By Jel Santos
An animal welfare group is probing the death of around eight dogs in a poorly ventilated van on their way to a dog show in Marikina City recently.
The Animal Kingdom Foundation Inc. has clarified that only eight dogs died due to suffocation in the van, contrary to a television report that 30 out of 40 dogs inside died. “Only around eight dogs died, definitely not 30 dogs. This is based on our probe,” lawyer Heidi Marquez-Caguiao, program director of AKFI, said.
The breeder Joey Mancilla is being investigated for the death of the dogs. Mancilla, a former board member of Philippine Canine Club Inc., has been joining the dog show since the 1980s.
“We don’t know why he put the dogs is such condition. As of now, he is nowhere to be found,” she said.
AKFI investigation showed Mancilla put 40 dogs inside a closed van with no airconditioning for transport from Novaliches, Quezon City to the Philippine Canine Club Inc. dog show in Marikina. Some of the dogs reportedly passed out while others were dead upon arrival.
Caguiao said that they learned the incident through the post of a certain “Penny Chan” on Dec. 5.