A weekend of blessings

I  finally made it home last Sunday, Sept. 28. I got home from the airport with barely enough time to say hi to my mom and my two other canine companions, Mini Schnauzer Nik and Toy Poodle Gorby, as I rushed to the place where I had been keeping Tasha, my female Toy Poodle who gave birth when I was away.

I couldn’t wait to see the pups — and Tasha, too, of course.

I took Tasha and her litter of five (three male and two female) pups home where they are now residents of my room. Tasha is the type of mom who likes to hover over her little ones, making sure that there are always five of them.

Not having been a mom myself (except to dogs, of course), I am amazed at just how possessive Tasha is of her litter. Although she does allow those of us who live with her to take the pups when we need to feed them, she is always standing close by, making sure we return the pups safe and sound as soon as we can.

Ah, the joys of doggie motherhood!

I have learned to wake up in the wee hours of the morning to bottle-feed the pups, as Tasha does not have enough milk to feed them. It has been a learning experience for me.

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This weekend promises to be one of many blessings — pet blessings, that is. The feast of St. Francis, of Assisi is on Oct. 4. St. Francis, as any pet lover knows, is the patron saint of all pet lovers and their pets, too.

There are many stories about St. Francis that talk about his love for animals. But one of my favorites is an incident that shows just how humble St. Francis was. The story goes like this:

One day, while Francis was traveling with some friends, they came to a place that had birds on either side of the road, filling up the trees. Legend has it that Francis told his companions to wait for him as he wanted to go talk to the birds. The birds surrounded him, drawn by the power of his voice, and not one of them flew away.

It is said that St. Francis said this to the birds:

“My sister birds, you owe much to God, and you must always and in every place give praise to Him; for He has given you freedom to wing through the sky and He has clothed you… you neither sow nor reap, and God feeds you and gives you rivers and fountains for your thirst, and mountains and valleys for shelter, and tall trees for your nests. And although you neither know how to spin nor weave, God dresses you and your children, for the Creator loves you greatly and He blesses you abundantly. Therefore… always seek to praise God.”

* * *

Another story has it that in the city of Gubbio in Italy where Francis lived there was a wolf that was terrifying and ferocious, and devoured people and animals that crossed its path.

Francis went up into the hills to find the wolf. When he found it, he made the sign of the cross and commanded the wolf to come to him and hurt no one. Miraculously the wolf closed his jaws and lay down at the feet of St. Francis. “Brother Wolf, you do much harm in these parts and have done great evil,” said Francis. “All these people accuse you and curse you… But brother wolf, I would like to make peace between you and the people.” Then Francis led the wolf into the town and, surrounded by startled citizens, made a pact between them and the wolf. Because the wolf had “done evil out of hunger,” the townsfolk were to feed the wolf regularly, and in return, the wolf would no longer prey upon them or their flock.

The story goes that at in end, the townsfolk and the wolf became friends.

* * *

Here in the Philippines, The Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) will host two pet blessings, both to be held in pet- friendly establishments.

Today, starting at 6 p.m. at the Bonifacio High Street open park area, there will be a Mass. The Mass will be highlighted by a blessing of the animals. The humans present will also be asked to make a commitment to continue to treat their pet companions and all other animals, too, with kindness.

Bonifacio High Street is one place where kindness to animals, dogs in particular, is readily evident. Weekends at Bonifacio High Street are truly a family affair with dads, moms, kids and dogs all together enjoying a weekend stroll. Let’s continue to pray to St. Francis that all pet lovers who take their pets to Bonifacio High Street will continue to be responsible pet owners so that the place will forever be pet-friendly.

The sponsors of the pet blessing today are Bonifacio High Street, Frontline, Krispy Kreme and the Philippine STAR Petlife section.

* * *

The second blessing of PAWS will be held at Eastwood City tomorrow, Oct. 5 at 5 p.m. Guardians and pets attending the Eastwood City Mass for the animals will get a chance to join the procession with a life-sized statue of St. Francis around the venue. Dr. Dogs of PAWS will make a special appearance during the Mass as they will be assigned to collect the offering. 

The PAWS animal blessing is sponsored by Frontline Plus, Krispy Kreme, Bayopet, Shopaholic Pooch.com and the Philippine STAR Petlife section.

* * *

I have often been told by my friends from the many animal welfare groups that I meet that adoption is really the best way to show that we care for a pet.

I have been discouraged from getting a pet at the many pet shops, which I am told sell pets just for the money.

I know that I would never sell a pet for money, but I also can’t and won’t fault the folks that do. I believe that for as long as I can care for a pet in the most humane way possible, I should be allowed to make the choice as to where and how I get a pet.

But it always brings a smile to my heart, and a few tears to my eyes, when I hear stories of the many kind-hearted folks, young people at that, who opt to adopt an abandoned pet at the animal shelters.

Anna Cabrera, PAWS director, shared with me this story of Michael Barbosa who is a Grade 4 student of the University of the Philippines Integrated School.

On his 10th birthday, instead of having a party, Michael asked for a pet dog as a gift. His mother Rhea Ann Barbosa suggested that he go to the PAWS shelter and check out the rescued dogs there. She added that he might want to adopt one from the shelter.

When Michael and his mom visited the PAWS Animal Rehabilitation Center, Michael was instantly interested in Chubby, an Aspin (asong Pinoy). Michael made three visits to the shelter and on his fourth visit, he opted to take Chubby home.

That move changed Michael. Last year, he rescued two kittens on his way home. He named them Nardie and Narda. Because of his love for animals, Michael has turned vegetarian, he doesn’t eat any form of meat, fish, animal milk, egg, and all other dairy/poultry products.

Michael also says that he wants to take up veterinary medicine when he grows up because he wants to take care of animals.

* * *

Sure, we can’t all be like Michael, but surely we can try to be kind to all the animals we bump into, no matter where that may be.

As Anna always tells me, make adoption your first option; call PAWS at 475-1688.

* * *

Last Sept. 27, animal lover and celebrity host Reema Chanco served lots of The White Hat Italian frozen yogurt to raise funds for the Philippine Animal Welfare Society. 

I was told that the customers who visited The White Hat at the Mall of Asia got a triple treat. First, they enjoyed a cup of delicious and healthy Italian frozen yogurt. Second, they were personally served by TV host and animal advocate Reema Changco. And third and most importantly, their purchase supported PAWS.

Eric Chao, The White Hat marketing manager, explained that they got the idea from an episode of The Apprentice in which a group tasked to raise funds for charity invited a celebrity to help sell the product.

“We’re proud to say that Reema sold 216 cups of frozen yogurt and The White Hat will donate half of the day’s sales to PAWS,“ said Eric.

Reema is a familiar face on TV. A Nike athlete, she recently covered the Beijing Olympics for Solar Sports and is one of the hosts of 3R, a popular women empowerment program on TV5.  Passionate about animals, Reema and her two dogs, Sasha and Sophie, have been supporting PAWS for many years now.

“I’m happy to be given the opportunity to give back to the community. It just took a few hours of my time, yet we were able to raise funds for the PAWS Shelter as well as promote pet adoption in the mall,” said Reema. “PAWS brought along three shelter kittens and shelter dog, Gary, who are all up for adoption. They were a big hit with the customers. Gary, who was initially shy and often hid under the table, was already going up to people to be petted.”

“PAWS Shelter is dependent on donations and fund-raising activities like this to keep it running,” said Rich Ilustre, PAWS director. “We are really grateful to The White Hat and Reema for their generosity.”