PARC your animals here

There are all sorts of parks. Parks full of trees, parks with playgrounds, parks with pools and then there’s PARC. The Philippine Animal Welfare (PAWS) Animal Rehabilitation Center in Marikina, that is. It is here where PAWS houses the animals that it rescues. "Most of the animals that we have here at PAWS were either abandoned or animals which we rescued from dangerous situations," Oscar Lei, who runs PARC, tells us during our recent visit.

PARC is not in the habit of picking up strays in the streets although they can do that if they receive reports of an animal in dire straits walking the streets. But Oscar stresses that the priority of PAWS volunteers is to rescue animals that have been abandoned by their humans.

And it is with great pride that Oscar talks about PARC, which has been around for a little over a year, but has yet to be formally inaugurated.

"We are waiting for next year before we do that. PAWS turns 50 next year and we want to celebrate that anniversary in a grand way," he adds.

Since PARC started its operations in July 2002, it has housed about 100 dogs and cats. "Most Filipinos still prefer to adopt a dog. Of the cats and kittens we have, only about 7 percent get adopted. For the dogs, it is a high 39 percent," shares Oscar.

And then there is Buck, a Great Dane whom many people come to see but has yet to be adopted. Oscar tells me that Buck is no longer up for adoption. He has been with PARC for about a year and no one who has come to see him and shown interest in adopting him has been able to meet the standards that PAWS has for its adopting humans. "And besides, Buck has become a major attraction for the kids who come here to check out the butterfly garden and visit PARC," says Oscar.

Yes, the butterfly garden. PARC has an agreement with the owners of the flower garden it shares its property with. Romeo and Juliet (the flower garden owned by Romeo and Juliet Santos) have been given the go signal by PARC to sell their plants in the compound of PAWS where they are staying for free.

In return, the Santos’ couple has to make sure that the premises of PARC are always clean and beautiful. And this is where the butterfly garden came in.

"It is actually the butterfly garden that the kids come to see. And then, since they are here, we welcome them into PARC as well," says Oscar. "There have been many students from schools in the area who have made field trips to the butterfly garden and PARC."

Oscar says that it is only through education that kids can learn to treat animals right – and he is grateful for the classes that come to visit.

When the kids do come, PAWS volunteers give lectures on kindness to animals. And after the lecture, the kids are introduced to the animals in the shelter.

Enter Buck.

"Do you know Scooby Doo?" is how PAWS volunteers introduce Buck to the kids. After all, any Scooby Doo lover knows that he is a Great Dane. "Even if Buck is such a large dog, he is very kind to the kids and they learn to love him. This is why we feel that it is better to keep Buck with us," explains Oscar.

At PARC, there’s a clinic where people who want to get their pets neutered or spayed can go for a low price. "I have noticed that more and more people have begun to see the importance of spaying and neutering their pets. By offering our services at a lower price, we hope to be able to curb the problem of overpopulation when it comes to animals," adds Oscar.

A tour of PARC is always an enriching experience. It is in a place like this where cats and dogs are friends. "We even have a dog who has ‘adopted’ the kittens who come to sleep with her," says a smiling Oscar.

There are all sorts of parks. And then there is PARC. And for me, it’s the best place to go. Take the kids, they could learn a lot about life – both human and animal.

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You can reach PARC at 475-1688, look for Oscar Lei.

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The pups of Greta and Yuri, my Miniature Schnauzers, turned two months on Nov. 27. Soon they will find their way to new homes, and I am not trying to think of that day since these cuties have become a part of our lives.

The first thing that I do when I get now home is to pass by the puppies and play with them. Since there are no kids in my home, they very much take the place of kids. I don’t think that there is a person in the world who can resist a cute puppy. For me they are the perfect cure for all my woes.

And like all puppies they like to bite anything they can get their little sharp teeth on, so what it they have started to chew on our precious couch? No one minds when they yap and yap because everyone at home is more than willing to pick them up and play with them, my mom included.

Matter of fact, my nieces and nephews have asked my Mom to make sure that the puppies do not leave our home until they are able to see them.

We have seen the puppies through their vaccinations, even if they still have one more due them. We have seen them grow from little black things to the Schnauzer-looking pups that they have become. We have seen them grow from pups that sleep the day away to pups that want nothing more than to be held and play in the garden.

It will be hard to part with these pups. There are still requests from the people at home that I keep one of the pups. I am still wondering whether that is a good thing to do.

I have raised many puppies and one of the things that I tried to do while raising them was to lessen their separation anxiety. Anyone who has raised a puppy or a dog or any pet for that matter knows that when they are left alone they experience separation anxiety, and that this is what many people blame for their destructive behavior.

But these past few days, I have been wondering if what I am going through is separation anxiety. It’s hard to imagine the house minus the pups, so maybe I am.