Shantee and Kubrick! by kutitots, on Flickr

Our other dogs, especially my two boys Harry and Choknat, hate traveling. They get dizzy even for just a very short ride. Shantee doesn’t get dizzy at all—she’s so used to traveling. Kubrick threw up at least once going and leaving Tagaytay—it’s his first long trip and he got all excited, and you know as well as I do that anybody can get dizzy moving around so much inside the car. Anyway, I’ll talk more about traveling with pets on different post, because this one is not about that.

Marc, Shantee, Kubrick and I would like to extend our warmest and deepest thank you’s to Sonya Garcia and her staff at Sonya’s Garden for their hospitality and kindness. Never before had my dogs felt like VIPs—Very Important Pooches—and we cannot help but feel a bit overwhelmed by the VIP treatment they’ve given us.

Shantee wants to doze off by kutitots, on Flickr

Yes, folks, Sonya’s Garden is as dog-friendly as they come. It’s probably one of the most—if not the most—friendliest establishments to dogs we’ve ever gone to. While some are tolerable and designate pets to open areas, at Sonya’s, dogs aren’t just allowed in the gardens—they can go just about anywhere, even sleep in the cottages. You see, Miss Sonya is a dog-lover. She went out of her way to make us feel welcome—she even offered to give my dogs free grooming and assured us that she has dog food in case we run out.

But the best thing we love about Sonya’s is the fact that they treat their furry guests the same way they do human guests. We reserved a cottage and informed the staff we would be bringing the dogs along way ahead of time (about a month before our vacation dates). So you can understand that we would feel on the defensive when this other guest (who obviously hated dogs) complained loudly about how our dogs’ barking “disturbed” them. Their cottage is directly below ours, and this guy angrily yakked to the staff how they’re going to sleep when my dogs start to play and “make noise.”

Kubrick at the huge window of cottage lobby

First of all, my dogs were actually well-behaved and unusually quiet while in the cottage, doing nothing more than but sleep (the place was so relaxing that even the dogs couldn’t help themselves and doze off). This guy only heard Shantee bark when she thought we were leaving them in the cottage to eat at the dinning area. Other than occasional short barks whenever they want water or food, or they get surprised by fruits falling on the roof, that’s it. Their behavior was far from being disruptive, they behaved well for the simple reason that they know they were not in their territory. Unless, of course, if you hated dogs—barking of any kind will irritate you.

I was prepared to argue that my dogs were well-behaved and that I have informed the staff one month before of my pets. I would not easily agree to transfer to another cottage just because that guy apparently didn’t like dogs and failed to inform the staff his preference ahead of time. It explicitly states in the website that Sonya’s Garden is a farm (with free-roaming animals of its own) and that pets are allowed in the cottages. If he preferred not to be near guests with pets, he should have said so ahead of time, right?

My husband and I readied ourselves for a staff to come calling our cottage to negotiate. But none came. As it turned out, Miss Sonya already resolved the issue: she transferred the complaining guests to a different cottage. She seemed apologetic for those guests, and told us that there really are just people who don’t like animals. She kept us company during breakfast, and seemed particularly charmed by friendly Kubrick, much to attention-whore-diva Shantee’s annoyance

There weren’t that many guests on our second day, and that evening when we had our dinner, we basically had the dining area to our own except for a mom and her kids who adored Kubrick and Shantee. The staff seemed more relaxed, the absence of the aggressive guest evident (he and his companion were scheduled to check out after breakfast). Our server lady chatted with us a bit, and we learned that Miss Sonya prefers dog-lovers, that she had a belief that dog-lovers are more compassionate. We felt flattered, though we felt the same.

Marc and I also have preference for people who can find it in themselves to care for animals. It’s not easy extending love and compassion to a creature, and it takes more effort than usual unlike caring for a fellow human being. They do not communicate the way we do. Reaching out to bridge that gap must come from us, being blessed with a bigger brain, and that takes effort. Not many would bother bridging that gap, and for that, we feel those who do have a little more compassion to spare.

You will see that unselfish love for animals at Sonya’s Garden. Not only humans are welcome guests, but your dogs will be too. For a dog-lover like us, Sonya’s Garden goes beyond its famed “country living” and relaxed atmosphere—it’s a home away from home where even the furry members of your family are graciously welcomed with arms wide open.

For more photos, you can visit my Flickr photo set or watch the slideshow below:

PAWS is holding a charity dinner on May 30, 2009 at the SM Mall of Asia Music Hall. Tickets are Php2,000 for each human bringing a furry date, while Php1,500 for those who will come stag. Proceeds will all go to the PAWS Animal Shelter. One dog per one human only!

Here’s the fun part: there will be performances by celebrities who support PAWS, a buffet for humans, and a buffet for dogs! See? Even your furry dinner dates get to enjoy the charity dinner

What: Dine with PAWS
When: May 30 (saturday), 6.30pm
Where: SM Mall of Asia Music Hall
What to expect: a buffet for dogs, a buffet for humans and performances by celebrities who support PAWS. All proceeds of ticket sales will go to the PAWS Animal Shelter.

Please note that tickets won’t be sold at the door on the day of the event. You will need to reserve tickets! For reservation, just text 0917-8352405 or send an email to philpaws (at) yahoo (dot) com with your contact info so a PAWS representative can get in touch with you. Tickets may be picked up at the PAWS Rehabilitation Center in Katipunan or at a designated pick-up point (you need to coordinate with PAWS regarding this first though).

A fellow dog-lover approached me with a plea for help: her elderly dog, Cocoa, has been missing since March 8. He was wearing a colorful dog tag bearing his name, his owners’ address and their phone number. The owner of Cocoa (koh-koh) shares that through their own investigation, they were able to discern that a vehicle was spotted stealing dogs from homeowners.

Weeks after the dog’s disappearance, somebody spotted Cocoa being sold in a pet shop near their village. A friend of the owner posed as a customer to check it out, but unfortunately, he’s been told that Cocoa had already been sold to another buyer for Php10,000.

To make matters worse, the 6-year-old Black Pomeranian has a heart condition: he has an enlarged heart, and needs specific care.

Should you see Cocoa, kindly contact the owner at 0917-847-1989 or bring him to his veterinarian at St. Joseph Veterinary, 185 Aguirre Avenue, BF Homes, Parañaque (red gate). Cocoa was last seen at F. Cruz St., Ph. 3 BF Homes, Parañaque (street of PCJ Parish). The owners offer a reward for his return.

* Photos provided by Cocoa’s owners.

Kubrick is named after the default Wordpress theme, Kubrick! It’s a really nerdy way of naming our new pup, but my husband wanted to name him with something that’s related to web design and development We thought of naming him after the Wordpress founder, Matt, but then we remembered that Matt Mullenweg will probably return to Manila next year for another WordCamp. It’s going to be quite awkward naming a dog after a person you’ll most likely meet again, so we just settled for “Kubrick,” the name of the popular default theme of our favorite blogging platform.

Before Kubrick came along, we had 8 dogs (so yep, Kubrick’s the 9th!). It’s not that we’re trying to keep our dog number to 9, considering that one of them recently left us so suddenly. The reason for our getting another small Shih Tzu is Shantee’s increasing lack of social skills when around other dogs.

You see, Shantee is a very sociable dog—but only to humans. She loves having her photo taken (she had a knack for posing like a “dog model” whenever she sees cameras around) and particularly enjoys the company of children. But the problem is, she isn’t well-adjusted when it comes to socializing with her fellow canines. And to think she lives with 7 other dogs under the same roof!

Shantee is separated from the main dog pack. She’s way too tiny to play with them—the last time we tried to let her blend in with the others she almost got hurt from their excited “stampede”—so we had to keep her separated, which is probably the reason why she doesn’t know how to socialize with other dogs. Members of our dog pack are aspins and Labradors (you can just imagine how tiny Shantee compares to them, her entire body is probably just as big as our Labradors’ heads). Because of this, the only other animal she probably knew and played with was my sister’s white hamster named Peter.

My husband and I didn’t want her spending the rest of her life panicking every time she sees another dog—Shantee likes traveling a lot, and meeting other dogs is something that cannot be avoided. Besides, we didn’t want her growing up anti-social—she needed a friend. And that’s where Kubrick came along.

Shantee is still not happy having Kubrick around, but she’s slowly warming up to him. She doesn’t know how to play with other dogs yet, hopefully Kubrick can teach her that (he’s a very playful pup). Shantee is still just a year old, she’s still young, and we are hoping she’s still young enough to have her aversion to other dogs corrected.

Gang of children – some as young as TEN – caught slowly roasting puppies over bonfire

According to the story, the adorable puppies in the photo above were almost burned alive by a gang of children as young as 10 to 12 years old.

Here’s the news story:

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Gang of children – some as young as TEN – caught slowly roasting puppies over bonfire

Shocked and huddled together for safety, these puppies are lucky to be alive after being saved from an act of almost unbelievable barbarity.

A gang of youths had seized the seven-week-old brother and sister and were slowly roasting them over a bonfire on a canal bank.

Yelping in panic and distress as their fur began to burn, the pair struggled desperately to escape the children’s clutches.

The commotion attracted a walker who ran over to the bonfire and ordered the gang to release them immediately.

Melanie Johnson, 32, said: ‘I just could not believe the cruelty being shown by these kids. If I hadn’t turned up, I think they would have burned the dogs alive.’

Miss Johnson, from Rochdale, added: ‘Most of the kids were aged 12, 13 or older. But some were as young as ten. I was ripping mad and still am to think that anyone – least of all children – could do this.’

She took the two puppies from the bank and carried them to the safety of her home before wrapping them in a towel and taking them to an RSPCA shelter.

The cross-bred pups were examined by a vet after the incident in Newbold, Rochdale on Friday and were found to be in generally good health.

Jean Spencer, the RSPCA shelter manager, said: ‘The puppies are only seven weeks old and still smelled of smoke from the bonfire when they arrived.

‘The fur on one of them was singed and the other has a small hernia. Fortunately, they are going to be fine.’

She added: ‘To think that children could be so cruel is really disgusting. The puppies are absolutely gorgeous. Everyone here has fallen in love with them.’

The male puppy has been named Guy and his sister Cinders.

They will now go to a shelter in Halifax to be re-homed.

No arrests have been made in connection with the incident.

Gang of children – some as young as TEN – caught slowly roasting puppies over bonfire
by Jaya Narain, Mail Online
Last updated at 8:42 PM on 04th February 2009

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It’s really disturbing to think that people can hurt such gentle creatures, but what’s even more disturbing is the fact that children actually tried to roast them alive. I’ve heard so many times (both in TV and books) that children with keenness to hurting animals almost always end up becoming very abusive when they grow up. Even worse, some become murderers or serial killers as adults. It’s been found out that children with a pathological need to hurt animals are showing symptoms of being sociopaths. You can just imagine how disturbed these children are for even considering slowly roasting puppies over bonfire.

“No arrests have been made.” Well… Ok… Fine. But I do hope the parents or guardians of these children realize that their kids NEED psychological help.

Whitey passed away yesterday. We don’t really know why, but nothing can describe my sister’s reaction except for “devastated.”

You see, my sister Joyce is schizophrenic. She doesn’t handle grief very well, so my family and I have to do our absolute best to support her and help her recover. The loss of Whitey was just depressing for her.

Joyce and Whitey were best friends—my sister even allowed Whitey sleep on her bed even if when the needed a bath. She kept my sister company and made sure to be beside her whenever she seemed to be on a verge of an episode—her presence calmed my sister down.

Whitey’s death was so sudden. Even the rest of us were saddened by what happened.

She was alright one moment, the next, she was gone. But before she left, she made sure she was near my sister, but far enough not to cause her distress as she passed away. My dad found Whitey just outside my sister’s window—apparently, Whitey died quietly as my sister slept.

Whitey will be remembered.

Thank you, Whitey, for being the best friend my sister never had. We’ll never forget you.

I’m so happy to hear that Iams Home 4 the Holidays exceeded their 1 million adoption mark. As of writing, 1,088,506 pets have been adopted I am strongly opposed to euthanasia, and I can’t help but be happy that more than a million pets are saved from this and found themselves a place to call home.

Congratulations to all those who have been part of this campaign. Hope you guys have another great adoption year in 2008!

When I lost Sheero, our human family wasn’t the only one who grieved over her passing. Coal, our black Labrador Retriever, was closest to her. We heard him howling every night for about a week after Sheero’s passing—his way of showing how much he missed her.

But what about when dogs lose their human friends?

I have read stories of pets expressing grief over their departed human best friends. How one dog kept waiting for his friend at a train station even after his human passed away—stories like that are heart-wrenching, but I never really knew anybody personally who left behind a dog. That is, until my husband’s godmother lost the battle with cancer about a month ago.

Tita Mila wasn’t only my husband’s godmother, she was also one of our wedding sponsors. She was kind, and was an animal-lover. Skittles, a beautiful Shih Tzu, was her “baby.” They were inseparable.

When Marc and I went to Tita Mila’s wake, we were surprised to hear barking. It was the first time I heard barking at a wake. Funeral parlors and chapels usually don’t allow them, but I guess Skittles was so special to Tita Mila that her family did everything they could so that the dog could be there as they kept vigil.

Skittles was very friendly, she greeted us happily. But when she neared the coffin, her mood suddenly changed—Skittles’ sadness was obvious. It was a heart-breaking scene—sad little Skittles cried as she kept trying to reach the elevated coffin, she wanted to cuddle with her departed mommy

Dogs do grieve. Their loyalty and love for us are not only unconditional, but everlasting as well. They will love us even after we die.

Ah. I guess that’s another reason why I love dogs so much

** Beautiful aspin on photo is Kutonbol, one of my sister’s favorite dogs. In the picture, Kutonbol waits for Joyce to come home from school.

Registration fee is Php500. All proceeds shall be donated to the PAWS Animal Shelter in Quezon City. Humans get to pose for photos with their pets while at the same time helping the shelter animals. Pick-up points for the photos will be announced soon (sorry, I don’t have the info for pick-up points yet).

Shantee and I might go… She just loves having her photo taken

Life in Batanes is slow and relaxing. The people, called Ivatans, are very friendly. If you’re not from around there, you can expect that they’ll give you a welcoming smile as you pass by. This friendliness, it seems, is a trait that even their dogs share.

The dogs we met in Sabtang, one of the islands of Batanes which can be reached by a 35-minute boat ride from the main town of Basco in Batan, are unleashed and roam freely around town. Now, before lecturing the people on responsible dog care, you must first understand the Ivatan’s culture. Friendliness isn’t the only trait that you’ll see common in them, but honesty is greatly valued as well.

You can leave your things lying around and not worry about it getting lost. If you misplaced something, you simply go to their radio station and describe your item. If your stuff is found, a local will no doubt bring it to the station for you to claim. Something like this is probably a big deal in the city (taxi drivers returning tourist’s forgotten baggage even makes the news), but for the Ivatans, it’s a normal part of life.

When it comes to dogs, it’s the same thing. Kidnapping dogs is unheard of in this province. Every dog in the town of Chavayan is everyone’s responsibility. Your dog can wander into the neighbor’s stone house and you can be assured that he will come home full and happy.

The towns in Sabtang are quite far apart, which is probably another reason why dogs don’t just wander about. Each town can be reached by going through single-car, cliff-side roads, and can be quite dangerous to navigate at night (seriously, falling off the road is a long and treacherous drop to a rocky shore). The remoteness of the towns and the isolation of the islands (not to mention the untouched greens and wildlife) have kept the dogs near or within human settlement—for both safety and survival.

It was pretty interesting to see how the Ivatans bond with their dogs. Lazy mornings are spent chatting with neighbors (a town can be as small as one long street; everyone knew every person in town), which is also a time when the town dogs congregate. People walking to another town are accompanied by their dogs (the man in the first photo said he and his dog were off to the neighboring town). Their canine buddies are not only companions in those journeys, but also protectors from wild animals they might encounter along the way.

Among the places I’ve visited for this year, Batanes is probably the province where the dogs are very much integrated into the townsfolk’s life and culture.

This, apart from its breath-taking beauty, makes Batanes worth another visit.

Thank you very much to SEAIR for making this trip possible.

Advertisement: SEAIR flies from Manila to Batanes and vice versa every Saturdays, Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. The flights from Manila to Batanes are from 0550 to 0725 and the flights from Batanes to Manila are from 0755 to 0930. One-way airfares start at P35++ (as low as 2895.20 one-way all-in fare). For flight reservations, call SEAIR at 8490100 or visit www.flyseair.com for more details.