The Poor Dogs of Sto. Tomas

Sweepy's Keeper will surely cry when she sees those dogs being locked up at Barangay Santo Tomas in Pasig City. I see them inside their "cell" right in front of the barangay hall when I go to work each morning- and take note, there are different dogs each week. The tanod ( a sort of peace officer) told me that the mayor does not like to see dogs loitering in the street, and so these animals are captured and given three or five days to be redeemed by their owners before
they are brought to the Pasig City Dog Pound.

Rabies is still rampant in the Philippines so I understand the necessity of animal population control. The problem is, I dont think Sto. Tomas is equipped to keep stray dogs even on a temporary basis. The dogs are crammed inside a single cell that has no adequate roofing to protect them from heat and rain; there is no water bowl in sight and the dogs have barely food to eat. I feel so bad for these dogs, and worse that I cannot get them out of their miserable lot.

Finally, on Wednesday, the Animal Doctor decided to visit Santo Tomas. He gathered plastic bottles and ice cream containers at home and recycled them into food and water bowls for the dogs; old shower curtains to cover their cage, and dog food.

The dogs did not wait any second and pounce on the food.

Not the regular garbage fare, but it stops the tummy from grumbling.

A little love goes a long way.

This doggy is wondering if his owner will come for him today.

They say misery loves company.

I get an ouchy standing on my paws, this cage could use some plastic matting.

Of course, feeding the impounded dogs and making sure that they are comfortable is just a temporary fix. I need to write the city veterinarian and inquire how these dogs are being "disposed". The Rabies Act of 2008 prohibits electrocution as a means to dispose unclaimed dogs in the pound, and even requires them to be placed on adoption by the local government unit in coordination with animal welfare non governmental organizations ( NGOs).

Now, you must know that the Animal Doctor is a busy guy, not even a badly needed haircut can make him leave Greenwoods Pet Clinic. What he did for the dogs of Santo Tomas last Wednesday was a big favor for me(never mind that it was on account of my persistent whining over the phone) since I could not leave my work. I am making a mental note to cook him his favorite pasta this weekend.

Next, the Animal Doctor picked up Sweepy's gift exchange for me. In case you're wondering, Sweepy is a dog I met online while I was looking for blogs by other mongrel dogs in the Philippines. At first I thought Sweepy was an angel dog because he said he lives in Heaven which turned out to be a place in San Pedro, Laguna. If you read Sweepy's blog, he 's hardly the angelic type. I laugh my heart out reading about his crazy antics, and those of his brother Bogart and pop Sumo too. He calls me his girlfriend because I sent him some gifts lately ( giggles), but this is what I like best:

Yes, Sweepy gave me a tarpaulin banner with his cute picture on it and his barkings of how people should be responsible keepers of their pets. The full text of Sweepy's barkings will be reproduced in our sidebar soon! The Animal Doctor hanged the banner in front of our clinic so people would take interest and read it. Sweepy also gave me a CD containing his power point presentation about responsible pet ownership. (I wish I could bring this to Santo Tomas and teach people about it so there will be no stray dogs for the Tanod to catch). I learned a very important lesson from Sweepy's Keeper: its not so much the cruelty and unkindness of humans that bring suffering to the animals, but ignorance. Berating irresponsible people will only make them defensive, while gentle persuasion might do the trick.

My best friend Noreen who is in the United States right now will be happy to read this too. She is crazy about dogs. She and husband Lito had their church wedding recently and I was surprised when she donated to me some of the money they received as wedding present. She wanted me to spend it on my animal welfare projects.

Even blogger helps me earn pennies to enable Greenwoods Pet Clinic to treat indigent animal patients. We refer to them as such not because they have poor owners ( after all, we are in a class A subdivision) but because their owners refuse to spend for their dog's healthcare. Sometimes we get owners deciding to forgo treatment since the dog is just an askal ( a Filipino slang for mongrel). It breaks my heart to send sick dogs back home to die so I plea to the Animal Doctor to treat them even if their owners don't pay! Instead of crying, the incredulity of the situation ( that these dogs' owners have more money than us) makes us laugh, and so we just pray for good karma in return. Oh, I digress but while I am in this, I mights as well indulge myself in shameless advertising: you can help our Indigent Animal Patients Fund by purchasing reviews in our blog ( calling our suppliers!)

Thank you guys. Even the tiniest act of kindness can make a huge impact in the lives of helpless, suffering creatures. Our goal is to enable them to live a good life, one paw, er, one step at a time. Cheers!

I will not forget you, T-Man

T-MAN

went to the Rainbow Bridge at 10:16 PM on August 28,2008

I was introduced into the world of canine blogging when I stumbled upon T-man's blog last year. Since then, I got hooked. My day would not start without a dose of T-man's antics. He entertained me with stories about his toys, his adventures with his Mom, his trips to Grandma Day Care. At times, when too lazy for walks, he will just tell me about his thoughts.

I did not know him in person, I was just one silent reader of his doggy blog.

Yet my heart is breaking...

We who choose to surround ourselves with lives even more temporary than our own live within a fragile circle, easily and often breached. Unable to accept its awful gaps, we still would live no other way. We cherish memory as the only certain immortality, never fully understanding the necessary plan.” —Irving Townsend from “The Once Again Prince”

(note: photo and quote from T-Man's blog)

Tongues: Updated

My friend Jozu has a very loooong tongue.

While I, Trudis, am lot more discreet about it.

Update: Here's a picture of our new friend Aki showing off his very long tongue. He reminds me of a...froggy! hehehe

Barking out to Shantee and Sweepy, show your tongues guys!

The Return of the Come Back Prince

Hiya guys! Did any dog or kitty miss Moy-Moy???? Moy-Moy who? Oh come on now. My online buddy Sherwin ( who is a human) surely did! Yesterday he left a message for me in our C-Box, and so even if today is not a Monday ( and you know what Mondays are for, right?) I am blogging in honor of the only(pout) person in the whole wide world who missed Moy-Moy.

This photo taken from our surveillance camera is so tiny but if you can see my famous tail, you are not mistaken- Its me, peering through our perimeter fence, checking for nefarious elements who will dare cross our borders and tresspass into our territory. They ( they know who they are!) steal our food and leave awful smelling poop in our play ground. Grrr.

I am a very busy guy these days, but if anybody else miss me, please leave a message in our C-box. It will be automatically forwarded to my pager. Im out!

I, Trudis

Don't I, Trudis, look scary in this photo? Hihihi, don't be afraid now Sweepy. The Animal Doctor is very smart and told me about tapetum lucidum, which is a layer of tissue in my inner eye that reflects back visible light. This is the reason why my eyes appeared to glow when the Secretary took my picture with the flash on.

Now, Sweepy, remember that humans do not have tapetum lucidum. If you see any of your keepers' eyes glow, better hide under your house!

Swapping Corner

"Japanese spitz, female plus Chivas Regal/J&B
to swap with Chinese Sharpei"


"Mini Pinscher, female to swap with
appliance/camphone/sonny PSP"


Deedee Marie, the Secretary's dog in Iloilo City

Silly hoomans. My mommi would never swap me for anything, even if her life depends on it!
I wonder what our friends Sweepy and Shantee think about this swapping business.

Sick Puppy

I went on duty as a pet nurse last weekend and was assigned to a puppy being treated for e-coli infection. We've been up all night, rehydrating him at an hourly interval because the Animal Doctor had no luck putting on the drip; the smallest IV needle he got, a gauge 24, couldnt get through the puppy's vein.

Tiny dogs- newly born puppies and the so called teacup variety- are the most challenging patients here at Greenwoods Pet Clinic. According to the Animal Doctor, the intestinal tract of these dogs are longer in proportion to their size. Bacteria and other disease causing organisms create greater havoc in no time, and given the virtual impossibility of administering fluids and medication intravenously, the puppy easily succumbs to the infection and its complications, dehydration topping the list.

I've seen the Animal Doctor work out alternative solutions, like inserting the IV needle underneath the subcutaneous tissues at the back of the dog, till he grows a hump, in which case, the flow of the IV fluid has to be turned off. It can be tedious watching over the dog, turning the IV line on and off, but it gets the much needed fluid back into the dog's system.

In the case of this puppy, I am just using a tuberculin syringe to squirt oral rehydration fluid at the side of his cheek. But it goes out from the puppy's other end almost instantly.

Puppy and I are both exhausted. Its been touch and go during his week long confinement...

...but the ultimate reward for us caregivers, is to see the day when these sick animals spring back on their paws. Cheers!

Wordless Wednesday