TW: animal abuse, vulgarity, mention of dog meat

Every living thing matters, regardless of the type it is. There is nothing above anyone. People, animals, and even nature itself matter equally. They make the ecosystem complete; without the others, it becomes unstable. 

I blinked twice when I saw my tiny little paws covered with dirt. The white fur instantly turned dark brown due to the mud. Oh no, Mommy’s gonna be mad!

I tried running and running, wishing for the dirt to come off, but it only made me dirtier! I’m doomed! 

As a last resort, I turned over to Mommy’s neatly washed sheets. Maybe I could wipe off my dirty paws there? I hope mommy won’t mind…

With a smug expression on my face, I laid my back on the ruined sheets. Hehe! At last, mommy won’t notice that I played outside. She’ll think the sheets dirtied themselves and not me! You’re really smart, Bingo! You deserve tons of treats and back scratches.

It didn’t take long for me to hear the creaking of the door. Mommy’s here, mommy’s here! The anticipation I was feeling was immaculate. I began running and jumping around, excited to see my human—my best friend. She has always been there for me ever since I was born. Each first I had was spent with her; I can never imagine living without her. She gives me treats whenever I do tricks for her, and she gives me back scratches when I lay down beside her. She is the best human in the world!

The door swung open and instead of seeing her bright smile, all I saw was a figure of an unknown man. Is this mommy’s friend? I barked to get his attention, wishing he’d tell me where Mommy is. But instead of looking at me, he started rummaging through the drawers in the house. I followed what he was doing because he’s creating a mess! Mommy won’t like it; the house felt like it had been turned upside down. I tried nudging him, biting his trousers but he wouldn't budge. I barked and growled. Who even is this man? 

After all the drawers had been checked, the unknown man suddenly turned to me. Oh, that’s why I can’t see his face; he has this black cloth covering his face! Silly, Bingo. Are we gonna play hide and seek? I wagged my tail, in the hopes of playing. I’ve been trying to get his attention but he doesn’t seem to mind my presence. Maybe because I am still small? But mommy said I am a cute-sized dog. Hmp! 

“Ang kulit mo rin eh, ‘no!” the man’s voice thundered with control.

I immediately turned my head to the side, trying to decipher the words he was saying. What did he say? 

“Hayop ka. Mahal ka ba? Bebenta na lang kita, sakto uso ngayon ‘yung laman loob niyo,” the man said, slowly grabbing my face.

I whimpered in agony. His grip was tight. Mommy, where are you? My eyes were starting to get blurry in pain.

“Ang dumi mo! Lintik, mababawasan pa yata ang value mo. Kakalbuhin na lang kita pag-uwi ko…” 

Finally, his grip on me started to loosen but that was short-lived. I felt something choking my neck—it wasn’t a leash like I am used to. It’s a rope. Are we gonna go outside? But… What about mommy? Are we going to fetch her? Fetch… Mommy! 

In less than a few minutes, I was already getting dragged outside by an unknown man. He never took off the cloth that was covering his face. It feels weird; are we going to a costume contest? 

Last year, on Halloween, Mommy took me to costume contests! There are plenty of dogs—like me—who are wearing fancy and some creepy costumes. She would always make me wear a pumpkin costume; sometimes I would be dressed like a cowboy. I think… If I remember correctly, we were cosplaying Woody and Jessie in Toy Story. It was her favorite. She often cries when we are watching it. I love snuggling her every time she’s crying! 

My thoughts were interrupted when I felt my body hitting the ground. The impact was so bad, I could feel my ribs breaking. I hit a concrete floor. I whined in pain. What did I do? Mommy always laid me down softly; she tucked me down in bed beside her too. She hates it when I get hurt or when I get sick…

“Hoy, pare, tingnan mo ang dala kong sosyal. Kulot-kulot ‘yung buhok e, tapos puting-puti rin ang kulay, kaso marumi. Tingin mo, mahal kaya ‘to ibenta?” the man shouted.

Despite the ache I am feeling, I tried sitting down. I could feel my legs wobbling and shaking. My body hurts. I don’t know what’s going on. 

“Oo, tol. Kanina nga may nabenta kami, askal e. Buti may nahuli kami ni Jojo kaninang hapon. In demand ang mga laman ng mga aso ngayon.” I heard another man say.

I looked up to see what they were talking about. I couldn’t understand. There, I saw the man with a similar build who took me—they were both thin; one had red eyes and the other had a mustache. The one with a mustache was carrying the black cloth.

“Kalbuhin ko na, ‘no? Ta’s katayin para mabenta na.” the one who took me replied.

I saw the one who had red eyes nod. He stuck both of his thumbs up. I wonder where mommy is? I hope she’ll come here soon; I really miss her.

I was taken aback when I saw a blade coming near me. Are they going to cut my fur? But why… Mommy always brings me to a vet whenever I start having long hair, but I just got groomed last month. I turned my head sideways and howled, hoping they’ll understand me.

“‘Wag kang maingay!” the man who took me shouted. 

He forcefully grabbed my head and slashed my fur. I tried wiggling my body to get out of his grip, but it only tightened—due to my restless attempt to get out, the blade was also starting to slash my skin. It hurts. I winced in pain when I felt the blade poking my skin. 

Mommy, please help. It hurts, Mommy. 

I growled when I sensed the blade piercing through me. It isn’t just slashing me; it’s pricking inside of me. Mommy? Please! Help! It hurts so bad.

The pain was excruciating. My body was numbing from the pain; I could feel every prick, stab, and slash. It wasn’t just my fur getting removed; it was my skin itself. 

“Siraulo ka, tol! Imbis na yung machine kumatay, ikaw na gumagawa e!” the other man butted in, ending it with a loud laugh.

“Pake mo ba? Para mapabilis na. Tingnan mo nga, ang tapang ng aso—buhay pa kahit naghihingalo na,” the man who took me replied, laughing as well. 

I couldn’t hear what they were saying anymore. My body began to separate itself; I was no longer functioning as one. Every part of me was getting torn apart. I could no longer feel my legs. My eyes swelled up with tears. I felt a lone tear escape from my eyes as I released a whimpered growl.

Mommy, I’m sorry. I can’t come back home to you; I won’t ever see you again. There are bad people here, Mommy. I thought everyone was pure like you, but they aren’t. I’ll forever wish I saw you one last time before I got taken by a bad guy.

“Who’s a good boy? My Bingo’s a good boy!” 

“Bingo, sit. Good job! Bingo, give me your paw. Great job, Bingo! Next time, you’ll be able to navigate the house with ease because you’re excellent, my love!”

“Bingo! Come here, baby. It’s time to eat!” 

“Bingo, baby, mommy’s home…” 

Mommy’s voice echoed throughout my head when I took my final breath.

A little kindness is what everyone needs, but somehow at some point, it has slipped from people's values. It has become a widespread crisis nowadays to hurt animals. But it shouldn’t be like that. People have fallen back beyond humanity. People who prey on animals are worse than animals themselves. They are wolves that are clothed, with animalistic urges that cannot be shaken. Some animals are unable to fight the battle they are not spared from, with no idea what to do—they are forced to suffer at the hands of those who are merciless.