Why You Should Consider Opening Your Home To Stray Dogs
Before you read what I have to say here, I want to give you a warning: this story does not have a happy ending. Bluetooth is the name of a puppy that David and I tried our best to rescue, but as my story will go on to show you, not all rescue stories have a happy ending. Keep an open mind as you read this, though, and I hope you will be motivated to open your home to an animal in need, as well.
Bluetooth, as we came to call him, was a tiny, dirty, scared little puppy that we spotted wandering around the streets near our house in Cubao. He was being chased by a little girl who thought it was funny to watch him run and hide under cars to get away from her. We watched the little puppy to see what would happen, wondering for a minute if he was owned by the girl. The girl left, however, leaving the little puppy just hiding under a car, scared of everything. David and I have really big hearts when it comes to animals, and we knew we could not just walk away without helping the puppy.
So, David went and tried his best to coax the puppy out. He eventually succeeded, and carried the puppy to our home. We looked this little stray over and he was absolutely filthy and covered in ticks. His ears were absolutely filled with ticks, I’d be surprised if he could hear a thing. He was absolutely terrified and wouldn’t look at us. We gave him a bath… but he was still filthy. We bathed him a second time, and finally succeeded in getting all of the dirt out. It took several days before we were able to finish picking all of the ticks off of his body, though. Fortunately, with the assistance of David’s mom, we got the job done.
After we took him home, cleaned him up, and fed him, Bluetooth’s transformation was amazing. He was a very handsome dog. Not only that, but he had so much love to give. Bluetooth was such a happy puppy, and he came to be a huge people-puppy, just loving any attention that you could give him. If we were busy and couldn’t pay attention to him at the moment, Bluetooth was very content to just sit and watch us, head cocked attentively, until we gave him some pets and snuggles.
We loved this little guy so much and it was easy to see how much he loved us back. You could see how grateful he was to have been rescued and given the care he deserved. However, after about a week things suddenly took a negative turn.
Bluetooth started getting sick. He stopped eating and became very lethargic. Then, he started vomiting repeatedly. As soon as the vomiting started, we rushed him to the nearest veterinarian for help. She checked Bluetooth out, and then gave us some medicine to feed him, told us to come back if there was no improvement, and sent us home. We started giving our little puppy the medicine, but he just kept vomiting it up, so it wasn’t doing any good. The next day, we brought him back to the vet.
This time, she was a bit more thorough. She ran a few tests, including a test for Parvo-virus, which came back negative. Finally, she came to the conclusion that it was blood parasites. The ticks that had covered his tiny body when we found him had transmitted this disease to him, and there was not much left that could be done. The vet told us that Bluetooth would have to be confined at the vet clinic now, and we watched as they inserted an IV tube into his front paw to try and keep his body hydrated. We said our goodbyes to our baby for the night, and went home, very worried pet parents. Little did we know that was going to be our final goodbye, as Bluetooth would not make it through the night.
Bluetooth was just too small and weak, his body was unable to fight off the infection. We received a message the next morning from the veterinarian that he had passed away, and after a good long cry, we went to pick up his body, and brought him home to be buried. Rest in peace Bluetooth, our little angel.
Even though it is impossible for every rescue story to have a happy ending, do not let that deter you from doing what you can. There are so many stray cats and dogs all over the Philippines that need your help. If you can, take them into your home, show them what love is, and you will never regret it. There are few things that will bring you more joy than helping a helpless animal and receiving his love in return.
If you are unable to have a pet, there are still smaller ways you can help. Instead of throwing away those leftovers you just couldn’t finish, put them on that street corner where you always see stray dogs hanging around. Instead of kicking away stray dogs that come up to you just because they are a bit smelly, give them a bit of attention and show them that humans can be good. It’s not their fault if they are smelly!
There is no such thing as an ugly animal, just animals that aren’t being taken care of. If you notice an animal particularly in bad condition, contact one of the local animal rescues and ask if they can help. These rescues, such as the Philippine Animal Welfare Society(PAWS) or The Philippine Animal Rescue Team (PART) are also often in need of donations, from dog and cat food to cleaning supplies, and money always helps too.
There is no purer love than that between an animal and a human. If you have not experienced that, you are truly missing out on something special. If taking in strays isn’t quite your thing, adopt from animal rescues instead of buying fancy breeds from pet shops. Of course, adopting a new pet isn’t something to do just on a whim, you need to consider the impact it will have on you first, but every animal that PAWS is able to find a home for opens up space in their shelter and lets them help out another poor creature in need. There’s always something that you can do, so do your part, help an animal in need.
Abby is from the USA and moved to the Philippines to be with her husband, David Christopher Hizon, who also happens to be her photographer for most of her writing endeavors. A gamer, a bookworm, an animal lover and a self-proclaimed foodie, she is passionate about everything that she does and hopes that will come across in her writing. Follow her at https://www.facebook.com/davichisabby, https://facebook.com/WritersInTandem/ & https://www.writersintandem.blog.com
Why You Should Consider Opening Your Home To Stray Dogs
Why You Should Consider Opening Your Home To Stray Dogs
Before you read what I have to say here, I want to give you a warning: this story does not have a happy ending. Bluetooth is the name of a puppy that David and I tried our best to rescue, but as my story will go on to show you, not all rescue stories have a happy ending. Keep an open mind as you read this, though, and I hope you will be motivated to open your home to an animal in need, as well.
Bluetooth, as we came to call him, was a tiny, dirty, scared little puppy that we spotted wandering around the streets near our house in Cubao. He was being chased by a little girl who thought it was funny to watch him run and hide under cars to get away from her. We watched the little puppy to see what would happen, wondering for a minute if he was owned by the girl. The girl left, however, leaving the little puppy just hiding under a car, scared of everything. David and I have really big hearts when it comes to animals, and we knew we could not just walk away without helping the puppy.
So, David went and tried his best to coax the puppy out. He eventually succeeded, and carried the puppy to our home. We looked this little stray over and he was absolutely filthy and covered in ticks. His ears were absolutely filled with ticks, I’d be surprised if he could hear a thing. He was absolutely terrified and wouldn’t look at us. We gave him a bath… but he was still filthy. We bathed him a second time, and finally succeeded in getting all of the dirt out. It took several days before we were able to finish picking all of the ticks off of his body, though. Fortunately, with the assistance of David’s mom, we got the job done.
After we took him home, cleaned him up, and fed him, Bluetooth’s transformation was amazing. He was a very handsome dog. Not only that, but he had so much love to give. Bluetooth was such a happy puppy, and he came to be a huge people-puppy, just loving any attention that you could give him. If we were busy and couldn’t pay attention to him at the moment, Bluetooth was very content to just sit and watch us, head cocked attentively, until we gave him some pets and snuggles.
We loved this little guy so much and it was easy to see how much he loved us back. You could see how grateful he was to have been rescued and given the care he deserved. However, after about a week things suddenly took a negative turn.
Bluetooth started getting sick. He stopped eating and became very lethargic. Then, he started vomiting repeatedly. As soon as the vomiting started, we rushed him to the nearest veterinarian for help. She checked Bluetooth out, and then gave us some medicine to feed him, told us to come back if there was no improvement, and sent us home. We started giving our little puppy the medicine, but he just kept vomiting it up, so it wasn’t doing any good. The next day, we brought him back to the vet.
This time, she was a bit more thorough. She ran a few tests, including a test for Parvo-virus, which came back negative. Finally, she came to the conclusion that it was blood parasites. The ticks that had covered his tiny body when we found him had transmitted this disease to him, and there was not much left that could be done. The vet told us that Bluetooth would have to be confined at the vet clinic now, and we watched as they inserted an IV tube into his front paw to try and keep his body hydrated. We said our goodbyes to our baby for the night, and went home, very worried pet parents. Little did we know that was going to be our final goodbye, as Bluetooth would not make it through the night.
Bluetooth was just too small and weak, his body was unable to fight off the infection. We received a message the next morning from the veterinarian that he had passed away, and after a good long cry, we went to pick up his body, and brought him home to be buried. Rest in peace Bluetooth, our little angel.
Even though it is impossible for every rescue story to have a happy ending, do not let that deter you from doing what you can. There are so many stray cats and dogs all over the Philippines that need your help. If you can, take them into your home, show them what love is, and you will never regret it. There are few things that will bring you more joy than helping a helpless animal and receiving his love in return.
If you are unable to have a pet, there are still smaller ways you can help. Instead of throwing away those leftovers you just couldn’t finish, put them on that street corner where you always see stray dogs hanging around. Instead of kicking away stray dogs that come up to you just because they are a bit smelly, give them a bit of attention and show them that humans can be good. It’s not their fault if they are smelly!
There is no such thing as an ugly animal, just animals that aren’t being taken care of. If you notice an animal particularly in bad condition, contact one of the local animal rescues and ask if they can help. These rescues, such as the Philippine Animal Welfare Society(PAWS) or The Philippine Animal Rescue Team (PART) are also often in need of donations, from dog and cat food to cleaning supplies, and money always helps too.
There is no purer love than that between an animal and a human. If you have not experienced that, you are truly missing out on something special. If taking in strays isn’t quite your thing, adopt from animal rescues instead of buying fancy breeds from pet shops. Of course, adopting a new pet isn’t something to do just on a whim, you need to consider the impact it will have on you first, but every animal that PAWS is able to find a home for opens up space in their shelter and lets them help out another poor creature in need. There’s always something that you can do, so do your part, help an animal in need.
The Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS)
Contact tel. # 475-1688 (ofc hours only)
Email: philpaws@paws.org.ph
Website: https://www.paws.org.ph/
View adoptable pets here: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.312257355486583.70964.176442875734699&type=3
Why You Should Consider Opening Your Home To Stray Dogs
Related
About The Author
Abby is from the USA and moved to the Philippines to be with her husband, David Christopher Hizon, who also happens to be her photographer for most of her writing endeavors. A gamer, a bookworm, an animal lover and a self-proclaimed foodie, she is passionate about everything that she does and hopes that will come across in her writing. Follow her at https://www.facebook.com/davichisabby, https://facebook.com/WritersInTandem/ & https://www.writersintandem.blog.com