MANILA — An animal rights group has filed criminal charges against a couple in Quezon City who ran a puppy mill and posted photos of their pregnant dog who died shortly after they performed an impromptu cesarean section in order to recover puppies inside it.
In a 12-page complaint filed at the Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office on Wednesday, Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) executive director Anna Nieves Hashim Cabrera named dog traders Evangeline Diaz Guevarra and Jonathan Dominguez Galguerra who performed the C-section on their dog as respondents to the case for violation of Republic Acts 8485 (Animal Welfare Act of 1998) and 9268 (Philippine Veterinary Medicine Act).
She added that considering the deceased animal was not registered with the City Veterinary Department, the respondents committed a violation of City Ordinance No. 2505, series of 2016 covering the matter.
Cabrera said that under the online user name “Gie Diaz”, one of the breeders posted pictures of the pregnant toy poodle named “Bubbles” whose abdomen was cut using a knife and a pair of scissors.
They also posted the mutilated carcass of the dog after the delivery, pictures of the dog’s puppies and an admission that they had performed the procedure, which drew flak from netizens.
“Thus, by performing a surgical procedure themselves without being registered veterinary professionals (and without using anesthesia), the respondents not only maltreated and abused an animal by inflicting needless pain and causing its death, they also neglected to provide the animal and the puppies they delivered from it with the veterinary care demanded by the situation,” Cabrera said.