BACOLOD City — The City Veterinary Office (CVO) is investigating the alleged beating of a homeless pregnant dog in Barangay Tangub, after an animal welfare group rescued the animal and brought her to a veterinary clinic for emergency treatment.
Assistant City Veterinarian Dr. Marie Janine Sarthou met with the Barangay Tangub Council led by Captain Noli Villarosa on Saturday, August 15, to establish the facts surrounding the incident and call the attention of the person allegedly involved.
The animal welfare group Bach Project PH said it received a report several hours after the alleged abuse and rescued the dog, identified as “Latlat,” before bringing her to Juan Veterinarian-Bacolod.
According to the group, a video of the incident was sent to them. It initially reported that Latlat was sleeping under a car when a man approached and allegedly struck her with a piece of wood.
The group later clarified that the object allegedly used to hit the dog was a metal bar.
A veterinary examination reportedly found that Latlat suffered serious injuries, including a ruptured cornea, fractured cheekbone and an injured leg.
The group said Latlat was pregnant when the incident occurred and appealed for prayers and financial assistance for her emergency treatment, diagnostics, medication, confinement and other possible procedures.
It also said Latlat’s owner had died, leaving the dog homeless and dependent on people in the community for food and shelter.
The CVO strongly condemned the reported incident, stressing that whether an animal is owned or stray does not justify hurting or abusing it.
“Animals deserve humane and responsible treatment—owned or stray, every time,” the CVO said.
The office urged residents to report suspected cases of animal cruelty to the proper authorities to allow the appropriate offices to investigate and take necessary action.
The incident comes amid other reported cases of animal abuse in Bacolod and nearby areas. Earlier this month, a dog in Barangay 8 was rescued after reportedly being hit by a dart arrow and is currently undergoing treatment at a veterinary clinic.
Two similar dart-arrow attacks on dogs were also reported in Murcia, Negros Occidental, last year.
Meanwhile, the CVO earlier responded to a report of a monkey wandering in Barangay 3, where personnel successfully captured the animal despite the prevailing weather conditions and turned it over to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources for proper care and rehabilitation.
The CVO said such responses are part of its continuing efforts to protect animal welfare and public safety./PN
