Netizen shares heartbreaking photo to remind us animals need help during calamities too

Contributed Photo | Luisa Tess Luna

CEBU CITY, Philippines—A photo of a dog lying lifeless on a street in Davao City is gaining sympathy online after it was shared by a netizen last August 29, 2019.

The photo, shared by Luisa Tess Luna on her Facebook page, serves as a reminder that animals need our help during calamities, such as floods.

Luna said that the photo was sent by one of the members of their Facebook group called Davao City Public Information and Inquiry Page.

She and some in their group believe the dog may have drowned to death after Davao experienced flooding last week due to heavy rain.

“There was flooding in some areas in Davao City due to heavy rains from nearby upland areas. Some barangays were rescued and families [were forced to evacuate]. On August 29, 2019, morning, people had to return to their homes and this dead dog with heavy chains attached to its neck was found in the middle of the street,” says Luna.

Luna said they have reason to believe that the dog might have been tied and may have been fighting to break free from the chains when water started to rise. Since it is seen in the photo that the chains broke, they believe the dog may have eventually broken free but didn’t make it to higher ground on time.

“I was feeling sorry for the dog, to be honest. I felt guilty, too. I was too focused on helping the people during the flood and I forgot that maybe some animals were trapped in these areas,” Luna said.

Luna also brought up the issue of dogs being tied by their owners.

“I [feel] bad that some owners heavily chain their dogs and don’t treat their pets as part of the family,” she said.

The photo posted by Luna gained 1,100 reactions and  was shared 1,500 times as of September 2.

It received a lot of comments, too. Kristy Lutz King said, “gikumot jd akong dughan ani ma’am” (my heart’s crushed with this photo, ma’am.) while Vevienne Basalan commented, “Kalooy tawn sa dogii huhu” (how pity this dog is huhu.)

Here are other comments from the post:

/bmjo