Beastly

In my nightmare moments during the COVID pandemic, I eased my grief and kept my sanity intact while under isolation by watching movies and video about dogs.

Today, among my favorite de-stressing activities is to watch short video clips online about dogs and cats. Fur parents will understand the delight of watching that video of a miniature poodle dancing on hind legs to “ice cream yummy, ice cream good!”

I thought about the joy that I derive from watching such stuff (and being a fur mom to four dogs and four cats) after learning about that poor dog named Tiktok that was turned into a dart target by some lowlifes in Hacienda Puyas Dako in Murcia, Negros Occidental.

You wonder who’s the beast in that incident.

Tiktok was rescued and treated by a vet, but is under watch for possible tetanus. The dog is not a stray and the owner is heartbroken.

The municipal government of Murcia and concerned groups have offered a reward for information leading to the arrest of the animal torturers. As of Wednesday afternoon, the reward money had reportedly reached P235,000.

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It is said that the way people treat animals reflects the level of human development in their society.

In this regard, we’ve achieved some progress from the days when dogs were brutally beaten to death, prepared kilawin or like ceviche and then eaten as pulutan. In those days, we could tell who were dog eaters in the neighborhood because dogs barked at them ferociously. Maybe dog meat odor seeps through skin pores, like the nicotine stink of smokers, and is picked up by dogs’ powerful sense of smell.

We now have laws banning the slaughter of dogs and consumption of their meat, along with other acts of animal cruelty. Even the slaughter of livestock must conform with laws and rules on animal welfare.

As in most of our laws, unfortunately, there’s a significant gap between the enactment and enforcement of laws against animal cruelty.

There have been reports in recent months of people being arrested for trafficking of stray dogs for pulutan. If there’s supply, there must be continuing demand. Police raids continue on dog “farms” particularly in the Cordilleras, where dog meat is said to provide sustained heat to the human body in the cold temperature. This is the same belief that has kept alive the breeding of dogs for meat in parts of northern Asia, including in China’s picture-postcard tourist destination Guilin City.

Even in prosperous South Korea, dog meat is still consumed. Perhaps this will change following the passage of a law banning the production and sale of dog meat in that country. The law was unanimously approved by Korea’s National Assembly on Jan. 9 last year, but will take effect in three years.

US President Donald Trump falsely accused Haitian immigrants in an Ohio town of eating pets. The Haitians don’t, but there are people who do eat dogs. And cats.

Cat meat is eaten in China and several other countries including ours. But in our case, most Pinoys are probably unaware that they’re eating cat meat, since it is used mainly as an extender for chicken filling in commercial siopao. I learned this in one of the culinary classes that I attended years ago, where we were told that we could buy the cat meat from a breeder in Pampanga. No joke; I still have a copy of the siopao recipe handout. After attending the class, I never bought chicken siopao again from the two brands that the teacher said used cat meat as extender.

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Another practice that remains widespread is keeping pet dogs and even cats on a short leash or in cages too small to allow them sufficient mobility. Imagine spending hours on end your entire life moving around a space large enough only to stand at full height or lie down at full-body stretch.

In some houses, the dogs are kept in cages with galvanized iron roofing, usually in a spot near the main gate where the dog is expected to scare away intruders and can serve as a doorbell adjunct.

Unless there’s a tree or structure that provides shade to the doghouse, that shelter can become as hot as an oven under the pounding tropical sun. It can cause dehydration and shorten a dog’s life.

Apart from dog meat consumption in South Korea, there are certain K-dramas set in modern times that still feature dogs constantly tied to trees and near house doors. I don’t know if this is still common in South Korea.

Poor Tiktok was apparently allowed to roam freely by the owner, but was grabbed by the lowlifes with nothing better to do.

It might help if dog lovers can speed up efforts to have the “Asong Pinoy” or aspin officially recognized internationally as a distinct dog breed. The aspin has distinctive features. Those who have a low regard for animals may at least believe that dogs with a distinct breed – “may lahi” – can be valuable. Instead of torturing or killing such dogs for meat, they are snatched for sale.

Then the lowlifes may think twice before eating aspins or using them as dart targets, or tossing them off pedestrian walkways. Maybe the guard dogs-cum-doorbells that are kept on a leash at the house entrance, rain or shine, will be set free within the premises, or at least get a longer leash.

Who knows, the lowlifes may even adopt a stray aspin, and discover the joys of being a fur parent.

A society that votes overwhelmingly for a candidate whose main platform is to kill people like vermin will have little compassion for stray aspins.

Being appalled and saddened by the abuse of a dog, however, is an encouraging sign of improvement. It shows that describing dogs as humans’ best friend is not merely hyperbole in our country.