Fil-Am honored for saving dog thrown by owner into a ravine

Krisanto Paragas receives his Courageous Citizens Award. FACEBOOK

LONG BEACH — The District Attorney’s office gave the Courageous Citizens Award to Filipino American Krisanto Paragas, 30, for saving a dog that was thrown into a 20-foot ravine its owner two years ago.

Paragas, who is with the US Coast Guard, received the award February 7 in Los Angeles together with four other individuals, who were also recognized for their respective acts of heroism, according to the news site BeyondDeadlines.com.

The Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care and Control (DACC) following the successful prosecution of the dog’s former owner for cruelty.

The female mixed breed pit bull, now called Hera, has been adopted by another Filipino American household, neighbors of Paragas. He would have adopted it but his family already has two dogs.

Hera had been hanging around Paragas’ backyard before the incident, which was witnessed by his father-in-law. The latter woke him up to report the incident.

Paragas rushed out of their house and climbed down the ravine and found the dog near the bottom of it. The dog was shaking in fear and was probably in great pain.

The man, who threw the dog and later identified as Adrian Spancky Raya, tried to get the animal back, but an enraged Paragas cursed at him and told him the police was coming. Raya left the scene. Paragas turned over footage from his home security camera to the authorities.

The Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care and Control (DACC) investigated the case and turned it over to the District Attorney’s office for prosecution. Raya was convicted of cruelty to an animal and sentenced to two years in a state prison.