8 auspicious pets in the year of the monkey

We had a chance to ask Agnes Chung who is into feng shui and defines it as living in harmony with nature, what are the best pets to get in this Year of the Monkey. It is good to start this Monkey Year (when the 20-year cycle goes from period seven to period eight) right. So, if you are thinking of getting a pet, Agnes suggests these eight animals that are sure to bring you luck and good fortune.

1) The Tortoise for longevity – The tortoise is the only one of the four celestial creatures that exists today. This terrapin is a reptile that can live in both water and land. Keeping a live tortoise in the home is said to ensure that the patriarch will live to a ripe old age. A tortoise inside an aquarium or as a display figurine in the home will attract lots of good health, prosperity and luck.

2) The Carp for abundance – The carp symbolizes abundance and wealth. Keep a carp in the pond in your garden or display one anywhere inside your home and you will enjoy an abundance of good fortune and prosperity.

3) The Guppies or Tetra for opportunity – These small fish are creatures with bright shining fins (male). They create good yang energy because they swim vigorously. Get a whole school of guppies as these active fish swim strongly-creating strong opportunity luck in your career.

4) The Gold Fish for activating good luck – a popular traditional way of activating luck inside the home is to keep some goldfish in an aquarium. Try to keep a total of nine goldfish, of which eight should be red or golden and one black.

5) The Flower Horn is the feng shui fish of the Period 8 – just as the Arowana was the feng shui fish for period 7 (which began in 1984 to February 4, 2004). It is said to bring its owner lots of prosperity luck and good fortune in everything ranging from wealth and fame to love and happiness. The Flower Horn’s most important distinguishing feature is its nuchal hump, which protrudes from its forehead. This is said to simulate a mountain. This fleshy hump combined with its muscular build contributes to its overall square profile.

6) The Cat for good fortune and protection – The cat is a symbol of mystical and religious significance. Because of its ability to survive disaster, the cat is often said to have nine lives – nine is a mystical number, which means trinity of trinities, and is associated with good luck. Some cats are even said to invite wealth. Cats also signify protection, especially white cats that symbolize the white Tiger.

7) The Dog for vibrant "yang" energy – These wonderful four-legged creatures give us ongoing unconditional love and create loving yang energy in our homes. The golden colored dogs are associated with abundance.

8) Cicada for good health and protection – if you’re lucky to find one, keep this as pet. The cicada is a most powerful symbol of immortality. It is also a symbol of happiness and youthfulness of appearance. Display the image of a cicada in the living room to protect the residents against danger, unfaithful friends and enemies.

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I had the chance to talk to Oscar Lei who is the boss at the Philippine Animal Welfare (PAWS) shelter in Quezon City and he was a bit bothered by what he heard over the radio on the morning of Jan. 16. Oscar says that he was on his way to work and was tuned in to the radio program of Korina Sanchez on DZMM when the topic turned to stray dogs in the city of Manila.

We are giving Oscar some space to allow him to share with us what PAWS has done for animal welfare in the country.

"I am reacting to that portion of the discussion Rep. Ted Failon had with Ms. Sanchez on the morning of Jan. 16 over DZMM. This is in connection with a report that dogs were going to be killed at the Manila Pound.

"First of all, it is not true that people in animal rights and welfare groups do nothing except howl. The volunteers of the Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) operate an animal shelter in Katipunan Valley, Loyola Heights, Quezon City. The place is called PARC or Paws Animal Rehabilitation Center. Don Manolo Lopez, who is known to love dogs and other animals, gave permission to PAWS to put up the shelter in one of MERALCO’s properties. 

"Almost on a daily basis, unwanted dogs and cats are abandoned with us. Sadly, many of these animals have to be put down (euthanized) as they are already in very serious condition which is often caused by the negligence and insensitivity of their owners. Our adoption program helps find homes for some of these dogs and cats (39 percent for dogs and 7.3 percent for cats). Before an animal is given up for adoption, s/he is neutered, vaccinated, de-wormed, and sometimes given basic training. Participating veterinary clinics also offer incentives to those who opt to adopt from PARC, rather than to buy pets.  

"Since the second half of 2003, PAWS has conducted humane education to hundreds of school children that visited our shelter on field trips.

"Our modest veterinary clinic has been neutering cats and dogs, both strays and pets, since the start of our operations. The low-cost neutering program is helping cut down the number of unwanted animals – this is an important component of our efforts to address the problem of strays in the cities. We also give out low-cost (sometimes free) veterinary services to pets belonging to those in the low-income sector, who otherwise cannot afford the high cost of veterinary treatments for their beloved dogs and cats.

"Our therapy dogs, through the Dr. Dog (animal assisted therapy / animal assisted activity) program, have visited The Philippine Children’s Medical Center, the Makati Cerebral Palsy Center, Tahanang Walang Hagdan, schools for autistic children, and even the Laverna Home for Aging Nuns. In all these visits, our dogs were there to give comfort and joy to the residents of these institutions.

"In the program, you also mentioned your misgivings about stray dogs defecating in public places. I sympathize with you fully on this — something has to be done. However, if you analyze the problems associated with stray dogs, you will see that the real cause of these are not the dogs, but the people. Those irresponsible dog owners who allow their pets to become a nuisance to the community. We have helped out by providing training and advice on how to improve ordinances intended for animal control.

"Usually the reason why most existing A/C ordinances do not solve the problem, and stray dogs continue to be a problem, is because these laws tend to be focused on the animals, instead of the one who are really at fault — the irresponsible owners.

Many cities in Metro Manila have adopted dog registration, something we have been urging for a long time now. In Marikina alone, as of last year, more than 13,000 dog owners registered their pets. The advantage of this ID system for dogs is that the animals can easily be traced to their owners. The owners are then given citation tickets for violating the law against letting their dogs stray. This system also reduces overcrowding of dogs in facilities (pounds).

"The Philippines is one of the countries with a high incidence of rabies. In a pamphlet produced by the DOH entitled ‘Facts You Must Know About Rabies’, dogs account for 98 percent of biting animals, while cats, 2 percent. But out of the 98 percent , 88 percent are pet dogs, and only 10 percent are strays."