There is no human I know who does not love having his or her pet companion photographed. As a matter of fact, I have encountered many pet owners who would much rather have their animal companions photographed than be in the picture themselves. When it comes to our pet babies, we are all stage parents.
And so it was when the Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) held its last fundraising event for 2008, Pose for PAWS, at Bonifacio High Street recently.
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After 45 minutes of brushing Charming and ironing her hair, Rose Pinero finally announced that Charming was ready for her pictorial. A group of people gathered to watch as Charming took her position in front of the backdrop.
“I have a lot of photos of Charming sitting down, so I prefer a photo of her on all fours,” Rose whispered to the photographer. Charming is a Yorkshire Terrier. Against the whimsical red Christmas backdrop, she looked picture-perfect for a Hallmark card.
Rose was one of the many stage moms who took their furry babies to the Christmas photo shoot at Bonifacio High Street over the holidays.
The P500 fee collected per dog by professional photographers Franz Morales and Jason Penaloza, who volunteered their services to raise funds for the organization’s animal shelter, was donated to PAWS. The donations will go a long way in helping with the upkeep of 150 animals in PAWS’s shelter.
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It was a fun day as dogs dressed in Santa outfits lined up to get their photos taken. Among them was shelter puppy Germaine, who was brought by the PAWS Adoption Team. “This is his first day out of the shelter so he is very excited,” said PAWS adoption head Liza Umayam.
Germaine, who was rescued by the side of the road in Marikina two months ago, posed gamely with a Pomeranian and some Mini Schnauzers.
TV-5 host and PAWS celebrity volunteer Ariana Barouk fawned over the puppy and took Germaine for a walk around High Street.
Other celebrities spotted at the event were actress Alma Concepcion with her Shih Tzu Anno, model and actress January Isaac, and QTV’s Hillary Isaac with their Golden Retrievers Sage and Tanya.
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And, no matter the hassle of having to take the loved pet companion out during the shopping holidays, humans were more than willing to do it.
”It was super tiring to drag Malone out for the photo shoot,” said Sharon Say about her English Bulldog. “But now he has a portrait just like his brothers, Cocoa (a Spitz) and Boozer (a Pug), so it was all worth it.”
Pose for PAWS was one of the events at Bonifacio High Street’s Passion for Christmas. It was made possible with the support of Hobbes & Landes, Frontline Plus, Krispy Kreme and The Philippine STAR Pet Life Section. — Kathy Moran