September 10, 2024 | 12:21pm
MANILA, Philippines — Pet advocates led by the likes of actresses Heart Evangelista and Carla Abellana slammed Tagaytay restaurant Balay Dako over a recent issue involving a dog owner and their aspin.
A Facebook post by a certain Lara Antonio went viral after revealing the restaurant would not let her aspin Yoda inside despite having done so before.
The restaurant claimed Yoda wasn’t allowed inside because of his size, but Lara thought otherwise because photos shown by staff had dogs bigger than Yoda inside the restaurant, leading her to believe Balay Dako was allegedly discriminating against mixed breeds.
The restaurant issued a statement regarding the incident, but pet advocates and a majority of the public saw it come off as a non-apology as the statement did not specifically mention any names nor say sorry to the individuals involved.
The Philippine Animal Welfare Society or PAWS released its own statement about the issue and also reiterated Antonio’s words that establishments labelling themselves as “pet-friendly” should extend such courtesies to breeds of all kinds.
“True pet friendliness involves creating a welcoming environment for all breeds, including Aspins, who are just as deserving of love and acceptance,” PAWS ended.
Abellana, Evangelista, and another actor, John Arcilla, all commented on PAWS’ Instagram post of the statement to show their solidarity for aspins.
“That is false advertisement. These establishments should be reprimanded officially and legally. There should be no discrimination of pets on all levels,” said Arcilla.
Evangelista, an aspin owner herself, simply commented, “Naku ha,” and posted an Instagram Story of her pet aspin Panda “sending love to ‘Yoda’.”
Abellana reposted Antonio’s initial posts on her own Instagram Stories and the reactions of fellow pet advocate organizations. These include the Animal Kingdom Foundation, CARA Welfare Philippines, Pawssion Project, Philippine Animal Rescue Team, the Furr Project Animal Hospital, and the Vets in Practice Animal Hospital.
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