A dog found lifeless in a sack by its owner fueled widespread condemnation online as the man responsible for its death showed no remorse.
The hashtag #JusticeForKillua trended on social media Tuesday after Vina Rachelle posted on Facebook a series of photos, grieving the loss of her golden retriever on Sunday morning, March 17.
“Mahal na mahal ko ‘yan (I loved this dog). We found his lifeless body inside a sack,” she wrote in a status update with crying emojis.
The post included a 37-second videoclip of her confrontation with thedog’s alleged killer, identified as her neighbor Anthony Solares, which has so far generated over a million views.
Solares responded with his own post, mocking the distress of the pet owner and justified his action as the dog reportedly threatened to bite his child. He also bragged about his ties with a politician. Both Vina and Anthony apparently live in Bato, Camarines Sur.
“You even had the nerve to file a case? You are the one who unchained a dangerous dog. What if it tried to bite my child? It [the case] won’t lead anywhere because we are related to a politician,” he said in the vernacular in reply to one of Rachelle’s related posts.
Rachelle claimed that they never let Killua out. She posted CCTV footage of Solares chasing her dog outside their gate, which, according to Solares, does not tell the whole story.
Most netizens expressed sympathy towards the pet owner, saying the dog did not deserve to be killed by a guy like Solares.
Section 6 of Republic Act No. 8485, also known as “The Animal Welfare Act of 1998,” states that “any person who subjects any animal to cruelty, maltreatment or neglect shall, upon conviction by final judgment, be punished by imprisonment and/ or fine.”
Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline #JusticeForKillua: Death of golden retriever sparks online rage against animal cruelty