We’ve all heard the saying, “A dog is a man’s best friend,” maybe once in our lives. However, we often overlook the fact that it shouldn’t be a one-sided relationship. After all, a man should also be a dog’s best friend.
Here in Cebu City, on the alleyways or streets of urban life, a silent and often overlooked population roams the streets — the stray dogs. The forgotten souls of the concrete jungles of city life. These animals certainly serve as a poignant reminder of the harsh realities experienced by those who do not have a place to call home that is their own.
According to the Philippine Animal Welfare Society (Paws), there were approximately 12 million stray cats and dogs in the Philippines as of 2019. Since then, this number has likely increased due to continued reproduction and abandonment. With cases like dogs being killed on the streets and being brought into animal pounds, where they spend the rest of their lives waiting to be euthanized, this makes us wonder: Is this truly the fate these dogs deserve?
Response
Amid all the tragedy, one exceptional hero lies in the city of Cebu — Raquel Rodriguez. She has opened doors for these animals and has been providing a safe place for them to call their home.
Raquel is the founder of Legacy of Hope for the Animals Inc., a non-profit organization that operates animal shelters in both Talisay and Naga. While spearheading the shelter, she juggles being a mother and having to work as a virtual assistant, HR in a recruitment agency in the United States and unit head manager in an insurance company, which are all work-from-home setups.
Her love of animals began when she was a kid, where she grew up taking care of pets and then eventually owned one in college.
In 2021, she then decided to have a shelter as she heard about 15 dogs from a pound in Minglanilla were about to be euthanized, so she took matters in her own hands, taking care of them on her own until she found eligible adopters.
Rodriguez shared her ultimate goal for the animal shelter is to find homes for these animals, but for the senior dogs, her goal is to make the animal shelter their forever home.
“Our goal is to rehabilitate the abused and abandoned animals. For them to find forever homes. But for those senior ones who can’t be adopted, they can be sheltered in the shelter with Legacy of Hope their entire lives. They can stay here, and they can find love and care in our shelter,” Rodriguez said.
At the animal shelter in Naga, which houses 55 dogs, rescues roam freely in the highlands, away from the dangers of roads. Whereas, in Talisay, where they care for 46 dogs and 28 cats, they provide a dedicated space for sickly rescues that require medical care from veterinarians.
Sustaining the shelter wasn’t easy for Rodriquez, as she uses her own hard-earned money from her jobs to support it. Thankfully, donations from other organizations have been a kind and crucial source of support, though it’s not always the case.
According to Rodriguez, to provide medical care, they raise funds and have a partnership with a clinic in Guadalupe, which they promise to pay in installments.
Motivation
When asked about her motivation, Rodriguez explained that she feels a deep sense of empathy and connection to the plight of abandoned animals, and she likens the experience of witnessing these animals suffer to having one’s own family abandoned and deprived of basic necessities.
Rodriguez even expressed that it broke her heart to visit the Minglanilla pound, highlighting the distressing conditions faced by the animals there.
“Especially when I first visited the Minglanilla pound, it’s very heartbreaking because you can see in the small cage that they have been mixed, and it’s very hard for them to sit down, they just need to stand up. There were even puppies who died there because they had been stepped on by other dogs,” Rodriguez said.
While managing the shelter, Rodriguez gets help from her neighbors in Naga, who have become caretakers in her absence, and in Talisay, she has a dedicated helper, and her husband also lends a hand.
She also mentioned that the Legacy of Hope for Animals Inc. welcomes volunteers who are passionate about advancing this advocacy on a broader scale, ensuring that more animals will receive the care they deserve.
As for their plans, their goal is to have all rescued dogs spayed and neutered so they won’t have to contribute to the growing population, as one dog could give birth to a maximum of 12 puppies. And also give them a longer life.
Rodriguez reminds everybody that there is a significant responsibility that comes with having a pet, stressing that it is a lifelong commitment.
“Having a pet is really a huge commitment, it is a lifetime commitment, so before you decide to have a pet, you need to think twice that you can support their needs, if in case they get sick, [make sure] you can afford their medical bills, and you have to be responsible owners,” Rodriguez said. Kenneth King E. Gonzales, UP Cebu intern / Writer