Santos: Our next great adventure

ONE early morning last December, I was roused from sleep when my three golden retrievers suddenly became agitated. Sabrina, Roslin’s get (Flurry’s the third one, Roslin’s littermate), was incorrigible. She punctuated their agitation with her trademark barking. They heard a two-month old Siberian Husky being given a bath by my next-door neighbor.

I know that Siberian Huskies “talk,” but their talk is like a shrill; to unfamiliar people it would sound like they were being killed. A puppy being given a bath with ice-cold water in December is torture. I was mortified. I volunteered to give the puppy a blow-dry. This was not only to ensure the puppy was dry to the skin but also to have the puppy associate bathing as a nice experience.

To make sure that the puppy will not be stressed, I set the dryer into the minimum setting for a quieter and gentler air coming out of the nozzle. I also plugged a small cotton ball in each of the ears of the puppy to mask the noise of the dryer. In between my baby talks to the puppy, I started a conversation with my neighbor. I learned that his name was Happy. He was from a litter of three and all of them were being sold.

I cringed seeing my neighbor having no qualms about parting with the puppies she brought into this world. In fact, she offered to sell Happy to me. I inquired if the sire and dam were shown in the conformation ring. No, they were never shown. I also asked if both sire and dam, at least, have hip clearances. The neighbor looked at me like I was this crazy person and asked me back, “What clearances?” Happy, and the rest of the litter, has been dewormed twice but no vaccination at all. I was already on stitches because that would make the puppies more susceptible to viral infections. I tried to convince my neighbor to postpone selling the puppies for another four weeks so that they may have at least two rounds of vaccinations.

After an hour with Happy “talking,” he was dry, comfortable, and spiffy. Looking at his beautiful head and stoic expression, for a moment, I thought to myself that he will be a good addition to my golden retrievers. I was snapped out of my reverie by voices of glee from the front gate. They were my guests from Manila vacationing over the weekend (I am managing a 5-bedroom house for travelers on a budget) who marveled at Happy. With that, my neighbor said thank you and brought Happy home. I was hopeful that my neighbor would reconsider selling the puppies.

In the late afternoon of that same day, there was a loud banter at my neighbor’s yard a few minutes after my guests checked-out of the transient house. To my horror, I saw one of them cuddling Happy and together with the other guests, cooing like they have a new cute baby. It turned out that they took a liking to Happy when they saw him and eventually purchased him. Just like that. I felt bad that my neighbor ignored my insights. At least, I saw her shed some tears when they finally brought Happy inside their vehicle.

That experience made me think about this coming May 2019 elections.

Purebreds came to be because they were intended to have a purpose. For example, Siberian Huskies were meant to be endurance sled dogs, Chowchows to protect Chinese Royalty, Dachshunds to dig into a badger’s den, German Shepherds to herd livestock, and Golden Retrievers to retrieve game, among others. To safeguard their working abilities, appearance, temperament and health, a breed standard for each breed were formulated.

But because of the need for financial gain and other vested interests, purebreds all over the world today are turned into mediocre versions of themselves. Little consideration is being given to the breed standard. Litter after litter; unsound, unhealthy, ill-tempered dogs are produced.

I hope that the voters will not be like my neighbor, a backyard breeder who took for granted the possible health and behavioral issues of the sire and dam and if they would produce sound offspring. I hope that the voters will not be like the guests of my transient house who bought Happy out of a whim, not taking into account their capability to provide him a safe and appropriate environment so that he may properly develop mentally and physically.

It may appear daunting to determine whom to vote for but the Preamble of the Constitution already provides a basic guideline, “We, the sovereign Filipino people, imploring the aid of Almighty God, in order to build a just and humane society and establish a Government that shall embody our ideals and aspirations, promote the common good, conserve and develop our patrimony, and secure to ourselves and our posterity the blessings of independence and democracy under the rule of law and a regime of truth, justice, freedom, love, equality, and peace, do ordain and promulgate this Constitution.”

The Constitution of the Philippines is akin to the breed standard of a purebred. The Constitution, experience and qualifications, should be the voters’ yardstick when deciding whom to choose; not out of a whim, fame, money, or power. The voters should thoroughly examine how a political candidate and his or her platform embodies the Constitution.

Moreover, the electorate should vote for a candidate whose qualifications would enable him or her to fulfil what the Constitution stipulates. Is the candidate a champion of human rights? Is the candidate an advocate of the rule of law? Does his or her platform have concrete solutions to address poverty, poor health and nutrition, access to quality education, infrastructure to lessen the impact of natural calamities, overdevelopment, overpopulation, and corruption? Are the candidate’s business interests not detrimental to the environment and marginalized?

Does the candidate belong to a political dynasty? Will the candidate unequivocally fight for the West Philippine Sea? Are the academic and the professional qualifications of the candidate fit for the elective position? Is the candidates track record as a public official devoid of corruption?

Despite the odds that Happy is up against, that of growing structurally unsound, unhealthy, and neglected. Despite the odds that our nation is up against, that of Kakistocracy and unenlightened voters. I am still hopeful. It is enough for me to know that during the olden times, there were women who domesticated dogs who paved the way for loving companion animals.

It is enough for me to know that during the Spanish Colonization, there were those who laid down their lives and gave up their privileged positions so that the nation will be free from the shackles of Spain. It is enough for me to know that despite the preponderance of puppy millers and backyard breeders, there are still breeders who protect and improve on the purebreds so that dog enthusiasts may enjoy their incomparable beauty, love, and loyalty.

It is enough for me to know that during the dark years of the Marcos Dictatorship, there were thousands who spilled their bloods for the sake of democracy. And more importantly, it is enough for me to know that even with the relentless and brazen attacks of the resent regime against everything that our nation holds dear, there are still many others who put their lives at risk to make sure that democracy, basic human rights, rule of law and our patrimony, will not be compromised.

These are dark times, indeed, for the dogs and Filipinos. But I encourage you to hope. Because great changes, as one Jedi who went rogue alluded to before she gave up her life a long time ago in a galaxy far away, are built on hope.

Of course, hoping is just the start of another great adventure of ours. But, please, let us not wait for another 30 or 400 years.

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