Bacolod vet probes alleged abuse of pregnant dog

By Glazyl M. Jopson

BACOLOD CITY — The City Veterinary Office is investigating a recent report involving a pregnant dog that was allegedly struck while sleeping in Barangay Tangub.

The CVO met with the barangay council led by Barangay Captain Noli Villarosa on Saturday, Aug. 15, to establish the facts and call the attention of the person allegedly involved in the incident.

Animal welfare group Bach Project PH said in a social media post that it received a report several hours after the alleged abuse of a homeless pregnant dog named “Latlat,” prompting the group to rescue the animal and bring her to Juan Veterinarian-Bacolod for emergency veterinary care.

The group said there were witnesses to the incident and that a video capturing the alleged abuse was sent to them.

“She is pregnant. She is homeless. She was simply sleeping. She could not even tell anyone how much she was hurting,” the group stated.

“We don’t even want to imagine what would have happened if that person hadn’t been there. Latlat and her puppies could have been dead,” the group said.

The group vowed to help Latlat and her unborn puppies survive as it appealed for donations for emergency treatment, diagnostic procedures, medications, confinement, and other procedures that may be necessary.

Bach Project PH said Latlat became homeless after her owner died, leaving her to survive on the streets and depend on people for food and shelter.

“Now she wasn’t only surviving for herself. She was carrying little lives inside her,” the group said.

The group said Latlat was sleeping under a car when a man approached her and allegedly struck her with what was initially reported as a 2-by-2 piece of wood.

“She wasn’t chasing anyone. She wasn’t bothering anyone. She was simply sleeping peacefully. Pregnant and homeless,” the group said.

The group later clarified that the dog had allegedly been struck with a metal bar rather than a piece of wood.

Veterinary examination showed that Latlat suffered a ruptured cornea from the trauma, a fractured cheekbone, and an injured leg, according to the group.

“Knowing this makes our hearts hurt even more. Imagine the force and pain of being struck with a metal bar while peacefully sleeping, pregnant, and completely defenseless,” it said.

The group asked for prayers for Latlat and her unborn puppies, saying she had already been through more than enough.

Bach Project PH also recently rescued a yellow cat that was allegedly beaten with a hard object near a shopping mall in the city and a three-legged dog in Murcia, Negros Occidental.

The CVO emphasized that violence against animals will not be tolerated.

Regardless of whether an animal is owned or stray, the office stressed that its status is never an excuse to hurt, abuse, or deliberately inflict harm on it.

The CVO continues to encourage the public to report incidents of animal cruelty to the proper authorities so the appropriate offices can investigate and take necessary action.

“Animals deserve humane and responsible treatment—owned or stray, every time,” the CVO said.

Earlier this month, a dog went viral after it was struck by a dart arrow in Barangay 8 here.

The animal was also rescued by Bach Project PH and is undergoing treatment at a veterinary clinic.

The latest case came about a year after two dart-arrow attacks on dogs were also reported in Murcia.