The year 2012 tested the mettle of animal welfare advocates in the Philippines. On the 30th of March, the biggest raid of the biggest known dogfighting operation in the country took place in Laguna. Over 260Â bulls and mixed breed dogs were rescued from the hands of a cruel syndicate that had previously been arrested in Cavite for the same crime.
When volunteers rushed to the scene, what they saw was the stuff of nightmares. There were hundreds of dogs, scarred, malnourished, living in steel drums. Under the heat of the sun, the temperature inside would rise to intolerable levels. The dogs were crying and howling, in different stages of pain. Clearly, they suffered through extreme cruelty.
These dogs needed care and a home, and they needed them fast.
The animal welfare group, CARA Welfare Philippines, stepped up to the challenge. They immediately formed the Save the Laguna Pit Bulls project. In what could only have been divine intervention, a piece of land was found where the poor pitties could be sheltered. In the sanctuary (the location of which can only be disclosed to those who fill out the visitor’s form) the pitties healed and rested, as they awaited their new families.
Rehabilitation was a costly one, though. The goal is to allow the pitties to spend their remaining years in good health and comfort. Volunteers begged for support daily, so they can feed the dogs and provide them medical treatment. Every day was a battle won.
Fast forward to 2017, there are now only 80 pitties in their charge. Over 40 have been adopted to loving homes.
Sweet Joy is quite a hit with these volunteers. Photo from FB: @SaveTheLagunaPitBulls
The rest, sadly, had succumbed to their injuries or had died from old age and illness. The sanctuary now accepts visitors and team-building activities with the pitties.
The hardest battles have been won, certainly, but the challenge to procure food for the pitties remains and new challenges continue to surface.
See below.
The sanctuary needs help to fix its water supply. Here is the statement released by the sanctuary’s volunteers.
Hi everyone, those who have been visiting the site recently know that we’ve been having problems with our water supply. The wall of our Center’s deep well has collapsed, which means we’ll have to dig for a deep well once again. This is going to be considerable work and will cost a lot of money.
A working water system is crucial to our Center. Without it, our on-site team has been manually lugging water to clean the excrement from 80 dog cages, to bathe the LPBs, as well as keep them hydrated. A working water system can help cut down work time and let us focus on other tasks to help out our LPBs.
We are humbly asking for your help.
The Laguna pit bulls have come a long way. We hope that our WhenInManila.com readers will rally to support them.
From the confines of a steel drum to maybe even the comfort of your home, they can go even further in getting a second chance. Be a part of this story. Be a part of their happy ending.
Come over and say hi to Mona! Give her a shot at finding her forever home. Photo by @iloveyoudana15
To donate money, click here. To donate dog food, click here.
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