By Liew Hanqing

HE IS Public Enemy NO. 1 on the Internet for dog lovers.

His name, pictures and personal information have been splashed on online forums along with hate messages.

The reason: Mr Jeff An, 21, is said to have a history of irresponsible pet ownership.

Last week, The New Paper reported that Mr An had paid $350 to adopt a two-month-old great dane from an animal rescue group, then posted an ad online to sell it for almost $2,000.

A buyer paid a deposit of $200 and took the puppy, but Mr An has not collected the rest of the money.

Mr An, a Chinese national, had told The New Paper that he wanted to sell the puppy for a profit to pay his mother back for the damage it had caused at home.

Meanwhile, one dog lover alleged that a bull terrier Mr An had adopted earlier went missing three months after he got it.

Others, who had visited Mr An's three-room flat in Whampoa, claimed he had also kept a golden retriever there.

When The New Paper visited the flat, a female tenant said Mr An didn't live there.

But a neighbour, a retiree who wanted to be known only as Mr Lim, said he had seen Mr An walking a large dog - believed to be a golden retriever - on several occasions about three months ago.

He said in Mandarin: "The dog was very big, but it didn't bark much and didn't disturb the neighbours.

"Earlier, he also had a small white dog, but I don't see it around any more."

Miss Zan Ng, 24, a volunteer with an animal rescue group, claimed the white dog was a four-year-old bull terrier named Xena adopted from her group.

After the group learnt that Mr An had tried to re-sell the great dane puppy, they asked him about the bull terrier and found he no longer had it.

Said Miss Ng: "We were astonished that he sent Xena away and did not know her location. He later told us that Xena was taken to a factory in Tuas by his mother's friend."

Volunteers from the group went to Tuas and learnt from workers at a neighbouring factory that the dog had allegedly been tied to a lamp post and left out in the rain overnight. Said Miss Ng: "The workers told us that the owner of another factory there took the dog in, but Xena ran away."

Mr An, a permanent resident and undergraduate at a local university, told The New Paper he had left Xena in his mother's care when he went to China in September.

He said: "When I came back, I asked for the dog back, but my mother's friend reassured us it was well looked after."

He claimed he had a lot of schoolwork to catch up on and did not immediately check on the dog's wherabouts.

"I had no idea the dog had gone missing."

'Loves dogs'

Asked why he repeatedly adopted dogs though he was unable to properly care for them, Mr An would only say that he "loves and cares for dogs".

Mr An's mother, who wanted to be known only as Madam Liao, said it was not his fault that the bull terrier had gone missing.

"He really loved that dog. He would even hug it when he slept at night," she said in Mandarin.

She said she did not expect the dog to go missing in her friend's care.

She said: "Only after the animal rescue group called me did I find out the dog was missing and that my friend had lied to me.

"This had nothing to do with my son."

Madam Liao has also had her handphone number and office address posted on various online forums and websites.

She claimed she had been harassed by strangers calling her at night.

As for the furore over her son's attempt to sell the adopted great dane for a profit, Madam Liao said: "He was naive and didn't know it was wrong.

"He grew up in an environment where there aren't many rules on the treatment of animals. It was an honest mistake. Please let him move on."

But Miss Ng said: "Pet shelters or rescue groups should think twice before allowing him to adopt or buy a pet next time."

On its website, the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals urges prospective pet owners to exercise responsibility, by recognising that owning a pet is a lifetime commitment. It takes in about 700 unwanted animals every month.

This story was first published in The New Paper.