So this year, I decided to give my dog Mappy a treat by taking him to the Bon Appetit event at the Vikings buffet yesterday. This is of course organized by the Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) as fundraiser for the shelter where I volunteer. This is the second time the buffet was opened for pet owners and their pets by Vikings. The first time was two years ago, which I also attended with a then-shelter dog Mappy.
As expected, the hardest part of it was the ride. Mappy is terrified of large objects, and that category unfortunately includes cars, stationary or moving. However, 'ol Mappy is a real lone wolf so he has no qualms with other dogs being the same room as long as they remain at a safe distance. I think he actually enjoys simply being at home and sleeping until his next walk. He's such a home buddy and I love that about him. He's a giant tail-wagging hug whenever I come home from a stressful day, and he makes every trouble worth it. I thought it would also be nice for him to see and sniff the volunteers who cared for him back when he was still a shelter dog.
Unlike the previous one, this year's event was themed, and the people behind it thought it would be cool to be Hawaiian-themed. So with our luau outfit and leis, we arrived before lunch.
I also got asked to be one of the volunteers to go up the stage to present the shelter dogs whose transformation stories are being showcased at the event. It is nice to hear Ms Anna Cabrera (current director and the face of PAWS) mention that animal welfare groups should not only be about rescue and educating the public but should also include celebrating the lives which have been saved by the cause.
Surrounded by people with such deep sense of selflessness is the exact environment I want to be in constantly.
At the same event two years ago, I brought the shelter dog Crispin on stage. He has since been adopted and is now called Pingping the Singing Aspin who even has his own Instagram account. This year, I brought Crispin's sister Consolacion on stage. Much like the other shelter dogs, Scion has had a hard life. I remember during her first days at the shelter, she was so scared of everything including the feeling of water on her tender skin (due to alopecia) that she would snap and cry every time we bathe her. Now, she is not only well-behaved, be she also knows basic commands such as sitting thanks to her rehabilitation.
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