Victorias City Mayor Javier Miguel “Javi” Benitez and PAWSsion Project Foundation members rescued 20 dogs from the congested Bacolod City Pound on Friday, February 9.
Benitez said one of the dogs named Benny was near death and is undergoing blood transfusion. Hopefully he lives, the mayor said.
The rescued dogs were brought to the newly inaugurated Victorias shelter that has the capacity to house 100 dogs, he said.
The rescued dogs were living in a very poor environment and were not adequately cared for, Benitez said.
“We are running against time, dogs’ lives are being lost, it has to be now you can’t wait anymore,” Benitez said of the rescue operation on Friday.
The Victorias pound had 40 local dogs so it now has 60 occupants with those rescued from Bacolod, Benitez said.
Benitez said when they saw the dogs at the Bacolod pound they looked very sad but there was a huge difference when they arrived at the Victorias shelter because they were wagging their tails and running around.
PAWSsion, in a post on its website, said the 20 dogs brought to the Vicorias shelter will be rehabilitated, vaccinated, dewormed, neutered and then will be put up for adoption.
“This is the very first time we have done a rescue operation with a mayor and we cannot be grateful enough that he made time for this,” the post said.
“Witnessing the really weak and scared dogs immediately bloom, smile and wag their tails when they arrived at the shelter will always be one of the most inspiring and emotional moments we advocates witness. Thank you Mayor Javi for helping the dogs at the pound, “ the PAWSsion post added.
“We continue to hope and pray for more LGUs to give animal welfare a chance…May more people consider helping and adopting dogs in pounds. Animal welfare is also human welfare,” it said.
PAWSsion Project Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to animal welfare.*