Man pleads not guilty to animal cruelty, claims self defense

 

MANILA CITY, Philippines — A man pleaded not guilty to animal cruelty for killing a dog in Magallanes, Cavite, in February 2023.

The accused, Felix Espinosa appeared before the First Municipal Circuit Trial Court of Maragondon-Ternate-Magallanes. He maintained that it was an act of self-defense when he killedKoa, a Belgian Mallinois.

Espinosa said Koa was about to attack him, prompting him to use force to protect himself.

But the prosecutor, in a resolution dated March 7, 2024, said that the dog did notcome forward to attack Espinosa.

“The danger was conceived in the mind of the respondent [Espinosa],” read the resolution.

The resolution further states that Espinosa used unnecessary means to stop the dog’s supposed attack when he used a “karet” or  farm sickle to disembowel the dog.

The case was filed by the dog’s owner, Shirly Calderon, and the Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS).

Calderon, in a social media post by PAWS, described Koa as an affectionate dog who loves playing with kids.

“We felt so sorry when we saw the injury he got. Tears were in his eyes when we took him to the vet,” she said.