A dog’s death in an animal facility brought to light the proper care needed for certain breeds under Philippine weather.
A pet owner named Rod Garino expressed his grief over the death of his Chow Chow named Chow King in a Facebook post on June 21.
“Run Free ChowKing! You may not be here physically but I know that you are walking beside us and will continue to be with us,” he said.
In the post, Garino recalled that Chow King was left in the care of a dog facility in Antipolo, Rizal for six days.
It was the Chow Chow’s third time staying there making him at ease with the establishment.
Chow King, however, died inside the place.
Garino said that the dog died of heat stroke, according to a necropsy report.
The dog hotel was identified as “Dog Hotel by Milo and Friends” owned by a popular content creator dedicated to pets.
Garino said that they will not be pursuing any legal action against the management.
The post has since garnered over 18,000 reactions, 2,600 comments and 6,300 shares on the platform.
Taking care of dogs in hotels
A dog trainer named Lestre Zapanta, who is also known as “The Pinoy Dog Whisperer” online, reacted to the viral tale of Chow Chow’s death.
The owner of the facility where Chow Chow also promotes himself as a dog trainer.
“Dog whisperer” was first coined by the series “Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan.” Millan was hailed as a renowned dog behavior who rose to celebrity fame due to this reality show.
In a video uploaded on June 28, Zapanta discussed the things that dog trainers and facility owners should have kept in mind when taking care of dogs.
- Zapanta pointed out that dogs should not be inside the area or their cages during cleaning time because their noses can be sensitive to the chemicals used in cleaning materials.
“Puwede niyo namang palabasin yung mga aso. Kumuha ka ng tao na andun sa isang space na may ventilation, may tubig para di uminit ang katawan nila,” he said.
- Dog trainers or people working in these facilities should also know that heat stroke can happen if the dog’s core temperature reaches 40°Celsius.
Zapanta explained that this can happen in two circumstances—a hot environment or an extremely strenuous activity.
“Kung nasa isang lugar na nasa cage yung aso, walang ventilation, walang aircon, mas dumodoble o tumitriple ang chances na mag-heat stroke ang mga aso mo,” he said.
- Breeds of dogs have different needs.
Zapanta also emphasized that dog facility owners should know that these animals have different needs, limitations and capacities.
“You cannot apply yung sinasabi mo na okay lang patayin yung air-con sa Chow Chow dahil okay lang naman sa iba. Hindi ganon yun,” he said.
“Bawat aso, may kanya-kanyang kapasidad at bawat aso may kanya-kanyang pangangailangan,” he added.
- Moreover, trainers should also know their dogs’ behavior and body language, on whether or not they have health problems or not.
“Alam mo rin dapat magbasa ng body languages nila and signs kung nahihirapan na ba sila, kung malapit na ba silang ma-heat stroke, dapat dun tinitigil mo na. Isa yan sa responsibilidad ng pagiging magaling na dog trainer,” Zapanta said.
“Isinasaalang-alang mo yung kapakanan ng mga aso na hinahandle mo,” he added.
Zapanta’s video has since garnered more than 60,000 views and 4,800 reactions on Facebook so far.
A brief recap
In his post, Garino recalled that they managed to secure a copy of the CCTV from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. of the day Chow King died.
This footage showed that the dog collapsed on the floor of his cage at 9 a.m.
Chow King was only taken to the veterinarian after more than 30 minutes.
He was declared dead upon reaching the nearest veterinary.
According to Garino, they were initially offered a puppy as a supposed compensation for what happened. They declined this offer.
To end his post, Chow King’s furdad expressed hope that other people running similar businesses to be more responsible for the pets entrusted to them.
“Isang malaking palaisipan, pero sa ngaun, ang tanging dasal ko ay hindi na ito maulit sa iba. Maging responsable ang mga hotel dog owners at panagutan ang kanilang kasalanan,” he said.