SENATORS yesterday said they were “heart-broken and enraged” upon hearing the news that a golden retriever was beaten to death by a man who claimed that the dog attacked a number of people in Camarines Sur last Sunday.
Sen. Grace Poe said that the public should be aware that there are laws which protect and punish the cruel treatment of animals, which is the Animal Welfare Act of 1998, amended by RA 10631.
“I am heart-broken and enraged to hear of the mauling of Killua, a golden retriever. Mr. Anthony Solares admitted to slaughtering Killua, claiming that the dog chased his child.
However, his actions which were captured in a CCTV video were fraught with excessive violence and shows that it was Killua who was being chased,” Poe said in a statement.
Poe clarified that she is not passing judgment on Solares since it is the court which should decide on the matter.
She said that under the law, it is illegal to torture, neglect to provide adequate care, sustenance or shelter, or maltreat any animal, or subject any dog or horse to fights, kill or cause, or to procure to be tortured or use the same in research or experiments “not expressly authorized by the Committee on Animal Welfare.”
“In light of this and other numerous reports of cruelty, neglect, and abandonment of animals, I have filed a proposed law to improve the state of animal welfare in our country,” she said.
