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Dogs and dough disappear

TVNZ, Jun 09, 2003

A group of Asian immigrants who invested and lost thousands of dollars in a dog farm are warning others to beware.

Edmund Poh has run at least two dog farms around Auckland after touting for business in the city's Chinese newspapers.

He is under scrutiny from local authorities, the SPCA, an animal rights group and a political party.

Investors are concerned about the whereabouts of tens of thousands of dollars and almost 100 dogs.

One man, who does not want to be identified, says he invested in Poh's dog farm and is now owed around $60,000.

At least four others have taken legal action against Poh to get their money back.

The group says Poh told them he would buy breeding dogs from Australia with their money.

The dogs would belong to the investors but he would house and breed them in New Zealand.

The investors would then share in the profits when the puppies were sold.

Now the investors say they are owed a total of $134,000.

Poh began work as a dog trainer, breeder and kennel owner in Waiuku three years ago.

Peter Thom of Franklin dog control says Poh had 95 dogs registered for his location in Waiuku, but on a number of visits animal control counted 128 dogs.

He says reports started emerging of unusual events at the kennels.

"Our animal control officers did witness two fires with two dead carcasses on each fire and there is concern over how they died," says Thom.

One of the investors says he lived with Poh for a short time.


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RELATED VIDEO - Dogs and dough disappear (04:00)
"I witnessed whenever he got angry with the dogs because they were naughty or disobedient, he would shoot them dead."

While shooting dogs is not illegal, dog control officers were concerned about breaches of Poh's resource consent, which would affect the dogs' condition.

In particular, there was concern over the lack of drainage facilities and the lack of dog exercise areas.

Last month Poh's landlords evicted him from the Waiuku farm, leaving behind eight dogs which the SPCA seized.

Since then, New Zealand First and the animal rights group Sirius have begun investigating Poh's activities.

Recently he moved 37 of his dogs to another farm north of Auckland at Dairy Flat.

He immediately came to the attention of his new neighbours, who say the condition of the dog farm was appalling.

"There were no facilities, just coke bottles thrown around with water in them, chicken legs in a bucket that they throw to them, and the dogs couldn't walk because they were on a metal grid," says neighbour Jo Baker.

Rodney dog control say while Poh has not yet applied for resource consent, he will be turned down if he does because of what happened at Waiuku.

But the people he allegedly owes money to want to know where he is keeping the rest of the dogs.

Recent advertisements in a Chinese-language newspaper show Poh continues to trade dogs and is also involved in a new deer hunting venture.

One news sought comment from Poh through his lawyer on Monday, posing a series of questions to him in written form.

Poh's lawyer, Frank Hogan, said his client would not be interviewed.




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