Pet shop SMS: Text messages about incident distorted and exaggerated The girl implicated in an SMS message about the fate of some pedigree dogs in a closing Joo Chiat pet shop, has come out to say that her message never mentioned that the pets would be put down if no one wanted to adopt the animals.
Tengku Nur Mariam, 17, a student, said her initial SMS message had been distorted and exaggerated and the issue "blown out of proportion" as people started sending embellished messages to one another about the incident.
She said her first SMS merely mentioned three dogs that were up for adoption, also adding that the animals might be sent to the SPCA if not adopted. She did not use the word "put down".
But soon, this message took a life of its own and changed in tone and tenor as more versions of the original began to spread wildly via SMS, email and blogs.
For those who are not in the loop, a mass SMS was forwarded to scores of people across Singapore over the weekend and yesterday. It was an emotional appeal to find new homes for five dogs - two Huskies, a Black Labrador, a Shitzu and a cross-breed Huskie-Terrier - as the pet shop housing them was closing down.
The SMS that spread like a virus said that the dogs would be put down if they are not adopted. The SMS that spread like a virus said that the dogs would be put down if they are not adopted.
The SMS generated a frenzied response from concerned as well as angry members of the public, especially animal-lovers.
Many wondered if the message was a hoax. Some say it sounded like a gimmick by the shop to get publicity.
Mariam, whose name and mobile number was given in the SMS had, until today, been unreachable since the whole incident started.
She now says she turned off her phone as she was getting a flurry of SMS messages all day long, even at 4am.
The student said that she and a friend had written to the SPCA and AVA (Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority), seeking to clarify the whole fiasco and offer an explanation of what really happened.
"It was never our intention to cause such a frenzy among the public regarding the adoption of the dogs in question," said the girls in their letter to the two organisations.
"We also apologise for whatever misunderstanding that has been caused due to the widely spread SMSes, forums and even emails."
Mariam explained that she and her friend, Stephanie Ong, 19, also a student, are animal lovers who wanted to take a "pro-active" approach to animal welfare.
Pictures of the pet shop 'Animal Street' (now closed) along Joo Chiat. They had heard of the shop closing down through their employer. The pet shop has been identified as "Animal Street", along Joo Chiat. The shop closed last Sunday (15 Apr).
Mariam and her friend were "appalled and shocked", however, when they visited the store a day before its closure, to find that, other than those offered for adoption, there were four more dogs in the shop.
"The dogs were also visibly underweight and we could feel their spines and rib cages jutting out," they said in the letter.
Because the dogs looked under-nourished, prospective adopters had changed their minds.
When the shop owner was quizzed by the girls on what he was going to do with the animals should they not find homes, he replied: "Send them to SPCA lor."
His manner was described as "extremely nonchalant".
Worried that the SPCA might not have the resources to care for all the dogs, the girls said they were "extremely demoralised and saddened".
They decided to take action.
Mariam contacted her aunt about the dogs, and her aunt sent out two messages to others. It was from there that things blew up, probably because everyone started forwarding the message to all the contacts on their address books.
AsiaOne spoke to Mariam about the initial text message that was sent, and she claimed that it had been grossly misinterpreted and rephrased by the time it was forwarded to countless others.
She said the initial SMS clearly stated that there were only three dogs available for adoption, while others were available for sale, and if they did not find homes, they might be sent to the SPCA.
They did not expect the magnitude of the response.
By the next morning, Mariam had received "over 100 calls and SMSes" enquiring about the dogs.
"Some were extremely sincere, while some did not seem to have a clue about what was going on at all," said the girls.
The calls became so overwhelming that Mariam had to turn off her cellphone.
Mariam also claimed that the shop owner had misinformed them about the opening time of the shop's last day.
The girls had arranged for people who wanted to adopt the three dogs, to meet them at the pet shop at 1.15pm on that Sunday as the owner had said he was opening at 12 noon.
When they got there, there was already "a flood of people inside and outside of the shop". Apparently, the owner had opened it at 11am, and he had already sold all the animals, leaving only a Shih Tzu and 2 huskies.
"Even the dogs not for sale were sold," said Mariam.
The girls felt they had been "backstabbed".
Despite this, they stayed on to usher the crowd and help out with the animals. Eventually, the remaining ones found homes as well.
But the girls were still unhappy with the way in which they were seemingly used.
"He was only trying to make a quick buck," Mariam fumed.
The girls are no longer in touch with the owner and the shop remains shut. AsiaOne could not reach anybody from the shop as well, when a visit was made to the site. There was only a lifeless store lined with empty shelves.
Mariam said she is still getting calls "which get more bizarre by the day".
When asked if she was still using the line with the number that was circulated, Mariam said: "I try not to switch it on".
"I'm even receiving calls at 4am or 5am!"
"These people are not apologetic," Mariam added, pointing out that some SMSes she got were nothing short of "nasty".
Obviously, the exaggerated versions of the SMSes and the misunderstanding it had caused, made many think that she was the one who wanted to put down the dogs.
She cited one threatening message: "You're not scared of Karma is it?"
Of her harrowing experience, Mariam admitted: "I have truly underestimated the power of technology! "
She also didn't bargain for the way in which the SMS were rephrased and reproduced beyond recognition by the time it was forwarded to other levels.
"I've seen tonnes of variations. Even my name was changed!" said Mariam.
On forum postings online, the girls found their reputation and integrity dragged through the mud by angry animal-lovers accusing them of irresponsibility and emotional blackmail.
The girls tried to remedy the situation by going into online forums themselves and posting their explanation of the matter.
Mariam added that she would like to make it clear that the incident "was not a hoax and was not meant to be a scam of any sort".
Both girls said they are sorry about the misunderstanding and Mariam acknowledged that they could have handled the situation better by going public to clear any misunderstanding earlier.
The girls are just happy that the dogs have now all found homes.
On the perils of technology and how easily an SMS could be twisted in intent and meaning, Mariam said she had learnt a lesson.
"We feel bad, but we are just two small-time girls wanting to make a difference," she said.
