MANILA, PHILIPPINES – On a Facebook post last August 26th, Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto announced that six retired dogs from the city’s K9 unit are up for adoption in time for International Dog Day. As the post earned praises from the followers of the mayor’s many advocacies, it also caught the attention of a brand that bears the same vision.
“We salute Pasig DRRMO in their initiative to encourage adoption of pets under their care through a careful screening process. This will ensure that these animals will go to loving and responsible pet owners. MSD Animal Health (Phils.) Inc. also dreams of creating a Happy Pets World for all with its innovative products like Bravecto,” Bianca Arejola, DVM, Bravecto’s Marketing & Key Accounts Manager said in a statement.
Among Pasig’s reorganized City Veterinary Office (CVO)’s animal welfare programs in place is the free spaying and neutering of stray cats and dogs in the city that they started on September 17th in cooperation with the Philippine Veterinary Medical Association, Bureau of Animal Industry, and Vets Love Nature.
“Pinapalakas namin ang City Vet office dito sa Pasig City para maging safe yung Pasig pagdating sa mga stray dogs. Yung mga programs like kanina, spay & neuter,” Pasig City DRRMO Chief Bryant Meryll Ruiz Wong said in an interview. He also stated that for that day alone, their target is to accommodate 200 dogs and cats. They have scheduled the same for the other barangays as well.
“Yung scheduling per barangay, it’s between 8AM to 4PM. Yung sa mga dumadaming mga stray dogs, we (also) have programs for that,” he elaborates.
When asked about their future plans in regards to pet welfare within the city’s walls, Wong said that they aim to be one of the model cities when it comes to dog adoption.
“We have a process from the DRRMO to the City Vet and to a private sector component, so nagtutulungan. Tapos may mga criteria kami talaga, so medyo mahigpit talaga.”
CRE8manila, MSD Animal Health (Phils.) Inc.’s creative agency, saw this as a perfect opportunity to help achieve the common goal of a Happy Pets World. In support of Pasig’s adoption program, the brand, with the help of its creative agency, provided adoption kits including Bravecto to the city DRRMO last September 17th. These take-home kits were provided to help protect the dogs from ticks and fleas, and will be given after a successful adoption to ensure that the dog will have a Happy Pets World in his/her new home.
“There are a lot of pets that are in need of a good loving home and we want to contribute, even in a small way to encourage and spread awareness on adoption with this initiative,” MSD Animal Health (Phils.) Inc’s Dr. Arejola said.
The country clearly still has a long way to go to become a community that prioritizes animal welfare, but this is a very good start. MSD Animal Health (Phils.) Inc hopes that this effort will help in creating a Happy Pets World.
