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I’m sure I’m not the only one who gets excited seeing different posts and videos about animals on social media—from dogs clad in silly costumes to funny cat videos. Admittedly, my guilty pleasure is spending hours scrolling through dog videos and photos as I am a proud dog owner of a Shiranian. Even if I’m already living with five dogs, I still often find myself in constant awe at the different dog breeds I see online—from Corgis and Siberian Huskies, to Chow Chows and Akitas—it always amazes me how these dogs vary from each other in so many ways!
These dogs often draw people’s attention because of their breed. It’s not everyday we see large dogs like Great Danes and Golden Retrievers proudly walking around, nor meet posh Cocker Spaniels or Shih Tzus with soft, fluffy coats (not in my neighborhood at least). That’s why, when we do encounter these kinds of dog breeds in malls, parks and other public places, we get excited. Sometimes, we even go as much as asking the owners if we could snap a couple of photos and even pet them!
Photo from Pexels
However, there is a question looming at the back of my head that I also want to raise to the readers: do we share that same level of excitement and love towards the Philippine native dogs—aspins?
My family used to own several aspins in the past. Unfortunately, due to old age they have already passed away. Since I was only a child then, I don’t remember much about our pet aspins. But, I do remember them being affectionate and good guard dogs in the house.
Yet, a sad reality about aspins are they are often neglected and even discriminated against. Undeniably, there is a stigma being placed on aspins which has been going on for years. I have personally witnessed people violently driving these dogs away from their homes who were merely on the lookout for food or shelter, and even heard of stories of these breeds being made fun of, and abused out of boredom. Do they really deserve this kind of harsh treatment just because of their breed, or is there something more to it?
Photo from Cebu City Animal Care and Control
If we look at the history of these dogs, the term aspin is derived from two Filipino words, aso and Pinoy. In other words, they’re literally called Filipino Dogs; a breed that in more ways than one, represents our nationality. They’re small to medium-sized, with short or rough fur, longer snouts, and ordinary colors and coats. At first glance, they don’t really give a strong impression to people, which is partly a reason why they are looked down upon. They might not even be (or not at all) someone’s first option when getting a pet.
Much of the discrimination they face can be attributed to being strays. In fact, these dogs were once (even to this day) known as askals before being dubbed as aspins. Askal is a combination of the Filipino terms asong and kalye which when put together means “street dog.” Can this be the reason why there is a disparity between aspins and other dog breeds?
The thing is, there is no concrete answer to that. There are many factors that may influence how people perceive and treat aspins. It may be because society sees them as common or strays and therefore bear little significance, or it may be because they are treated as an inferior breed that pale in comparison to other dog breeds. The bottom line is, whatever justification one claims towards their harsh and discriminatory treatment towards aspins, it is simply unacceptable.
Photo from Unsplash
They may carry rabies? Just be cautious around strays. You don’t want them to keep coming back to your area so you refuse to give them food and water? Don’t throw water, slippers, or rocks at them to shoo them away. They’re just guard dogs that you do not see fit inside the house so you chain them outside? It was your choice to get a pet. You have the responsibility to check up on them and ensure they have enough food, water, and proper shelter. They are aggressive? Ever wondered why they turned out that way? You see, we spend much of our time and money pampering other dog breeds—regular grooming services, clothes, toys and treats—but when it comes to aspins, we give so little or none at all. It’s unfair that these dogs aren’t able to communicate for themselves, yet we judge and regard them with so much unwarranted discrimination.
Photo from Cebu City Animal Care and Control
Yet, despite all of the negative experiences that these aspins regularly face, there are also people who give so much love and care to these dogs despite their breed simply because they love all kinds of dogs. I have seen owners who spend a lot of time with their aspins, making sure they are bathed regularly and given more than enough food and water. My family also makes it a point to give what leftover food we can to stray dogs we encounter in malls and other places. Not only this, I have also seen aspins casually lounging outside establishments whom the employees have come to consider to be their pet as well.
Even social media influencer and Filipina actress, Heart Evangelista’s pet aspin is probably fancier than any of us! I never thought a dog could pull off a several thousand-peso worth of Hermes scarf that is fashioned as a collar, but her pet, Panda, nailed the look. What’s more, Heart actually adopted Panda!
At the end of the day, no matter what the dog’s breed is, they deserve our tender love and care. Although different pet owners show different ways of caring for their pets, it’s always best to remind ourselves (including me as a pet owner) that we should treat our dogs like family, including aspins. The reality is, your dogs spend their entire lives only knowing you as their caretaker, so the best that we can do for them in return is by showing them how much they mean to us. It doesn’t mean we need to pamper them with expensive treats, but by simply spending time with them, playing with them, feeding and providing them shelter, and letting them feel like a member of the family are more than enough for their canine heart.
Photo from Pexels
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