Adonis finally found his forever-home!
(His photos below)
THE RESCUE
Adonis, along with seven other dogs, were taken in by the PAWS shelter after they were rescued from the dog meat trade. Their story is described in the following re-post from the PAWS yahoogroup (If you view the video in the link below provided by HSUS (Humane Society of the United States), you will see Adonis (whom Kelly Omeara, the blonde lady, calls "Brown-Brown" in the video) on the day he was rescued):
“Date: Wed, 19 Sep 2007
Subject: [whatsuppaws] Humane Society International (HSI) Investigation Exposes Illegal Philippine Dog Meat Industry
NOTE:
Footages of "sanctuaries" being referred to by the narrator (see video link below or go to www.hsi.org/dogmeat), were taken at the PAWS Animal Rehabilitation Center (PARC).
(PAWS has been HSI's shelter and advocacy partner since 2001 - receiving free training from HSI through scholarship internship programs at US Shelters like Houston SPCA and Pasadena SPCA.)
Eight of the rescued dogs were brought to the PAWS shelter. Two have died due to distemper. The six are doing quite well and they are as sweet as "Brown-Brown" (Adonis) in the footage.
We hope to re-home all of them soon.
PAWS calls on all to sign every petition condemning the dog meat trade. We also appeal for support for our shelter - one of those struggling to survive. While international grants trickle in once or twice a year, our overhead costs for PARC stand at a whopping P75,000 every month .
Our volunteer-based group attends to the rehabilitation and re-homing of survivors of cruelty, along with our work of education, lobbying, campaigns, and offering low-cost spay/neuter.
Every little bit of help counts. You may contact philpaws@yahoo.com, if you wish to volunteer or send financial support or donations in kind.
Thank you.
-The Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS)
www.paws.org.ph
Humane Society International Investigation Exposes Illegal Philippine Dog Meat Industry
Findings Spur Launch of HSI Campaign to End Dog Meat Trade
WASHINGTON (September 19, 2007) - An in-depth investigation conducted by Humane Society International (HSI), the global arm of The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), expedited a new Philippine law that dramatically increases penalties for commercial dog meat traders. Today, the HSUS and HSI applauded the Philippines government for its efforts to utilize this law and eradicate the dog meat industry. But further action is needed, and quickly, to end this cruel and dangerous trade.
So, HSI has launched a campaign urging supporters to help wipe out the Philippine dog meat industry for good. Supporters are asked to view exclusive video footage taken during the undercover investigation that depicts the horrors of the dog meat trade:
http://community.hsus.org/campaign/hsi_stop_dog_meat_trade/ Those wishing to take action are encouraged to ask Philippines government officials to increase funding and training for enforcement of the new law.
"Officials in the Philippines must realize the outrage that this illegal trade incites in people all over the world. The treatment of these dogs is unimaginably horrific and inhumane. In all my years with HSI, this is one of the most disturbing cases that I have dealt with," said Kelly O'Meara, Director of International Programs with HSI. "The Philippine government needs to make enforcement of this new law a high priority."
The law in question, known as the Anti-Rabies Act, increases penalties from a paltry $19 fine for trading in dog meat to $100 per dog and a one-year to four-year jail sentence. The law took effect after HSI paid to expedite public notice and allow speedy enforcement.
A majority of Filipinos reject the consumption of dog meat, which was banned nationwide in 1998. Yet the trade survived in a small region in the north of the country due to weak penalties and lax enforcement.
Current estimates indicate up to 500,000 dogs are slaughtered and consumed commercially every year in the Philippines . These animals, including family pets, are rounded up in the streets, bound and transported by the truck-load to slaughterhouses. On average, 40-50 percent of the dogs die from suffocation and overheating en route to slaughter. At the slaughterhouses, dogs are clubbed or have their throats cut while fully conscious.
The HSUS and HSI have actively fought against the dog meat trade for years. HSI sponsored a symposium of international groups last year to address the commercial dog meat issue and to explore ways to strengthen regulations against it. To find out more about the campaign to end the Philippine dog meat trade please visit www.hsi.org/dogmeat.
(Humane Society International is the international arm of The Humane Society of the United States , the nation's largest animal protection organization - backed by 10 million Americans, or one of every 30. For more than a half-century, The HSUS has been fighting for the protection of all animals through advocacy, education, and hands-on programs. Celebrating animals and confronting cruelty -- On the web at humanesociety.org.)”
ADONIS THE CHARMER
The TV show Sis from GMA 7 had requested for PAWS to speak about one of its events, The Great Dog Dash. Upon spending a few minutes with Adonis, they decided to change the script, to instead discuss...Adonis! :D
Everyone in the studio (and we mean everyone, from the production staff to the crew to the three hosts of the show) was so enamored with this ultra-sweet little charmer that they changed our topic and promoted Adonis' adoption instead.
AND FINALLY, THE GOOD NEWS
“Dog rescued from dog meat trade - adopted!
Adonis was one of the 101 dogs found crammed in a van illegally transporting dogs bound for the slaughterhouses in the Northern provinces. Now, he has been adopted by Rhea Oropilla who also actively volunteers for the Philippine Children's Medical Center cancer ward.
Adonis is neutered and has passed PAWS' temperament -testing and is now ready to become a Doctor Dog (a therapy dog). Adonis will visit the PCMC cancer ward soon with his new mom Rhea - where they hope to make a lot of child patients happy. Rhea, who used to just visit the kids in PCMC on her own, is looking forward to doing her volunteer work with a partner now - a Doctor Dog rescued from the dog meat trade, no less!”
Adonis’ adoption story was featured in Philippine Star, the Pet Life section.
WHAT HIS NEW MOMMY SAYS
A couple of weeks after Rhea took Adonis home, we asked her how things were going, sent some “interview” questions for a write-up, and she replied with this wonderful, heart-warming message:
“A day with Adonis is a day overflowing with energy. "Don-don" as our family fondly calls him, is very energetic--hyper if you must. He never fails to show his love for us everyday.
He sleeps on our front porch where he can freely roam the front yard whenever he wants to. He is the king of our front yard and he knows it. He plays all over the garden--he plays with some coconut shells that he found near the plants, and sometimes he chews some leaves of my mom's plants too (hala, lagot!), hehe. And he's got a toy basketball that he loves "chasing around". He'd pick it up, run very fast, let go of it and then pick it up again. He is just so full of energy that sometimes, even I, who is considered to be very hyper by my friends, get exhausted. But the funny thing is when I sing to him, his eyes get droopy and he sits down as though he just wants to listen and sleep. Hahaha!
Anyway here's the long story of Adonis' adoption so hang on to your seats! Just recently, our dog Macmac passed away. After he was gone, our family felt a great loss. We've always had pet dogs in our home, and I can't recall a time when we didn't have a pet in our home. But somehow, MacMac was different. Macmac was really part of our family. In fact, he was like my brother. He protected us from bad people (especially during the time when we had workers around for our house extension) and gave us so much love and happiness. Needless to say, our hearts were broken. The accident was so unexpected that I was left with so much love to give to him but he wasn't there anymore. I cried to my Dad, i asked him to get me a new dog. And being a daddy's girl, in a matter of days, I received Robert John Galt de Niro (also known as RJ or Jeof-jeof, haha, don't ask, that's my mom's doing). But RJ wasn't really well when we received him. See, my dad rescued him from the squatter's area (the slums). RJ was very thin, very weak, and very sick. We brought him to the UP Vet Med and they wanted to have him confined then, but they couldn't because nobody would be left in the hospital since they were having a long holiday to celebrate All Souls’ Day. Even the private clinics wouldn't accept him so we just had the doctor deworm him and give us a prescription for antibiotics and vitamins. We brought him back home and nursed him to health. Turns out, he had a stomach-full of worms. With the worms gone, slowly but surely, he got better.
It was during the times when RJ was recovering when my bestest best friend Jean suggested we visit PAWS to look at the shelter (see, we should thank her, really, for giving me the idea). In the shelter, we met Jasmine and the other dogs. And then we met Adonis, who was in a separate cage then because he just had his neutering surgery.
What struck me about Adonis was that he kind of looked like my Macmac. But when I was talking with him when he was in his cage, he gave me a look that was full of love and understanding and he extended his hand (paw) to me and that just really made my heart melt. I remember crying and telling him to wait for me so I could bring him home, and he gave me a trusting look. Haay.
Our visit to PAWS was very emotional for my best friend and I. We went over to look at some cats as well, and Jean couldn't fight back her tears when she saw 1-2-3 who looked like her Garfield, who just didn't come home one day. She wanted so much to bring 1-2-3 home, but she already has 3 cats and 3 dogs in her house, and her cat, Baba, gets jealous easily.
Anyways, I asked permission from my parents if I could bring Adonis home and they gave me the go signal. And so one afternoon, Jean and I went back to PAWS to bring Adonis home =)
Adonis / Don-don gets along well with RJ / Jeof-jeof (I know, right, my family is very much fascinated with names with repeating syllables). Ever since Adonis arrived, Jeof-jeof became more playful and lively. When they play, sometimes Adonis accidentally steps on Jeof-jeof so he cries out. When this happens, Adonis would "nurse" jeof-jeof. He'd lick his face and his body. He generally gets along well with my cat Miming, too. They don't fight but they don't play too much either. Miming just gives him a bored look as if telling Adonis not to bother him 'coz he's tired. Hehe.
So there, that's our story. So sorry if it was so long.
I do ask my friends to adopt dogs from PAWS if they can. I also ask my teachers to adopt if they can. It isn't always easy--even our family had to adjust to Adonis' nature (he broke some stuff in our house kasi). But it would be great if all of the shelter dogs and cats in PAWS would find safe and loving homes. =)
Thank you! =) Adonis misses you all!”
ADONIS WOULD LIKE TO SAY SOMETHING TOO :)
Adonis also sent us his own letter (via his ghost-writer Anna :P). He wanted us to know how happy he was to finally have found his forever family (This letter was featured in the Philippine Star, Pet Life Section):
“Home for the Holidays: A Letter from Adonis / "Brown-Brown":
My name is Adonis. The sweetest dog in the animal shelter - when I was there, that's what I always heard the shelter staff say.
I survey my new turf - the garden owned by the girl who adopted me - Rhea Oropilla. She has a puppy named RJ, who is now my constant canine companion and playmate.
I still find it hard to believe that I am actually here, ready to spend my first Christmas with a family who loves me.
Several months ago, I thought I was a goner. I really did.
I was crammed with 100 other dogs in a small van. When they opened the van, some of the dogs who were in the cage with me were already dead due to suffocation.
Kelly, the blonde lady from Humane Society International who was there when we were rescued, was one of the first people who offered me a kind pat on the head. She kept calling me "Brown-Brown" and kept on saying I was "a good dog" in a soothing voice.
*Video of rescue here:
http://community.hsus.org/humane/notice-description.tcl?newsletter_id=14752672 I really liked that Kelly. I felt somehow that her nice, soothing voice was a sign of better days to come.
PAWS - that's The Philippine Animal Welfare Society - could only take in eight of us because they didn't have any more space at their shelter.
One of the PAWS officers who came - a girl - cried buckets of tears when she had finally picked us eight. She kept looking at the seventy-eight who were left behind at the Manila City Pound. We heard that some of them made it to another shelter - the John Hughes' Dog Shelter in Naguillan.
PAWS had a difficult time trying to keep us alive: We had all sorts of health problems, on top of the fact that we suffered from dehydration and malnutrition. Of the eight dogs, only three of my friends now remain at the shelter: Hiyas, Makisig and Likha.
I was the very first to be adopted. I hope my friends find their forever-homes, too.
So forgive me please if I wag my tail too much or fold my ears in glee everytime someone calls out my name. Makisig used to give me some brotherly advice at the shelter: I should try to show a little restraint, he says.
I can't help it.
Rhea and the many people like her at PAWS have restored my faith in humankind.
Every day is a day of celebration: a chance to wag my tail freely and tell the world that I found a human who will try to love me as MUCH as I love her.
I am happy to be among friends - safe at last. Thanks to all of you who cared.
Love,
Adonis
* Adonis also passed the PAWS Dr. Dog temperament-testing and will start his "duties" as Dr. Dog at the Phil Children's Medical Center on Friday, Dec 14, 2007.”
ADONIS AS DR. DOG!
Adonis was so sweet-tempered that PAWS immediately recruited him for their animal-assisted therapy program - only one of the two AsPins (Asong Pinoys) who are currently Dr. Dogs (therapy animals). He passed the temperament-test procedures with flying colors, and was already neutered, so he was good to go!
Animals Asia Foundation, the proponents of the International Doctor Dog Program, sent a special request that we video-shoot Adonis’ first Dr Dog activity – they were very excited to see this special dog, who only a few months before was confiscated from dog meat traders.
Watch Dr Dog Adonis in action at the PCMC:
http://babybranny.multiply.com/video/item/12Pics of adorable Adonis found below (his long arduous trek from being confiscated from the dog meat trade to meeting his new forever-family to being a Dr Dog).
Still more pics of Adonis in PAWS volunteer Kristin Ty’s site:
http://buzz1026.multiply.com/photos/album/17/Dr_Dog_at_PCMC_-_14_December_2007_Our Adonis is home and happy =)
Thanks for reading!
he's really home.;-) 
