When Rizal fell down, the dog in the picture ran around Rizal’s body. It may be a playful bloodhound as the soldiers were rejoicing to the “La Marcha de Cadiz.” The Spaniards took this as a bad omen for the uprising; they were afraid as it might be the sign of a black cat. The cry for “Viva la Espania” would be short-lived.

Historians have no clue as to why there was a dog present or its significance. We have been fascinated by Rizal's allegorical storytelling, and I could not express a deeper meaning with justice to the poetic hero’s artistic ways.

As a young lad in Calamba, Rizal had a dog. You can see the statue of Jose and his dog in the family shrine.

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