With the growing concern over the abuse and discrimination against Aspin dogs, it’s important to remember that the first miracle of Our Lady of Peñafrancia involved a native dog. INA was the first to recognize the value of a native dog’s life, and I believe this makes her a symbolic patroness of Aspin dogs. I can also call that dog as AsPeñ-afrancia.In 1710, when a Spanish friar commissioned a wooden statue of Our Lady for the cimarrones, an artisan carved it from a santol tree. To paint the statue, the blood of a dog was used, and afterward, the dog’s body was thrown into the nearby Naga River.Remarkably, the dog came back to life and swam to shore, shocking witnesses who had doubted the friar’s words about a miracle. This event, witnessed by many, including priests, was seen as the first miracle of Our Lady of Peñafrancia. News of the resurrected dog spread quickly, marking the beginning of widespread devotion to her, as people believed her intercession brought miraculous events.
