In one of its operations against the illegal dog traders north of the Philippines, AKF rescued a 3-month old dog from a slaughterhouse in Baguio City. Sweet, as he came to be called, is just among the thousands of dogs that ends up in one of the many illegal slaughterhouses in Baguio each week. He was found cowering in a corner of a very cramped cage along with several other dogs without food and water. Earlier, 40 other dogs were brutally slaughtered in front of him, their heads smashed with a wooden club. Perhaps, it was his soulful eyes that caught the attention of then AKF Director Charles Warternberg to bring him to the UK as his pet.
“It is likely that Sweet was more of a family pet who was either stolen or sold to the dog-meat traders as he was in fairly good physical condition when we rescued him”, Charles said. From Baguio, Sweet was immediately taken to a pet hospital in Makati where he was treated and recuperated for a month prior to his flight to London. At 12:35 P.M. on August 2, 2002, Sweet arrived at the Gatwick airport to begin his new life with Charles Wartenberg.
AKF’s dog, Sweet, is the UK’s Dog of the Year for 2004. The Dog of the year is an annual contest sponsored by Daily Mail Weekend Magazine where they search for the dog with the most unusual and memorable experience. Sweet was chosen among 8,000 entrants from all over the UK where he was awarded a silver trophy, a gold medallion, and a grand prize of £1,000.
