Dogs day out at the Town

MANILA, Philippines - Last Sunday, March 27, our family went out for our traditional Sunday family breakfast. As we were about to leave the house, our dog Apple, a three-year-old Golden Retriever, suddenly ran after us as though she wanted to tag along, which was unusual of her.

Of course, we could not take her along because we were going to eat somewhere where pets were most probably not allowed. As much as we wanted to take her with us, we had to resist her sad puppy-dog eyes and so we left her at home.

We had breakfast at Alabang Town Center and as we were about to finish eating, we saw a lot of people outside walking with their dogs towards somewhere. It tuned out a dog blessing was being held that day.

Upon hearing that, my brother immediately remarked, “So that’s why Apple wanted to go with us.” That made me wonder how a dog could possibly know that such an event would take place. Divine intervention perhaps? After that, we decided to pick up Apple at home and return to Alabang Town Center so that she could participate in the event.

 As we were making our way back to Alabang Town Center, Apple’s excitement was very apparent and insurmountable. She was moving up and about inside the car, she could not stay put for even just a minute, and she was salivating so much, which made my Dad rant until we arrived there. As we were walking towards the venue, she was excitedly running ahead of us even though she was on a leash. Poor Mommy and Daddy were dragged by an excited doggy all the way to the venue.

STAR associate editor Marichu Villanueva (right) with Apple and veterinarians, Dr. Rico delos Reyes (left) with Kisses, his seven-month-old Golden Retriever, and Dr. Nap Malaluan with Pau-pau, 18 months old

 The event was called “Dogs Day Out at the Town,” which was held in the open-air atrium of Alabang Town Center. It was sponsored by Alpo, a leading brand of dog food. A lot of pet owners and their dogs were there and it was fun to witness a parade of different breeds, sizes, shapes, colors, and costumes. We even saw a cute little poodle inside a baby carriage. These four-legged animals were treated like celebrities that day as different booths were set up to cater to their every need. There were booths for doggy treats, basic healthcare and vaccine, basic grooming, and there was even a photo booth. Parlor games were played, much to the enjoyment of the dogs and their masters.

The highlight of the day was the blessing of the dogs by the local parish priest. It was like a baptism ceremony for dogs because the priest said a prayer for them, then he sprinkled each dog with holy water. After that, all the dog owners looked as though they were proud parents coming out of a child’s baptism.

 Before we went home, we passed by two pet owners of Golden Retrievers as well, so we had Apple mingle with their dogs. They looked adorable and this was the first time we got to see Apple with dogs of her own breed.

Interestingly, their coat differs from each other in terms of shade. The lightest brown in color is Kisses, our Apple is a little darker than Kisses, while the dark brown dog is Pao-pao. We called them “the long-lost sisters — sisters from another mother.”

STAR associate editor Marichu Villanueva (right) with Apple and veterinarians, Dr. Rico delos Reyes (left) with Kisses, his seven-month-old Golden Retriever, and Dr. Nap Malaluan with Pau-pau, 18 months old

Kisses and Pao-Pao’s owners are veterinarians and they shared tips on how to take care of Golden Retrievers. Dr. Rico de los Reyes is the owner of Kisses while Dr. Nap Malaluan is the owner of Pao-pao.

Not only did Apple get “baptized,” she was also reunited with her furry faux sisters.