BACOLOD CITY - The City Veterinary Office (CVO) here is investigating a recent report about a homeless pregnant dog that was reportedly hit hard with a wooden stick in Barangay Tangub.

The CVO met with the barangay council led by Captain Noli Villarosa on Saturday, August 15, to establish the facts and call the attention of the of the person allegedly involved in the incident.

Based on a social media post of animal welfare group Bach Project PH, they received a report several hours after the alleged abuse happened on the dog named "Latlat," prompting them to rescue the animal and bring her to Juan Veterinarian - Bacolod for emergency veterinary care.

The group said that a video capturing the incident was sent to them.

The group said that Latlat was sleeping under a car when a man approached her and allegedly hit her with a 2x2 piece of wood. "She wasn’t chasing anyone. She wasn’t bothering anyone. She was simply sleeping peacefully. Pregnant and homeless," the group said.

Later, the group clarified that the dog which was reported to be initially hit by a wood, was actually hit by an alleged metal bar.

The examination showed just how badly she had been hurt, the group said, noting that her cornea was ruptured from the trauma, her cheekbone was fractured, and her leg was injured.

"Knowing this makes our hearts hurt even more. Imagine the force and pain of being struck with a metal bar while peacefully sleeping, pregnant, and completely defenseless," it said.

The group asked for prayers for Latlat and her unborn puppies as she has already been through more than enough.

They assured to make the animal and her unborn puppies survive, as they called on donations for her emergency treatment, diagnostics, medications, confinement, and whatever procedures may be necessary.

The group shared that Latlat's owner passed away and she was left homeless, learning to survive on the streets and depending on kind people for food, sleeping wherever she could find a little shelter and feel safe enough to close her eyes.

"Now she wasn’t only surviving for herself. She was carrying little lives inside her," the group said.

The CVO firmly emphasized that violence against animals will not be tolerated.

Regardless of whether the dog is owned or stray, the CVO stressed that this is never an excuse to hurt, abuse, or deliberately inflict harm on an animal.

The office continues to encourage the public to report incidents of animal cruelty through the proper authorities and allow the appropriate offices to investigate and take necessary action.

"Animals deserve humane and responsible treatment—owned or stray, every time," the CVO said.

Early this month, a dog went viral after he was hit by a dart arrow in Barangay 8 here. The group also rescued the animal, which is now under treatment in a veterinary clinic.

This recent incident happened a year after two dart arrow attacks on dogs were also reported in Murcia, Negros Occidental.