Dog gone news

The most interesting e-mails that I get are the ones that are sent to me by animal-lovers, animal welfare groups and environmentalists. It really makes my day when I hear that more and more people have become more humane and have started to treat their pets and the environment, too, with much more love and care.

Pet lovers have so many stories to tell. And, the good thing is that most of them like to tell their stories.

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This heartbreaking e-mail was sent by Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) volunteer Louella Tampinco. She says that this is an e-mail for anyone “who has who ever lost a dog.”

Louella shares:

“On Thursday evening, our dog Max wandered off and did not return.

“It must be said that our dogs were trusted, perhaps too much, to do their doggie thing outside the house unsupervised and return at a predetermined time. Needless to say, that practice is one that must never be done. It is irresponsible and leaves too much to chance.

“My dad went off to check if Max was checking things out at his usual haunts. He was not. My sister, my husband, and I walked all along the long, main road where he may have sauntered off to, calling his name, asking people if they had seen a friendly, brown, long-haired aspin with a bushy tail. They had not.

“I told my sister, who had been crying her eyes out, that we would comb the neighborhood again tomorrow, but we would need to show people a picture of Max, a detailed description, and mention something about a cash reward for his safe return.

“We distributed flyers on Friday afternoon and Saturday morning. We knocked on doors and stuffed flyers into mailboxes. We walked up to strangers. We posted colored versions of the flyer on street posts.

“In a neighborhood where stray dogs are considered fair game, the people I handed flyers to were surprisingly sympathetic. One carinderia owner said losing a dog is like losing a child, and she promised to text us if she saw anything.

“I was trying to be positive until 72 hours after he disappeared, when there was still no sign of him.

“As I write this, I am shedding tears of regret, shame, and pain. I know that no amount of cathartic writing will describe the pain of someone whose beloved pet (or family member) has disappeared.

“I wonder if he is wandering about some unfamiliar place, trying to find his way home. I wonder if he had been taken in by some family, and tied him up to a post (something he is not used to (he is king of the garage and the porch in my house) to make him a ferocious guard dog. I wonder if the neighborhood drunks cornered him and beat him senseless. I wonder, most of all, if he met his demise, if he thought he was still in the company of people he could trust. I must mention that Max is one of the most trusting dogs we have ever had. He even tried to befriend the neighborhood goat once.

“My wish, is if he is dead, that his end was quick and painless. My other wish is if he was alive, that he would come back to us, no matter what shape he is in. And this is the pain of families of desaparecidos — the pain of not knowing how the story really ended.

“On the other hand, maybe some kind-hearted family noticed him outside their gate, took him in, and he is now trying to manipulate them into giving him what he wants with his earnest eyes and non-stop tail wagging.

“Now when I pull into our street I can almost picture him outside our gate, waiting to be let in as is his habit, but he is not there, and I go back to wondering again and again what really happened to our Max.

“We learned our lesson the difficult, excruciatingly painful way, but it must be said — we are the humans, we should know better, we Must protect our pets from those who have cruel intentions, we Must make sure they are always safe. It is our responsibility as pet owners.

“Along with this I must say that efforts to educate the public about treating animals with compassion must continue, with greater intensity and fervor, because there are people who simply don’t know any better, or can’t see past their next hangover.

“Dear readers, please pray for our beloved Max, who we miss terribly and long for even if our hopes are fading as the days pass by. A part of us will always be waiting for that day when we will open the gate and see him sitting there as if he never left.”

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A mangy, bull mastiff was brought to PARC in a truck filled with lumber. His story? The owner of a lumber shop bought a house in West Triangle, QC when — much to his surprise — the former owner of the house who left the country had left a “giant” dog. The dog was red and mangy, and obviously malnourished.

 At PARC, PAWS officers were in a quandary where to put the huge dog. The quarantine area had, at that time, not yet been finished. And the dog was so huge, no one dared approach or touch it.

 Dr. Wilford Almoro, PAWS volunteer veterinarian, was the only one brave enough to give Malcolm his very first bath in a long time.  Everybody half expected the good vet to have multiple dog bites and couldn’t bear to watch the bathing but Malcolm seemed to fall in love with Dr. Almoro right there and then.

 Now, Malcolm has grown a lot of his fur back. In a few months time, PAWS will put him up for adoption

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The first English Bulldog Christmas Summit 2008 will be held today at BBQ Boy Julia Vargas Ave., Pasig from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. 

For more information, call Sharon Say at 0917-8880707 or 5712809.