Whether your family has a pet or you have friends who share their homes with cats and dogs, we’re sure you’re familiar with the unbridled joy they bring. Since our furry friends are part of the family, it’s only right that we celebrate not just their birthdays, but the holidays that honor them, too.
International Cat (August 8) and Dog (August 26) Days not only celebrate different breeds and sizes of these furry friends, marking these dates also aim to raise awareness on how to keep them safe.
Beyond taking photos and posting them on social media, you can make these days more meaningful by doing your part in spreading the word about pet adoption or donating to different animal shelters.
Show some furry love in your own little way with these must-dos:
Schedule a visit to the vet.
Once quarantine restrictions allow, call your vet and schedule a check-up for your furry friend. See if their vaccination record is updated and get them the necessary shots to ensure that they are healthy. There’s nothing better than making sure their overall health and well-being is taken care of.
Book a grooming appointment.
A pamper day can make them feel loved, of course! Depending on your next free schedule and once the enhanced community quarantine has been lifted, you can also look into mobile pet salons that can drop by your house so your dog or cat can get a needed trim.
Make sure there’s ample parking space available for the truck and an outlet where they can plug the equipment they will use. For starters, you can consider getting in touch with BarkPark Mobile Dog Salon, Happy Endings Mobile Pet Grooming, and Vanity Fur Mobile Pet Salon.
Donate to an animal shelter.
Strays and abandoned pets need love and care, too. Celebrate pet holidays by reaching out to animal shelters to inquire about how you can help.
These shelters would appreciate donations to make sure the animals they’re looking after have enough food and vitamins.
Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) – dedicated to the protection and promotion of humane treatment of animals, PAWS is a volunteer-based organization that also campaigns against animal cruelty and neglecting pets.
They also aim to educate people about these advocacies by disseminating information about animal welfare and care, to name a few.
Hound Haven – the only institutionalized organization that advocates for military and contract working dogs in the Philippines.
There are different ways to help these canines who have dedicated their lives to providing service whether it’s through donations, giving them a home, becoming a dog godparent, or training to be a hound ranger.
Pawssion Project – welcomes help in any form – whether it’s through donations, volunteering, adopting, and sponsoring pets.
They have different initiatives as well such as stray feeding, spay/neuter, and relief operations.
CARA Welfare Philippines – aims to promote animal welfare by raising awareness, offering affordable veterinary services, and rehoming of cats and dogs.
To help their causes aside from donating, you can adopt, sponsor, or foster a pet.
Philippine Animal Rescue Team (PART) – run by a group of volunteers, PART is a SEC-registered animal welfare non-profit organization that advocates for the end of killing homeless animals, spay/neuter programs, adoption, and supporting laws that ensure the wellbeing of animals.
Strays Worth Saving – SWS is a foundation that’s dedicated to rescuing cats and dogs, especially those in pain and in need of immediate medical help.
Aside from conducting spay/neuter and feeding projects, they also run a shelter in Batangas where around 60 rescue dogs are staying while waiting for adoption. SWS welcomes donations from sponsors and they also sell merchandise to fund their programs.
Spread the furry love by applying to Dr. Dog.
One of PAWS’ projects, Dr. Dog is a program that brings “canine consultants” and their handlers to hospitals, orphanages, and schools to provide animal-assisted therapy.
This form of therapy is known to bring mental and physical advantages to patients and their families, too.
While applications for therapy animals are currently suspended due to the pandemic, you can include this in your list of things to do with your fur baby.
