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Tuesday, April 16, 2002

Last night after having birthday dinner and bumping into some friends, Leeds and i stopped by store, bought a bottle of Gato Negro and headed for his place.

We decided to watch some TV and when we switched to Channel 7 and saw what iwitness (its a show that features documentaries) was showing, we knew we just had to watch. The name of last night's feature was "ASKAL" (Short for Asong Kalye or "Street Dogs" in English). Askals are dogs that have no breed or dogs that are stray.

They started by showing a man walking (it was actually more of like, dragging) his dog and it was noticeable how the dog was walking in such a way where he seemed like he didnt want to go where they were going. As it turns out, his human was selling him to the dog killer (yes, he buys and kills dogs for a living so he can chop the dog up and sell his meat to the market). The dog's owner got 300 bucks for his dog and says he wants to get rid of the dog because he's already bitten way too many people (maybe its because he didnt raise him very well huh?).The next scene just killed me. They hung the dog by the neck on a rope and stabbed him in the neck. I just had to switch channels after that coz i couldn't take it.

After a few minutes, i went back to watching the show. They featured this old man who has been known for cooking dogs for 50 years already. They followed him to the market and the camera crew took this shot where a dog was following and barking at the old man. I believe the dog knew what this man did for a living.

They actually took a shot of the man cooking dog meat. The old man said that dog meat makes you feel warm all over (ill just sit in front of a fire, thank you). When asked how much 1 whole casserole of his specialty was, he said it costs around 1500 pesos. I always thought people eat dogs because its cheaper and they can't afford to buy beef or pork. 1500 bucks for a casserole of dog meat? Man, these dog eaters must really love dog meat!

Halfway through the show, i was actually so judgemental of the people who ate the dogs. I found it to be very inhuman and barbaric and if it wasn't a crime, i would have killed all of them out of rage. Dogs are for pets, not for eating but then again, thats because thats what society teaches us.

The crew of the show went to Baguio which is known to be the "Summer Capital of Philippines" because of the cool air and smell of pines that will surround you. They interviewed a 20-something boy who helps his parents run a small restaurant that sells dog meat. They are a member of the Ibaloy tribe. The Ibaloys are one of the many ethno-linguistic groups of the northern Philippines. They believe that dogs are sacred animals and that if you're sick, you will feel much better by eating dog meat. When you throw a party and don't serve dog meat, your party will suck. To this tribe, dog meat is much much better than pork or beef or any kind of food for that matter. The boy even said that they are aware of animal rights but what about their rights as humans and as a tribe? True. I couldn't argue with that. That's their culture and I ought to respect that.

The last part of the show brought us back to the city where the host spent a day with dog catchers. Its really a pity how they catch those dogs. They also showed the city pound which was way too cramped. And you could see the sadness in all those dog's faces. A vet who runs the pound was interviewed and she said that dogs in the pound with illnesses go through Euthanasia and other dogs who have never been claimed by their owners are killed in gas chambers with other dogs.

That show really left me depressed and mad. Not at the dog catchers or at the people who eat dogs but at the dog's owners who couldnt even be responsible enough to take good care of their pets. I hope people realize that you shouldnt don't get a puppy just so you can oohhh and aaahhh at it while its still young and leave him for dead when he's fully grown.

I'm going to take really good care of my new doggie and I'm going to love him as if he was my own son.

And one more thing, i still believe all dogs go to heaven. There's no other place for them.