When I received an email about this, I spent a lot of time googling the artist and the exhibition. Vargas has repeatedly contradicted himself and at least one time said "The dog was going to die anyway".
He has stated his purpose was to call attention to starving dogs, then to contrast concern with a dog with concern with lack of concern for starving children, then to protest wild dog attacks, then...
The museum too has changed its story from the dog got away to the dog died to we let the dog go.
My comment on the petition was "How about we tie him up and let him starve so we can all relate to the fate of the starving artist."