ALMIRA Cercado, the eldest member of P-pop girl group 4th Impact, finally addressed criticisms they received last month over “irresponsible” pet ownership after the group set up a fundraising page for their 200 Shih Tzu dogs.
In an Instagram post, the P-pop idol defended the group—composed of her and her sisters Irene, Mylene and Celina—and said that they were “never irresponsible pet owners.”
To recall, 4th Impact sought to raise funds through an online fundraising platform to help them relocate their 200 Shih Tzu dogs to a “safe and expansive farm,” after they received noise complaints from their neighbors. The group said that their Shih Tzu dogs were originally only five, which were given to them by their fans.
They aimed to raise USD $10,000 for their dogs, but they eventually took down their fundraising campaign after they were met with criticisms from netizens and animal rights groups over alleged “irresponsible” pet ownership.
“These 5 pups are not related at all. I have gifted one boy my Gucci and he mated all the girls except Bombom. They multiply so fast and we have given some of them to our friends who are capable [of taking] care of them,” said Almira.
But Almira said they received a “noise complaint” from their neighbor, forcing them to relocate their male dogs.
“So I made a GoFund[Me] page [because] I believe we have Dreamers who know our story and that they will support my vision of putting up a farm,” she said, referring to their fans.
She then addressed the “false accusations” and “the horrible news” about the group, which led her to take down their fundraising campaign. She also said that the funds they received were “refunded” to their fans minutes after the fundraising page was deleted.
“We never go to parties, don’t have [a] social life [because] we are the bread and butter of our whole family. We financed our studies and finished the degree by singing, but our dogs are the only stress reliever for us and meant the world to us,” said Almira.
She added that the girl group will “work harder” to buy their furbabies a “farm” in the future.
“It’s not gonna be easy but I know we will get there!” she claimed.
Almira also explained their attendance to one of “The Eras Tour” shows of American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, amid being criticized for their fundraising campaign.
The P-pop idol clarified that the show they attended was not in Singapore but in Los Angeles, California, in August 2023, before they set up the GoFundMe page in February 2024. Almira also said that their tickets for Swift’s concert were just “a gift” from their fans.
Stop the hate
Almira appealed to the public to stop spreading “hate” on social media.
“We don’t have the choice but to continue chasing our dreams even [if] we want to give up sometimes. Sometimes it’s hard to fight when you are alone,” she said, adding that the incident made them realize who their “real friends” were.
She also mentioned how music changed their lives, from being raised in the province of Isabela to making their name in the music industry as 4th Impact.
“Marami pa kaming mission and we sing [because] of that purpose. [Please] stop all hateful and harsh comments,” appealed Almira.
“We will never quit and we will continue to pursue our dreams,” she added.
Inbreeding
Lawyer Heidi Caguioa, program director of Animal Kingdom Foundation (AKF), previously told republicasia that there could be “inbreeding” that happened among 4th Impact’s dogs. The AKF was one of the animal welfare groups that called out the girl group and said that allowing their dogs to grow to 200 was “totally irresponsible.”
According to Caguioa, inbreeding happens when a puppy is born from two related dogs, which may increase health risks of the offspring.
She noted that the group failed to consider having their pets neutered and spayed, as well as how their large number of Shih Tzu dogs would affect their neighbors.
Caguioa said that there was no national law that limits the number of pets. However, she believed that pet owners should consider their financial, emotional and physical capacities in looking after their pets.
Nevertheless, the animal welfare group noted that the 200 Shih Tzu dogs receive proper treatment from their pet owners, based on their photo on the GoFundMe page.
Caguioa advised other furparents to consider spay and neuter for their pets to slow down their population growth. These also have other health benefits to their pets such as improved behavior.
