Concerns about the 200 Shih Tzu dogs of the P-pop girl group 4th Impact were raised following reports of their move to the United States in hopes of making it big globally.
A columnist recently featured the sibling group, reporting that they were in New York City last June 2 for the annual Philippine Independence Day celebration in the area.
The feature said that 4th Impact relocated from Isabela to the US to showcase their talent and determination to break into the American music market.
It added that the girl group is now based in California, a state with a large Filipino community.
A Facebook post of the girl group reveals they have a one-year working visa in the US.
“Their move to the US was motivated by their mantra to ‘DREAM BIG,'” the feature from Inquirer.net said.
“‘Being here in the US is a huge risk and a big leap for our career,’ they admit. They hope to raise the flag for Filipinos in the global music scene and appreciate the support of the Filipino American community,” the report added.
“We dream of having a successful sold-out world tour, winning the biggest awards like the Grammy and Billboard Music Awards, headlining major festivals, and selling millions of platinum albums,” the girl group was quoted as saying.
The feature also said that 4th Impact aspires to be the first Filipinas to perform at the Super Bowl, the annual league championship game of the US National Football League in which halftime shows feature performances from big artists.
The latest report about the girl group caused some concerned Filipinos to express their thoughts about the 200 dogs the siblings own.
“And the dogs? What happened to the dogs?” an online user commented.
“Throwback muna tayo. Musta na kayo ang mga aso nila??? Sino na mag-aalaga? Or meron na ba?” another x user wrote, sharing a screengrab of the group’s fundraising page for their dogs prior to its removal before.
“Binitbit ba nila ‘yung 200+ dogs nila papuntang US o iniwan at pababayaan lang nila?” wondered another Pinoy.
“Bibitbitin ba nila ang 200 plus dogs nila [doon]?” a different online user asked.
The comments referred to 4th Impact’s now-deleted fundraising page, launched last February, wherein they called for donations to support the “safe and expansive” farm of their 200 Shih Tzu dogs.
The group said they had thought of building such a facility following the noise complaints of their neighbors.
According to them, they planned to “temporarily separate” the male dogs from their house and place them in a “dream land” where the canines could “live out their days in happiness and freedom.”
RELATED: PAWS takes swipe at ‘irresponsible pet owners’ amid 4th Impact dog fundraising | 4th Impact’s Almira says donations for dog fundraising already ‘refunded’
The move failed to impress Filipinos who called them out for letting the dogs reproduce at such a rate. Among those who criticized them were the Philippine Animal Welfare Society and veterinarian Gab Almera.
4th Impact later said that they had refunded the donors following the backlash and vowed to “work harder” for their dogs instead.
“It’s not gonna be easy, but I know we will get there! We are not famous and we are aware of that, but that doesn’t mean we have no right to try to reach for our goals and dreams. LET’S NOT USE SOCIAL MEDIA TO SPREAD HATE!” Almira Cercado, the eldest member, said before.
The girl group said it started when their fans gifted them five Shih Tzus.
“Over time, our passion for these furry companions led to unexpected blessings, but also unexpected challenges,” they said before.
4th Impact gained popularity in 2015 after competing in the British singing contest “The X Factor.”
