Pinoys now treating their pets better

MANILA, Philippines – Filipinos are treating their pets better now compared to previous years, an animal welfare rights activist said during the celebration of World Homeless Animal Day yesterday.

Luis Buenaflor Jr., external affairs officer of the Animal Kingdom Foundation Inc. (AKFI), said that “animal welfare awareness in the country is better than 10 years ago because there are now several animal welfare groups” supporting animal welfare programs.

These groups, he explained, offer free vaccination, rescue dogs from the meat trade, and engage in information drives on animal care.

Lovepets.com is also active in promoting care for pets through the Internet.

Various animal welfare rights groups have also pushed for the passage of Republic Act 9482 or the Anti-Rabies Law and taken part in the technical working group that drafted the implementing rules and regulations of the Act last year.

Yesterday, the Compassion and Responsibility for Animals (CARA), AKFI, Lovepets.com, and other pro-animal welfare rights groups vaccinate dogs and cats in Barangay 43, Zone 3, District 1, under barangay chairman Edwin Padasas, in Tondo Manila.

Albie Sia, CARA media coordinator, said, “Our activity is in line with the international celebration of the World Homeless Animal Day wherein we selected a depressed area like Tondo, believed to be one of the places where we would find the most abused and most neglected animals.”

Sia said close to 400 pets, of which 90 percent were dogs and 10 percent cats, were vaccinated.

Some of the pets brought to the basketball court on Kagitingan street in Moriones, Tondo were also groomed.

Sia said there were also cases where the collar was so tight that it irritated the dog’s neck.

“The space between the collar to the dog’s skin should be at least two fingers,” Sia added. A stick used by a girl to discipline her dog was also confiscated.

Animal welfare groups also gave away soap to treat mange or galis, collars, leashes, dog and cat food, and free consultation from four veterinarians.

They also reminded dog owners that their newly vaccinated pets should not be roughly handled and bathed within seven days.

He said they would have a follow-up free vaccination on Oct. 5, the celebration of the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, at the Malate Catholic Church.

Joey Tiosayco of Lovepets.com noted that Filipinos treat their pets differently.

“But generally, we have seen that those who live in communities, such as Tondo, love their dogs more than those who reside in posh villages. In some cases, Pinoys treat their dogs the same way they treat their children,” he said.

Rich dog owners, who have busy schedules, often delegate the handling of their pets and their children to their maids, while those who have daily financial issues are more “hands-on” when taking care of their families and house pets.

The Animal Welfare Coalition (AWC) has also started gathering one million signatures to support the Universal Declaration on Animal Welfare (UDAW) that seeks better treatment of animals not only in the Philippines but also around the world.

AWKI’s Buenaflor said that with these signatures, “we intend to pressure the government to vote for the UDAW in the United Nations.”

The UDAW serves as an agreement among nations and recognizes that “animals are sentient and can suffer.”

The group also pushes for respect for animal welfare needs and an end to animal cruelty.

AWC members have so far gathered 50,000 signatures and have been going to schools and pet fora to lobby for animal rights.