WHAT began as a father’s attempt to protect his daughter has escalated into a wider debate on animal welfare and public safety after he admitted to hurting a dog that chased his child inside their subdivision, where residents report repeated incidents involving aggressive stray dogs.
A viral video posted by Chierel Quirante, an independent animal rescuer and founder of South Stray Haven, on Dec. 11, 2025, shows a man repeatedly hitting a dog inside the subdivision in Barangay Babag, Lapu-Lapu City.
The video forwarded to Quirante has since garnered over 2,200 comments and 3,400 shares, with netizens raising concerns on animal welfare and safety.
Quirante, in a message to SunStar Cebu on Wednesday, Dec. 17, confirmed that the dog, identified as “Whitey,” had died due to head trauma. She said Whitey was already scheduled for rescue at the time of the beating.
“We will not tolerate such behavior, (especially) in broad daylight,” said Quirante.
“If they can do it in front of so many people, for sure they are capable of doing it to anyone,” she added.
Quirante said the dog was taken to the Department of Veterinary Medicine and Fisheries clinic after the incident and later to a private veterinary clinic, where it could not be confined after testing positive for distemper — a highly contagious viral disease.
In a separate interview, Babag Barangay Captain Eulogio Manayon said the 43-year-old father surrendered to him three days after the incident, explaining that he acted on emotion after his young daughter was chased by the dog.
Manayon said the father expressed willingness to cooperate with any further investigations.
Efforts to locate the child’s father were prompted by Basak Barangay Captain and Association of Barangay Councils President Jasmine Marie “Daday” Chan’s call to coordinate with authorities regarding the individual’s whereabouts.
Chan also reposted the video in her official Facebook page.
Trauma
The man came forward and told SunStar Cebu that the incident occurred around 8 a.m., when he saw his child being chased by Whitey as she was on her way to meet him.
He explained that he acted out of fear for his 12-year-old daughter, who had previously been attacked by a dog and experienced trauma.
He said his actions were not intentional but driven by paternal instinct, as his family even owns two dogs.
He expressed remorse for his actions and asked for forgiveness, acknowledging the incident caused distress, particularly to his child, who missed an exam due to the online backlash.
He added that the public only saw part of the incident and did not witness what led him to hit the dog. Stray dogs have long been a concern in the area.
But the girl’s father said it was only through comments on Chan’s post that his family realized their incident was not an isolated case as Whitey had attacked other residents in the past.
He said that so far, no one in the subdivision has claimed responsibility for Whitey. / DPC