Thirty dogs died of dehydration and heat stroke earlier this month on their way to a dog show in Marikina City.
In a Facebook post that has gone viral in the past 24 hours, user Penny Cham shared a video of the dogs upon their arrival at a Philippine Canine Club Inc. (PCCI)-sanctioned event on Dec. 2.
In the video, rescuers can be seen trying to revive the dogs who had passed out. Some people can also be heard saying “kawawa” which roughly translates to “poor dogs” and “You know what, that’s against the law.”
According to a witness who spoke with GMA news show 24 Oras, the dog breeder put 40 dogs inside a truck with no air conditioning and transported them from Novaliches, Quezon City, to the dog show in Marikina City, more than an hour’s drive away.
Rescuers were able to revive some of the dogs and brought them to a vet, but they died the next day.
Carrying dogs in a hot truck with no water is not only desperately messed up, it’s illegal.
An administrative order from the Department of Agriculture specifies that transporting animals in a closed vehicle with insufficient ventilation and inadequate lighting is prohibited.
Those who violate this can face six months to three years of jail time and/or a fine of up to PHP250,000 (US$4,955)
PCCI announced in a Facebook post last week that it has already suspended the breeder but Senator Francis Pangilinan said this is not enough.
In a statement posted on the Senate website today, Pangilinan said the breeder ought to be charged with violating the Amended Animal Welfare Act.
“[W]e find the club’s action sorely lacking amid the tragic fate suffered by the dogs. In the ‘Incident Statement’ it issued, the club merely said it will have a trial board ‘to immediately commence a speedy and impartial investigation on the matter,'” the statement reads.
The statement also said that since 30 dogs were involved in the incident, this would be equivalent to 30 counts of the violation, with maximum penalties of up to 90 years imprisonment and/or a PHP7.5 million (US$148,642) fine.
