DIPOLOG CITY – Allegations of neglect and cruelty of dogs at the city’s pound has raised bitter debate on social media on who’s to blame of the plight of the growing number of stray and impounded dogs – the local government or the irresponsible pet owners.
Early this week, netizens here claiming to be dog-lovers were aroused to bashing the City Veterinary Office (CVO) after Hope4Paws Dipolog, a non-government organization dedicated to help the plight of stray and impounded dogs, posted on Facebook photos and a video clip of malnourished and sickly looking impounded dogs.
The video clip was already taken out, but the Hope4Paws Dipolog’s message still remains: “Makes me sad seeing how they were on Christmas Eve vs now. Don’t worry babies, we’ll do everything we can to help you recover!”
The posts triggered bashing from “netizens” against the Local Government of Dipolog and its CVO, but to which Dipolog Mayor Darel Dexter Uy was quick to respond: “We would like to assure the public, especially the people of Dipolog, that (we) remain committed to the humane treatment of rescued animals under the care of the Dipolog City Pound.”
In a statement issued March 10, the mayor also said that the malnourished dogs in the photos and video clip “are currently undergoing rehabilitation.”
A CVO official said that what were posted on Facebook wrongly gave an impression that all of our “rescued dogs” were sickly, underfed and starving.
“Most of the 120 dogs in the pound are in good health. There are just dogs, particularly those that are newly rescued, which lose weight because of depression, you know, most of them used to be free on the streets and now caged while others lost appetite after being abandoned by their owners,” the CVO official stressed.
