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.
