psychiatrist to help him overcome the trauma,” she said.

Tan said she's also disappointed that many people who commented on her Facebook post don't understand autism.

“Autism has a very broad spectrum, and not everyone with Autism Spectrum Disorder is ‘rowdy' or ‘out-of-control'. People simply assumed my son provoked the dog,” Tan said.

Tan said she still loves dogs but appeals to owners to be more responsible for their pets in public places.

“We are dog lovers. we hope to move towards society being more accepting of pets in more places,” Tan said.

Top photo via Cynthia Tan/Facebook