Filipino girl group 4th Impact earned netizens’ ire after creating a GoFundMe page that aimed to build a farm for their 200 inbreed Shih Tzus.
The page was posted on February 23 after the eldest sibling Elvira sought the public’s help in supporting their journey of giving their dogs a home.
According to the website, Elvira shared that they initially had five Shih Tzus gifted by their fans, but caring for them led to a share of setbacks as the number of dogs increased.
“But as our family of dogs multiplied, so did the need for space and resources. Last year, while chasing our dreams in LA, we faced a difficult reality. Our neighbours (sic) raised concerns about the noise, prompting us to make the heart-breaking decision to temporarily separate some of our dogs, particularly the males, from our home,” she wrote.
Elvira noted their dream of providing an expansive farm for their furry companions, where they can “run, play, and thrive together.”
“That’s why we’re reaching out to you today. We dream of providing our furry friends with a safe and expansive farm where they can live out their days in happiness and freedom. It’s a dream born from our deepest love and dedication to these animals who have brought us so much joy,” she added.
It was stated on the GoFundMe page that 4th Impact is aiming for $10,000 (P560,160) to build a “dreamland” for their dogs. The group has raised $825 (P46,209) as of writing.
Meanwhile, Doc Gab, a veterinarian and social media personality, took to Instagram his worries regarding the situation of 4th Impact’s dogs and urged netizens to stop supporting “backyard breeding and inbreeding.”
“Ang pagpaparami ng mga alagang hayop through ‘mating’ sa sariling bahay na walang kaukulang permit ay tinatawag na ‘backyard breeding’ at ito po ay illegal. Lalo na kung ang mga ito ay ibinebenta o pinagkakakitaan,” he wrote.
“Ang ‘inbreeding’ naman ay ang pagtatalik ng magkapatid o anak at magulang na hayop. Ito ay nagreresulta sa mas mahinang mga anak na kadalasan ay maraming sakit at komplikasyon,” he continued.
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Doc Gab raised the concern due to the rampant issue of stray population and animal welfare abuses, and called for a halt to practices like “backyard breeding” and “inbreeding.”
“Sa laki ng problema natin sa animal/stray population at animal welfare abuses, ‘wag na sana tayong dumagdag pa. Ipakapon ang mga alaga kung hindi kayang kontrolin ang kanilang pagdami,” he said.
“Hindi na ito pagmamahal kung sarili lamang natin ang ating iisipin at hindi ang kanilang pangmatagalan na kapakanan,” he added.
