A Singapore pet cremation service today rejected accusations about the authenticity of a dog’s ashes, saying the remains were ground into a fine powder in order to fit inside a small box.
The owner of a dead husky named Ranger questioned online Saturday why his ashes looked like flour and not cremated remains, claims rejected by the business despite similar past complaints.
Writing online, the dog’s owner, who did not reveal her identity added in comments to her post that she’d gone to the police over the matter. She did not respond to messages seeking comment from Coconuts Singapore.
Pets Cremation Center’s Patrick Lim did, and he told a different story. The 67-year-old owner said the customer asked for the remains to be put in a box with Ranger’s photo on it that was on the small side. He dismissed the suggestion that they had pulled a switcheroo on the anima’s ashes as “ridiculous.”
“Flour texture is different from whatever we sent to her, this allegation is ridiculous … she’s claiming without verification,” he told Coconuts Singapore in an interview.
“The photo box can only accommodate a certain volume. She knows that we have to compact the remains,” Lim said, adding that they use “intense combustion” which leave the ashes “more broken up and very clean.”
But it wasn’t the first time such an accusation has been leveled against his shop. Similar claims made by others stretch back three years.
In 2016, police investigated claims made by a customer against Pets Cremation Center – then also called Express Cremation Center – over the “fake ashes” of his dead shih tzu. Lab test results showed compounds consistent with sand and clay. Several similar complaints led the authorities to investigate. No outcome of that has been publicized.
Another accuser wrote in the comments of the new accuser’s post that he went to the police over a similar matter but was told to file a lawsuit as it was a civil matter.
“These crooks are back at their game. Am one of the victims previously. We formed a group to pursue justice but in the end, the police deemed this as a civil case,” Facebook user Bernard Ong wrote Sunday.
Ranger’s owner said she had contacted another customer who once filed a similar police report against the same business.
“I contacted the person who filed that complaint, he had sent the ashes for a lab test and the ashes were indeed fake. However, police dropped the investigation, and his only option was to file a class-action lawsuit, which was too pricey. I’m so disgusted and horrified,” the post read.
Saturday’s post also attracted comments from angry animal lovers urging the husky’s owner to take further action.
“Please go for lab test and go against them. As the only remain of your precious furkid cannot be ended like this,” Esjujube Esther wrote.
“What you should do, you can appeal for donation to have ashes analyze [sic]. If confirmed is plain flour, you can lodge a police report … “ Resnanny See Ye wrote.
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