IPOH: A woman caused a commotion at the Tapah Rest and Recreational area (R&R) early on Saturday when she bathed her dog at a sink in the nursing/baby changing room.
Cleaners at the R&R were horrified by the woman’s actions and confronted her. Despite their insistence that her activity was not permitted at the R&R, the woman continued bathing her canine, saying that it was “not dirty”.
Farah Shafiza Che Amat, 29, who was travelling with her husband to Kuala Lumpur, had stopped at the R&R at 3am and was on her way to the washroom when she overhead the hubbub in the nursing room.
“Several of the cleaners were reprimanding the woman for cleaning her dog there.
“I, too, told her that she could not wash her dog there – but our advice was not heeded,” said Farah.
Feeling that something needed to be done, as the R&R is also utilised by Muslim travellers, Farah decided to record the woman in action. She then lodged a report with Plus Malaysia Berhad and provided them with a video clip of the incident.
As the woman’s face was averted in the footage, Farah decided to share the video clip on Facebook to highlight the issue of insensitivity towards people of other religions.
Meanwhile, Plus reacted swiftly to Farah’s report by ordering a ritual Muslim cleansing of the nursing room soon after the incident.
In statement on its website, Plus said that it had cleansed the nursing room so that all members of the public could use it without reservation or worry.
“Plus regrets the dog-cleaning incident, and the woman who ignored the pleas of the cleaners there.
“The R&R areas along the expressway are off-limits to pets, as we want to ensure the cleanliness of the facilities. As such, we urge all customers to cooperate with us and comply with the rules,” it said.
The incident has elicited strong reaction from netizens, with the comment section of the Facebook video replete with posts condemning the woman for her disrespect towards other Malaysians.