Raising pets, raising a family

PAUL Relacion and Malaya Relacion, both pet lovers, are parents to kids Freedom and Freeya. But their family is not the typical family because Freedom and Freeya have three other furry siblings that they grow up with. They have Z, a German Shepherd; Rogie, a Golden Retriever, and Sherah, an American Bully. Freedom and Freeya grew up in a household that values the welfare of animals and fosters the sense of responsibility for the children. This is what pushed the couple together with their Bukas Loob sa Diyos (BLD) Catholic Covenant Community to organize their first ever Family Pet Show at Gaisano Grand, Buhangin, Davao City on February 9, 2020. They also organized this event with Hanz and Nina Tagabucba of BLD Davao District Family Encounter 23 Class Shepherds. Aside from it being a fundraising activity for their upcoming family retreat on May, Paul said they see the importance of raising pets and exposing kids to them when raising a family. "Many households here in Davao have pets. Pets have a certain happiness that they give to the children and the other family members. They teach kids compassion, to be caring, and to develop positive attitude that they can pass on the next generations," shared Paul. They were surprised and very glad of the turnout of the pet show. There were a total of 80 pet-owner participants owning different pets from dogs, cats, rabbits, fishes, birds, and guinea pigs. Noel Venus, one of the BLD couple shepherds and elder leader, also believed that pets are essential for better relationships of family members and a good tool to teach children values-formation. "Training our children, through caring of pets, would hopefully lead them to be more caring, loving, and to become a better person when they grow up," Noel shared. "The advent of electronic gadgets reinforces our intelligence but the downside is we are preoccupied with comfort, convenience, leaving most of us to be alone. Pets provide us with companionship and develop within us animate interactions," he added. Raising animals go beyond just having someone to guard the house when we are out of town or at work, raising pets is a responsibility -- an extension of the family. In turn, we are loved and are taught the beautiful kind of love that only pets can give.