Iloilo City dumps plan to euthanize stray dogs after public outrage

Credit to Author: Tempo Desk| Date: Tue, 19 Nov 2019 03:40:49 +0000

By TARA YAP

THIS used to be a stray dog but has been rescued and nurtured by a local resident. The Iloilo City government scrapped the plan for mercy killing of stray dogs after a public outrage. (Tara Yap)

ILOILO City — Due to public backlash, Mayor Jerry Treñas will not allow the plan of Iloilo City Veterinary Office to conduct mercy killing of stray dogs.

“This has not yet approved by my office,” said Treñas in a publicly released video.

News broke out late last week that Dr. Tomas Forteza, city veterinarian, announced how the latest stray dogs impounded will undergo euthanasia.

This led residents to campaign on social networking site Facebook and urged the Iloilo City government to change its policy.

There’s an online petition by Mikaela Chavez while Team Aspin of Iloilo-Tail wrote an open letter to the mayor.

“The stray dogs, who cannot speak for themselves, are suffering everyday on the streets either by hunger, maltreatment or abuse. These dogs deserve better lives,” said Chavez in an online petition via change.org.

Forteza earlier said they rounded up stray dogs after another office complained how dogs were destroying the ornamental plants of the Esplanade, the city’s river park.

“Dogs are not destructive, but humans are. Dogs are sentient beings, and given a chance, have proven countless times to be man’s best friend,” Team Aspin of Iloilo-Tai
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