Fur parents and about 100 cats and dogs joined a pet walk at the Panaad Park in Bacolod City on Saturday, March 29, to kick off the 1st Bacolod Pet Festival in line with the observance of Rabies Awareness Month.
Organized by the City Veterinary Office (CVO), the weeklong event, themed “Building a Safe and Rabies-Free Community is Our Shared Responsibility,” advocates rabies awareness, responsible pet ownership and animal welfare.
Dr. John Michael Cabuguason, assistant city veterinarian, said the pet festival showcases the commitment and strong collaboration between the government and private sector.
“We are very happy that a lot of fur parents and fur babies attended the pet walk,” he added.
On Sunday, the Philippine Canine Club Inc. All-Breed Dog Show will be held at Robinsons Place mall.
The three-day pet expo at the Ayala Malls Capitol Central will start on April 4 with the launching of the pet identification (ID) program and rabies awareness and animal welfare post-making contest and quiz bee;
April 5, cat meetup and handling, pet agility training and handling, and bully show; and April 6, pet fashion show, free cat spay and neuter services, rabies and animal welfare information, education, and communication activity, rescue and shelter management talk; and closing and awarding ceremony.
“We’re launching the pet registration at the event. We will guide the pet owners how to register using the QR (quick response) code. We will produce temporary IDs and there is an option to produce dog and cat tags. Through this enhanced system, we can have digital records. There is a one-time payment of PHP50,” Cabuguason said.
This year, the CVO targets to vaccinate 80,000 dogs and cats, with up to 8,000 pets covered as of this month.
“We’re still procuring vaccines. The budget is there. We’re looking to resume vaccination program before June,” he added.
Meanwhile, the FURrytales: 1st Bacolod Pet Festival Short Film Competition will also be launched on April 4 and open for registration until April 11.
Teaser and poster submission will be on April 18 while the final film submission is on April 25.*PNA