In Legazpi City, outcry over the cutting of ears of 2 Shih Tzu

Luna and Bonbon MARIS ICLEO AGUILAR FACEBOOK PHOTO

LEGAZPI CITY — Even before the furor over last week’s killing of golden retriever Killua in Camarines Sur province could die down, another animal cruelty case sparked outrage here after a still unidentified person cut off the ears of a pair of ten-month-old liver line Shih Tzu in this city.

READ: Lawmakers hit slay of dog Killua that was running away, trying to escape

READ: PAWS finds Killua killer not acting on self defense

In a viral post on social media on Thursday, the dogs’ owner, Maris Icleo Aguilar, said she arrived home past 1 p.m. on Wednesday at her residence in Barangay 8-Bagumbayan and found her two pets weak and bloodied.

One of the dogs, Luna, had one ear missing, while the other dog, Bonbon, had both ears cut off.

Aguilar believed a burglar entered her house, with only the dogs around and lashed out on her pets when the thief found nothing valuable to cart away. Aguilar and other members of her family later found traces of broken wood, leaves and sand on the roof of their house.

Public for assistance

According to Aguilar, Bonbon and Luna both received first aid but needed more medical attention. She appealed to the public for assistance to pay for the dogs’ veterinary bills.

She said her family had been coordinating with police authorities to help them capture the suspect.

Aguilar said they already had a hunch on the identity of the culprit, but they were still gathering information to confirm their suspicion.

Jona Saladino, chairperson of Albay Animal Rescue and Adoption, said in an interview on Saturday that they were willing to provide a lawyer that could assist Aguilar should she decide to file a case against the suspect for violation of  the Animal Welfare Act of 1998 (Republic Act No. 8485).

“We would like to appeal to the government to give utmost concern to cases of animal cruelty and strengthen [the] implementation [of RA 8485] in the grassroots, that is at the barangay level. We would like to remind people that this planet is not ours alone. We share this planet with other creatures,” Saladino said. INQ