HELL hath no fury like a furmama scorned. More specifically, if you are the loving owner of a much-maligned, often marginalized and maltreated “asong Pinoy,” then any sign of judgment makes you defensive. Throw in some clear signs of random discrimination, and it’s war.
In a post from last Sept. 8, Lara Antonio, a 32-year-old marketing services manager for a video game publisher, went to the Tagaytay restaurant Balay Dako with her family and asPin Yoda, who had actually been welcomed at the establishment before. Her now viral post particularly highlighted how management seemed to decide on the spot, after finding out how much her dog weighed, that Yoda was too big. Plus, they were unable to produce any documentation or guidelines from their website or Facebook page on such rules after Lara demanded them, after brazenly lying that they were there. “She scrolls ALL THE WAY BACK TO 2023 and all she can show me are photos of dogs that are allowed and GUESS WHAT, A GOLDEN RETRIEVER BIGGER THAN YODA IS IN THE PHOTO,” Lara wrote. “She makes the freaking mistake of telling me na the only dogs allowed are ‘shit tzus, labradors…’ and she’s trying to show me this picture as proof.” (Wow, this manager on duty last Sept. 8 was so not up to the job.)
Then her post EXPLODED. As the owner of three asPins, I was among those absolutely incensed. There were statements from the Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS), Compassion and Responsibility for Animals (CARA), and worse, dozens of comments from people whose own animals had been denied entry. “It’s the stigma that they’re from ‘the streets,’” Lara told me in an email interview. “The assumption is that they have rabies, they’re dangerous, they’re carrying some sort of infectious disease. Dogs are living in a human world—they have no choice what they’re born into. My partner put it best: It’s our responsibility as their guardians to guide them through the human world. So it sucks a lot when people like us who are merely sharing this planet with them think we know better. Dogs have to suffer from our prejudices…The least that we can do is educate ourselves; if we can’t, then just don’t harm them. Live and let live.”
Then, Balay Dako, which has always claimed to be “pet-friendly,” made the mistake of issuing what appeared to be an AI-generated apology with no reference to Lara or Yoda, and no concrete resolutions other than they are “currently reviewing our policy” and will take steps “to ensure that our staff are better trained.” In other words, they will wait for this brouhaha to blow over. I happen to believe that people will still keep eating there, and that the asPin market’s boycott will not make a dent in the income of this successful chain. Still, I’m glad that at least one institution was unmasked for what it really is.
In a post from last Sept. 8, Lara Antonio, a 32-year-old marketing services manager for a video game publisher, went to the Tagaytay restaurant Balay Dako with her family and asPin Yoda, who had actually been welcomed at the establishment before. Her now viral post particularly highlighted how management seemed to decide on the spot, after finding out how much her dog weighed, that Yoda was too big. Plus, they were unable to produce any documentation or guidelines from their website or Facebook page on such rules after Lara demanded them, after brazenly lying that they were there. “She scrolls ALL THE WAY BACK TO 2023 and all she can show me are photos of dogs that are allowed and GUESS WHAT, A GOLDEN RETRIEVER BIGGER THAN YODA IS IN THE PHOTO,” Lara wrote. “She makes the freaking mistake of telling me na the only dogs allowed are ‘shit tzus, labradors…’ and she’s trying to show me this picture as proof.” (Wow, this manager on duty last Sept. 8 was so not up to the job.)
Then her post EXPLODED. As the owner of three asPins, I was among those absolutely incensed. There were statements from the Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS), Compassion and Responsibility for Animals (CARA), and worse, dozens of comments from people whose own animals had been denied entry. “It’s the stigma that they’re from ‘the streets,’ Lara told me in an email interview. “The assumption is that they have rabies, they’re dangerous, they’re carrying some sort of infectious disease. Dogs are living in a human world—they have no choice what they’re born into. My partner put it best: It’s our responsibility as their guardians to guide them through the human world. So it sucks a lot when people like us who are merely sharing this planet with them think we know better. Dogs have to suffer from our prejudices…The least that we can do is educate ourselves; if we can’t, then just don’t harm them. Live and let live.”
Then, Balay Dako, which has always claimed to be “pet-friendly,” made the mistake of issuing what appeared to be an AI-generated apology with no reference to Lara or Yoda, and no concrete resolutions other than they are “currently reviewing our policy” and will take steps “to ensure that our staff are better trained.” In other words, they will wait for this brouhaha to blow over. I happen to believe that people will still keep eating there, and that the asPin market’s boycott will not make a dent in the income of this successful chain. Still, I’m glad that at least one institution was unmasked for what it really is.
“So many people have that shared kinship of companionship, love of their pets,” says Lara of the overwhelming response.” And I guess it also struck a more important chord: discrimination. This is a universal problem, especially here in the Philippines where classism exists. Some people are treated differently kasi mas mababa ang tingin sa kanila and unfortunately, it’s a similar experience with dogs, with asPins.”
The situation becomes more justified when learning about Lara and Yoda’s story. While she’s had dogs all her life, she actually found Yoda as a stray in a gas station near her former office, and took her home “She’s my first rescue, and her love is actually what made me so much more active with animal welfare groups. She has taught me so much about life and love. And for her whole life, and for the rest of her life, she has only known love and will only know love.
“Aspins are as intelligent, as capable, as loving, loyal, and behavedas any other breed. It’s not the dog. It’s not the breed. It’s really their upbringing and training.”
PAWS has even come up with a spot-on hashtag: “NoToFakePetFriendly.” Indeed, nobody is asking Balay Dako to throw open its doors to pets; there are other places to eat. Pet owners are simply asking for clearer, less random, less idiotic guidelines so they know what to expect. May I add, asPin owners are asking establishments to stop exploiting this “pet-friendly” label as a marketing ploy; there are too many such places that will banner it, but with a host of limitations, from diapers and muzzles to size limitations. Fine, but that does NOT make you a blanket, pet-friendly place—and yes, there ARE places that open their doors to all. Lara shared examples of clearer guidelines from Binulo Capampangan Cuisine in Tagaytay and Cala Laiya Resort in Batangas—with the suggestion that they forget about listing breeds and just go by actual weight “so that it doesn’t come off as breed discrimination,” she says.
Asian Dragon is reprinting below Lara’s latest Facebook statement issued 10 Sept., with a lot of constructive comments and even a list of institutions worthy of help. All I can say is, more power, furmama!
Biggest lessons here: Don’t be fake pet-friendly; it’s all dogs or no dogs. And don’t ever piss off a furmama. – Alya B. Honasan
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The last 48 hours have been a crazy social media storm. I never expected Yoda to go viral but I am glad that this has raised awareness about how aspins are being seen and treated.
I wrote that post about that restaurant last Sunday out of frustration – out of anger, knowing in my heart that she was sent away because she’s an Aspin, using some arbitrary rule they couldn’t even defend. This is not my first rodeo. Yoda is my everywhere dog. We’ve experienced discrimination before, even when she was a puppy. So I am overprotective of her, yes. I can smell these things a mile away which is why I decided to go down and ask the manager and front of house to show me proof. Because I wasn’t satisfied with their response that “10-15kg dogs only allowed.” I check rules. I read websites. We bring our dogs everywhere so my family and I are trained to check these things beforehand. But this is the first time we were sent away, and God knows it took everything in me that day not to throw a fit and to try and just find the loopholes in their “10-15kg” rule. (Spoiler: I was shaking the whole time. Even when I trying to take the photos they were showing me and the name and number of the manager I spoke to, my hands were shaking)
Unfortunately, this may not be the first incident involving Balay Dako and Aspins. Many people have reached out to me on messenger and IG and though I am unable to reply to every single one, I spent all night reading and parsing through every single message. There were stories shared with me about families with Aspins being turned away from Balay Dako before – some of them even smaller than Yoda (making me doubt the 15kg rule even more). Some told me that when asked if pwede ba yung aso nila dun, the supposed response was “anong klase?” While more prominent, these stories were not isolated to aspins. There were messages about other “big” dogs too – it seems some Chow Chows have been let in, some have not. I admit, I don’t have first-hand knowledge of these actually happening. But I am grateful to those who shared their stories with me and hope that this sparks a conversation not only about how aspins are viewed, but also on establishments creating clearer and fair guidelines on their pet policies.
I’m not really sure what their rules are at this point, to be honest. Siguro depende nalang kung sinong in charge for that day. When I read their statement, I was disappointed, of course, that they did not even bother extending an apology, but not at all surprised and that’s the last I’ll say of it.
To other establishments who are pet friendly and do not discriminate, thank you. And if you are a pet-friendly establishment that can only accommodate small dogs, that’s okay. Our only request is to please put clear guidelines – the size, if they have to be in a stroller/carrier at all times. That’s okay, we’ll respect that and take our business where our dogs can be accommodated. I’m not asking for a seat at every single table. I don’t expect Yoda to join me at a fine dining restaurant or a buffet. I just want the peace of mind that when I do google “pet friendly” and a restaurant, establishment, cafe comes up, they really ARE pet friendly and not selective based on BREED OR AESTHETICS.
Lastly, now that we have your attention, here are some pet welfare organizations that Yoda, my dogs, and I support/are fans of (from afar):
– Hound Haven Philippines
– PAWSsion Project
– BARK Mission
– Lara’s Ark (no relation other than we’re fostering Dottie from them!)
– Dumaguete Animal Sanctuary
– Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS)
We’d love it if you can channel your attention towards these pet welfare groups too, if you don’t already do!
And yes, Yoda did have her favorite meal today 💕
P.S. Yoda does not have an IG account – please message me if you have seen anyone pretending to be her! More importantly, we are NOT soliciting money or donations via IG/social media
P.P.S. Yoda’s name is not short for Yolanda and yes, she’s a girl
