(PH) All dogs (and cats) can go to heaven in style

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Pet Memorial

All dogs (and cats) can go to heaven in style

 

By Jeannette Andrade

Inquirer

11/02/2007

 

MANILA, Philippines – Thanks to the Philippine Animal

Welfare Society, dog and cat owners can honor the

memory of their departed pets in style.

 

In Katipunan Valley, Loyola Heights in Quezon City,

part of a 5,000-sq m lot owned by the Manila Electric

Co. has been turned into a burial ground for pets. The

compound also houses the animal rehabilitation center

of the organization.

 

Anna Cabrera, PAWS’ program director, said she prefers

the term “pet memorial” to pet cemetery.

 

“We never thought of this place as a burial ground,”

Cabrera told the Inquirer. “Initially, we just wanted

to accommodate pet owners who live in condominium

units or apartment buildings who have no lots of their

own to bury their dead pets.”

 

Wall of remembrance

 

Apart from a common grave site where the animals are

buried, there is a memorial wall on which is

inscribed, “Gone but not forgotten.” Underneath the

words are gray and ecru tiles on which grief-stricken

pet owners leave a message for their dead pets. There

are also ledges on which they can place lighted

candles or pictures of their departed furry friends.

 

Cabrera said that since the soft opening of the PAWS

Animal Rehabilitation Center in 2001, people have been

asking about a place where they could give their pets

a proper burial.

 

“We could not refuse them,” Cabrera said, adding that

they knew many do not just “dump” the bodies of their

beloved pets that had given them unconditional

affection.

 

She recalled that some people even had tombstones made

for their pets, and PAWS accommodated them because it

would have been awkward and cruel to turn them away.

 

Pet owners are asked to make a minimum donation of

P500 to the organization to cover the cost of digging

a grave and the holding of a short funeral service.

 

For those who want to leave an engraved message on the

memorial wall which was inaugurated earlier this

month, they have to pay P2,000 per tile.

 

According to Cabrera, the proceeds from the wall will

go to the shelter’s operations.

 

“They (pet owners) know this is a fundraising effort

and they are making a donation to the shelter,” she

explained.

 

Unconditional love

 

“It’s a way for them to remember their pets and give

back what their pets had given them: Unconditional

love and loyalty for which they never asked for

anything in return,” Cabrera stressed.

 

Some of the tiles on the memorial wall were already

filled up when the Inquirer visited the pet memorial.

 

In one, Oscar thanked Fifi, his cat, “whose

companionship helped me through one of the most

difficult periods of my life.”

 

In another, Oscar and Lana expressed their gratitude

to their pet cat, Socks, for saving their son’s life.

One tile contained the words: “Taco, our prince, you

will be missed.” (There was no indication what kind of

animal Taco was.)

 

There was also a message from a family who described

their dogs Soda, Kitkat, and Biny as the light of

their lives.

 

Tata, also known as PAWS president Nita

Hontiveros-Lichauco, paid tribute to her departed cats

by inscribing on one tile the words, “All our

meow-meows, Always loved …” There was another tile two

ledges below for her dogs. “All our bow-wows, Always

loved …” the message on the second tile read.

 

There is a tile in honor of Hollis, a dog who traveled

from New York to Manila and to Heaven from May 2004 to

March 2006. “Your memories will stay in my heart,” was

Mama Medy’s message for her pet.

 

Philippine Idol finalist, Drae Ybañez, had the words,

“You will surely be missed,” on the tile he took out

for his dog, Lucy Pevensie.

 

Dedications

 

There were also dedications on other tiles to Sasha

who was described as a doctor dog and Muffin, “Alya’s

beloved dog” for whom “life was short but sweet.”

 

Cabrera said that the generous donations from the pet

owners are vital to the PARC’s operations. They spend

a whopping P75,000 every month looking after 36 dogs

and 31 cats housed at the PAWS shelter.

 

The cost of owning a memorial tile is minimal compared

to the price of having a pet cremated which is pegged

at P5,000.

 

“We do not offer cremation but there is a veterinarian

in Laguna to whom we usually refer pet owners who want

to avail of the service,” Cabrera said.

 

Dr. Manny Reyes picks up the deceased pet, documents

the entire process through photographs and brings back

the urn bearing the animal’s ashes to its owner.

 

Cabrera said the pet memorial will be open until today

from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. for those who wish to offer

flowers and light candles for their departed pals.

 

“We are usually closed on Sundays and holidays. We are

opening our doors this time to allow the pet owners to

freely visit their pets,” she said.

 

Although no one knows for sure whether all dogs (and

cats) go to heaven, their owners, with PAWS’ help, can

send them off with their love. And in style, too.

 

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He loved Lucy

By Candy Palenzuela-Dalizon

Inquirer

11/02/2007

 

MANILA, Philippines – His dog was named after Lucy

Pevensie, a major character from C.S. Lewis’s

well-loved “The Chronicles of Narnia.” The youngest of

the four Pevensie children, and the first to find the

entrance to Narnia in the book “The Lion, The Witch

and the Wardrobe,” part of the Narnia series, Lucy was

loved by everybody.

 

Just like Lucy Pevensie, Philippine Idol finalist Drae

Ybañez’ dog, a black Labrador, was also well-loved.

 

The Ybañez’ family’s favorite pet died only a few

months back, allegedly a poison victim. The

circumstances surrounding her death remains a mystery

to Drae.

 

Drae bought Lucy, and another Labrador named Luther

Blitz, for his brother. “Since my nieces had just seen

the movie version of ‘The Lion …’ at that time, they

named my dog after Lucy Pevensie,” Drae said.

 

“Technically, Lucy is my brother’s dog but she since

she stayed with me in my parents’ house for the first

half of her life, I consider her my very own,” he

added.

 

Transformation

 

Drae still remembers the day Lucy died. He noticed

that Lucy had transformed from an active dog, always

jumping and running, to a listless canine.

 

Worried about Lucy’s deteriorating health, Drae

decided to take Lucy to a veterinarian’s clinic where

the dog was confined overnight. Lucy died the next day

after vomiting blood the night before.

 

“Lucy even tried to lift her head to look at me for

the last time. She was dehydrated and the vet had a

hard time putting in the IV,” Drae related.

 

Memories

 

Drae has fond memories of Lucy. “She was always

excited to see me, barking all the time, jumping up

and down and wiggling her tail vigorously. When I come

close she would quickly lie on her back and move her

entire body, waiting for me to give her stomach rub,”

he said.

 

Before he bought a memorial tile from the Philippine

Animal Welfare Society, Lucy was buried in front of

Drae’s house. The pet lover learned about the memorial

project from Rich Ilustre, director of “Philippine

Idol” and “Shall We Dance,” two popular television

shows.

 

“I haven’t visited Lucy’s memorial tile yet but I’m

planning to do so soon. At the same time I can help

clean up the animal shelter,” Drae said.

 

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