Killua, a golden retriever, was found lifeless in a sack, according to his owner. Courtesy: Vina Rachelle

MANILA — The hashtag #JusticeForKillua dominated social media trends on Tuesday, as netizens and celebrities condemned the brutal killing of a golden retriever who was later found inside a sack by his owner in Bato, Camarines Sur.

Killua's owner Vina Rachelle said he was allegedly killed by a man who claimed that the golden retriever was aggressive. 

"Mahal na mahal ko yan. We found his lifeless body inside a sack," Vina Rachelle said on her Facebook account.

She said Killua accidentally went over their house's gate and was later found dead.

"For the information of everyone, hindi yan nakalabas kasi bukas ang gate. The gate was locked. tumaas siya tapos nahulog ata, we don't exactly know what happened. He was probably anxious and stressed, hindi siya sanay sa labas kasi sa loob lang yan ng bahay palagi. Kaya, no, hindi namin binuksan yung pinto kaya nakalabas," she said. 

(For the information of everyone, he did not go out because the gate was open. The gate was locked. He climbed up and he probably fell. We don't know exactly what happened. He was probably anxious and stressed. He's not used to the outdoors because he's always inside. So no, we did not open the door leading to his escape.)

Vina Rachelle added that even if Killua had bitten his alleged attacker, this was "not enough reason to kill my baby."  

CCTV footage showed Killua apparently trying to escape his killer.

Celebrities such as Sarah Geronimo called for justice for the furbaby.

"This news is extremely heartbreaking. Walang kalaban-laban 'yung aso. Katulad nating mga tao, nakakaramdam din sila ng takot at sakit. Every life deserves respect and protection. It's time to demand accountability and raise our voices against animal cruelty," Geronimo said. 

The hashtag #JusticeForKillua was the top Philippine trend on X, the former Twitter, with 32,000 posts as of around 5:30 p.m.

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