#JusticeForKillua Trends After Golden Retriever Was Found Lifeless in a Sack
It's a story no pet owner wants to experience.
Trigger warning: This story mentions animal violence.
(SPOT.ph) “We found his lifeless body inside a sack.”
These are words that no one should ever have to say, but it’s what happened to Vina Rachelle, owner of a male Golden Retriever named Killua in Camarines Sur.
Death of a Golden Retriever sparks outrage
On March 17, Vina grieved the cruel loss of her pet in a post with several throwback pictures of Killua. Not much is known about the incident—“we don’t exactly know what happened,” Vina said in another post—but the inclusion of a 37-second video revealed her confrontation with Killua’s alleged killer. In the video, the man they were speaking with claimed that Killua bit him on the leg, which prompted him to retaliate.
The next video showed the man opening a sack haphazardly to reveal Killua's dead body. A trigger warning for those who click on Vina's post as it shows very sensitive content.
Vina also posted a CCTV footage from outside her house, where a man was seen hitting Killua with a pole more than once in the middle of the road.
“If nangagat man, it is not enough reason to kill my pet. He was asking for apology, but no sorry could ever replace my baby,” Vina wrote. “We are already cooperating with law enforcers. We are fighting for this. #JusticeForKillua.”
Also read: “Ginawa Ko Lang ‘Yung Nararapat”: Suspect of Killua Killing Steps Forward
As of writing, Vina's original post has received over 266,000 reactions and 155,00 shares in the public’s efforts to call #JusticeForKillua. Thousands have also flocked the Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) Facebook page for help.
PAWS replied in the comments section that as much as they would like to assist the Vina file criminal charges, they are unable to contact her.
“If you or someone you know is in contact with the owner, kindly connect us to them. We have messaged their FB page but have not received any reply from them,” PAWS said to concerned users.
While all of this was happening, a Facebook paged called Anthony Solares was created on March 17 with the bio “Hwag nyu kasi pakawalan ang aso nyu!” He claimed to be the man behind Killua’s death, but only did so to protect his child from being attacked. There is no publicly available information confirming that he is in fact Anthony Solares nor the man behind the act.
He shared one of Vina’s posts with the caption: “Kasu kasu ka pa, ano ba ginawa kung mali!? Kayu itung nagpapakawala ng aso na delikado, paano pag nakagat ang anak ko? Hwalang mapapala iyan dahil kamag-anak naming pulitiko.” His Facebook page was taken down on March 19.
The incident has revived the push for Senate Bill No. 2458 by Senator Grace Poe, which seeks to revise the Animal Welfare Act to “strengthen animal welfare standards, policies, rules and regulations, implementation and enforcement as well as provide tougher penalties to violators.” It is currently pending in the Committee as of November 6, 2023.
The Animal Welfare Act was originally enacted in 1988 to protect and promote the welfare of all animals in the Philippines. Violations of the act include cruelty, abuse, neglect, illegal trading, and maltreatment of animals; while penalties range from fines to imprisonment, depending on the severity of the offense.
Also read: Before Killua: This Aspin Was Killed After Being Mistaken for Another Dog
Social media rally to call #JusticeForKillua
While the original post has gained traction on Facebook, the #JusticeForKillua has made it across social media platforms. The hashtag is a top trend as of writing on X (formerly Twitter), with people sharing screenshots of the original post and comments by the supposed Anthony Solares account.
People are also sharing pictures of their own Golden Retrievers as examples of how friendly they can be, while some have even made art of Killua. The overarching tone is one of indignation over a senseless death.
