14/01/2021
Who’s A Good Boy?
(UEN 53417171X)
PUBLIC STATEMENT
1. This public statement is to be made in regards to the lost dog, Junior. Who’s a Good Boy? is the pet grooming shop which is directly involved in the case of the missing dog.
2. In light of the current situation, I would like to formally apologise to the Owner and her family for the distress caused by their beloved dog missing. I cannot emphasise enough how much I wish this incident didn’t occur and I am extremely remorseful that this happened. I am even more saddened by the fact that Junior is out there alone, braving the cold and rain trying to find food at this very moment, without the comforts of his very own home.
3. However, I would like to address the actual sequence of events that led up to Junior missing, and to further elaborate on what happened after the event till now.
4. This public statement will only state the truth of the sequence of events mentioned as well as the follow up actions taken by me, the Owner and her family, as well as third parties involved in Junior’s search.
Sequence of Events
5. On 6th January 1630hrs, I received a text for a last minute appointment by Owner. This appointment required the pet to be transported from her home to the shop. At around 1700hrs, we (the driver and I) arrived at the Owner’s place in Bedok North. The Owner’s son was the sole person who carried the dog, a beagle named Junior, to the car boot himself. Thereafter, we drove off.
6. On the way to the shop, Junior pooped all over the car boot. In order to prevent staining the collar and leash (as we still required to use it afterwards to bring Junior from the shop back into the car boot), I removed both.
7. My shop operates at Blk 825. There are only 2 carparks (Behind Blk 825 and at Blk 827) available nearby to stop the car and bring Junior out of the car boot. We stopped at Blk 827. Upon opening the car boot, I attempted to carry Junior out of the car, with the driver at my side assisting me in the event Junior escapes. However, in my attempt to carry Junior, Junior bit me on my right thumb, hard. As I was in pain, Junior, at that moment, managed to wiggle out and he slipped out of my grasp. He started running towards the direction of Blk 888. My driver and I gave chase immediately. Despite pursuing, Junior ran too fast and we were not able to catch him.
8. We chased Junior across 3 bus stops, finally reaching a Caltex station opposite The Tropica, a condominium. Prior to that, we lost sight of Junior along the way, and had to ask a grab delivery driver whether he had seen Junior running past. At the Caltex station, Junior stopped running and started sniffing the grass. I stopped pursuing Junior immediately and creeped up to him slowly in an attempt not to frighten him. However, once Junior spotted me, he dashed across the road towards The Tropica.
9. The traffic was moving at that point in time. Whilst running across, I believed a car scraped past Junior as he gave a yelp, ran back a few steps before dashing into The Tropica. A motorcyclist stopped midway in the attempt to grab hold of Junior but she was unable to do so. Throughout this entire event, I was in close pursuit.
10. At The Tropica, after checking with a guard at the guardpost, he replied seeing something running into the condominium but he was unable to confirm if it was Junior. I obtained permission from him to search within the premises immediately, as well as called and enlisted the help of my colleagues and friends (altogether 6 people in total) who lived nearby to help with the search.
11. We combed the entire premises of The Tropica in 3 teams for the next 45 minutes and requested residents who were walking around the condominium to give us a call if they managed to see Junior. Thereafter we immediately called the Owner and her family to report Junior missing.
12. We spent the next 24 hours searching for Junior. At that time of the night, I managed to enlist help from a total of 13 people from my end. We split into teams to comb the entirety of Bedok Reservoir, outside Temasek Poly, as well as Blk 800s+ towards the Round Market due to tip offs of possible sightings of Junior. We also called the police to come down to view the CCTV footage at the Tropica, thereafter confirming Junior running in, but there were no signs of him leaving the condominium. Facebook and Instagram were also used on our end to inform the public of Junior missing and to enlist help if possible. Posters of Junior missing were done up and printed out by my men and I in the wee hours of the day, and pasted up immediately near the vicinity where Junior was last spotted.
13. At around 0230hrs in the morning, I approached SengKang Hospital A&E to seek help for my bite as the area surrounding my bite was getting very swollen and I was unable to move my thumb at all. I then joined back the search around 0330hrs.
14. Thereafter, I closed my shop for the next 2 days in search of Junior and to put up posters together with my men. Whilst reopening my shop on the 4th day of Junior missing to continue running operation, I have been continually searching for Junior up till this day, with additional help from my end, and have not been present at my shop. I have also been giving the Owner periodic updates on the search on my end since Day 1. The following attached is a record of the places my men and I went to, which I have been compiling since Day 1 of Junior missing to keep track of the routes Junior had possibly taken and to retrace my steps if needed. Close to 900 posters were printed out and pasted throughout the Tampines and Bedok area by my men and I.
15. A police report was also made by me for recording purposes in the event someone picked up Junior and did not know the proper channels to look for his Owner.
16. Initially, a cash reward of $1000 was suggested to be included in the posters by the Owner. I immediately went ahead to update the posters, and informed the Owner that I will be forking out that $1000 out of goodwill. Afterwards, the cash reward was raised to $2000 without my knowledge. I will, however, be forking out the $2000 cash rewards in the event Junior is found.
Further Actions taken by Owner, her family, as well as third parties
17. While I understand that the Owner and her family is duly distressed by the event, I believe the following actions made by the Owner, her family, and third parties involved is not right and can be better properly addressed instead:
a. At the A&E on the day of the incident, the Owner called to demand my whereabouts and to question whether Junior had been found. Upon knowing that I am at the A&E, she replied “Why are you even at the A&E now, you should be searching for my dog”, and “There is no need for a visit to A&E, dog bites are very common and as a professional, you should know how to handle aggressive dogs at that situation.” Thereafter, she mentioned that her dog is not fierce at all. She then threatened to bring lawyers down immediately to A&E.
b. After receiving that call, I received another call from an unknown person (let's call him X) who is the Owner’s son’s friend. Speaking in Chinese, he asked for my current location and threatened to come down to the hospital immediately to confront me, and thereafter that he wants to make me ‘famous’.
c. Upon arriving back to my shop around 0330hrs to regroup with my friends, family and colleagues, I was met with a direct confrontation with X and the Owner’s son. Prior to the confrontation, X took pictures of my shop. He asked for my vehicle type, and repeatedly questioned me how I am going to take responsibility for the loss of Junior. He then brought up the topic of an ‘Animal Communicator’ (AC) platform where he allegedly claimed that these ACs are ‘psychics’ who can determine the location of lost pets just from looking at their pictures. I was informed that the cost would be around $300-$400 and has a high success rate at finding lost pets. I was asked repeatedly to purchase this service. I told him I would consider and give him a reply the next morning.
d. The next morning, I received a call from X. During the call, he asked me if I had made up my mind to use the AC. I told him that we will engage the AC only as a last resort. I suggested that we try searching Junior by ourselves first and then in the event if there were still no signs of him, we will then proceed to engage the AC. Thereafter he became extremely hostile. He said “What are you waiting for? You want to wait until the dog die then you engage this service?” After informing him that his tone implied that he is not giving me any choice at all in this matter, he became even more aggressive. He asked for my age, and then questioned whether my shop is open, afterwards threatening to come down to the shop to find me.
e. On that same night, he repeatedly called me 7-8 times, however I did not entertain his phone calls. I informed the Owner in the morning the next day of this issue, and made an agreement with her to only give her and her husband updates of the search. She agreed that she will inform X not to call and to not take his words to heart because he is “worried for Junior”. Despite informing her of my current situation, I received another call a few hours later from X making the same threats.
f. I then received information from an unknown source that a WhatsApp group chat was created on 8th January with volunteers from Facebook (and perhaps from other platforms), the Owner and her family, as well as X as a search party for Junior. I was repeatedly slandered and shamed in the group chat and there were allegations made that I did nothing for this search. There were audio recordings and text messages in the group stating that they ‘want me calm but willing to help’, to keep me in check lest I give up on the search if X comes down to my shop to find me. On January 13th at around 1100hrs, allegations were made by X that he will go around spreading false rumors of me stealing Junior or selling him away, and that he will “make sure every customer who walks into the shop knows.” Thereafter, one volunteer in the group mentioned that she would say the same thing to the police as well. X also mentioned that he will come down to the shop to “surprise” me on 14th January today, and despite an audio recording of the Owner attempting to stop him as I can then report him for harassment, he audio recorded himself saying that he “doesn’t care if it is harassment”.
g. Attached are some of the text messages from the WhatsApp group. Due to the sensitive nature of the audio recordings, I will not be attaching any of the audio recordings here.
18. In the same group chat, one of the volunteers willingly forked out her own money to post a post on Junior missing on Straits Times for a day. The Owner then audio recorded her voice to inform the volunteer to keep the bill, that she will be making me pay all the bills incurred, without my knowledge or consent.
19. On 13th January, a post regarding the last update Junior was made by someone called ‘Elizabeth Goh’ on Facebook. It was mentioned that the “irresponsible groomer” told the owner that he “had a life” and that “he had to work until 10pm everyday”. Both remarks were false. It was only mentioned to the Owner that the search party on our end will cease on the 9th Jan 2200hrs as I have exhausted all manpower I could find then. I informed the owner that I would have to resume operating my business on 10th January, however I will continue to search for Junior during my free time. Despite saying that, I have left the business operating to my colleagues and have been out searching for Junior with the limited help I could find.
Continuing On
20. Once again, I would like to sincerely apologise to the Owner and her family for the loss of Junior. It is something unprecedented and I am doing everything within my means to reunite Junior with the Owner and her family.
21. Going forward, we will be re-evaluating and revamping the shop’s operation processes, protocols and risks management. We will ensure that such incidents will not happen again in the future.
23. However, I would like to appeal for the following:
a. The Owner, her family, X and all other third parties involved in the search for Junior to immediately cease slandering, shaming and harassing Who’s A Good Boy? further in any possible means. In the event that this continues, we will step up to take legal action;
b. All posts related to this incident, whether posted online or otherwise, to report only the truth with immediate effect; and
c. To request for a private meeting with the Owner and her family on what and how to proceed from here, whether or not Junior is found.
24. With this public statement, I would like to create awareness about this incident to the people and I plead the public to assist in the search for Junior.
Ong Ming Hao
Sole Proprietor of Who’s A Good Boy?
