A dog was beaten to death in Mandaue City.

The dog’s owner, in pursuit of justice, filed a complaint at Canduman Barangay Hall against the culprit, and is keen on pursuing a case against him for animal cruelty. 

Cooper, a Labrador Retriever, went out of the house unnoticed morning on Thursday [January 15, 2026] after the chain that held the dog broke off. 

Cooper went astray and reached a stall in Barangay Canduman. The dog reportedly went sniffing a box that annoyed the dried fish vendor.

The vendor reportedly bashed the dog repeatedly using a piece of wood. 

In a meeting at the barangay hall on Wednesday, January 21, the vendor appeared and apologized to Cooper's owner. 

“Ang owner mo-file gyud sila og case, even og nangayo na’g pasaylo ang gapatay. Pero kahibawo man ta dog lover man to sila…pero ang akusado nangayo gyud og pasaylo, in fact nihilak gali to sa barangay,” Canduman Barangay Chairman Dante Borbajo said.

The owner of the dog declined an interview, but provided GMA Regional TV Balitang Bisdak details and videos of Cooper and information on the incident.

The actual beating was not caught on CCTV. However, in another video, the dog was seen by the roadside prior to the incident.

The news team is yet to get the side of the suspect in the incident.

"Mao to iyang gipusposan largo, naa kunoy nag-ingon nga patya na kay irong buang na, iyang gitiwasan. Mao nay inisyal nga nakuha nato based sa istorya sa mga tawo,” Borbajo added.

The owner pointed out that Cooper was not an aggressive dog, and was nurtured appropriately, citing that Labrador Retrievers are known as excellent family companions.

The owner said the incident has upset her. She said she was not able to help Cooper as she was on duty when the incident happened.

A hearing is set at the Canduman Barangay Hall on Friday, January 23, for both parties to attend.

Borbajo added that should reaching an amicable settlement fail, they will issue a Certificate to File Action for the dog owner to pursue a case against the suspect.

The news team sought a record at Police Station 6 on the incident, but it was not on blotter yet as the complainant was referred to the barangay hall first.