Animal Kingdom Foundation (AKF) has been rescuing slaughter-bound dogs since the early 2000 and now with less frequent dog meat trade activities going on, our program is now composed of aiding special needs animals like strays, abandoned and neglected pets or worse, the ones who are cruelly inflicted with injuries by humans.
If humans suffer from physical and psychological inflictions, so do our pets and strays. We may be too busy with our struggles but as an animal welfare group, AKF is far too well aware of the pains and miseries of these animals.
They too suffer immensely as neglected and maltreated sentient beings and although there are fur-parents who greatly value their companion animals, there are still a lot of us who undervalue their overall importance in our lives. Heck, they are even clubbed cruelly and eaten by a minority of us.
Dogs were once part of man’s utility team but as their population grew and breed expanded, their working roles are reduced and, with it, their value. How we ended up with thousands upon thousands of strays is a sad story to tell; we, as a nation, simply chose to ignore them and, in the process, neglect their well-being by not being tough on animal welfare violators, by not prioritizing the implementation of regulations meant to protect these animals.
The simple truth is that the implementation of animal welfare laws – a notable feat from our lawmakers considering we are among the very first country to have a law favoring the welfare of animals – is wanting. It appears that the authorities and pertinent agencies are lacking in safeguarding the welfare of cats and dogs in the country. If they are not, there would not be pounds wherein these animals are dismally kept to be killed, there would not be a cottage industry of rescuers who cannot feed or provide better living conditions to these animals, there would not be puppy mills, and there would not be households with neglected number of pets. If other developed nations have controlled the number of pets per family, if they have negligible number of wandering animals on the streets, and if they reduced the incident of animal bites to almost zero and be officially identified as rabies-free countries, then we, as a nation, must admit that we have a ton to prove as a dog and cat-loving country. We already have the regulations, we just need to be tough in implementing them and make the violators accountable. Across the board.
AKF has experienced first-hand the distressing conditions of our native dogs who were slaughter-bound, that seeing them recover and get adopted by loving individuals and families is always an emotional moment for us.
There are just too many dogs and cats out there that need to be welcomed home with sincere and genuine care, seeing slaughter-bound dogs embraced by loving humans into their homes is the bright-spot in the grim reality of dogs being undervalued by our society.
To those who love their companion animals, AKF takes its hat off to you and to those who are not clear on the importance of having to care for pets; here are some of the reasons why some of us hold them valuable:
Companionship
Pets provide comfort to people who need unconditional interaction with another living being and more importantly, dogs can decrease levels of loneliness and give humans a sense of purpose. Those things, you cannot underestimate.
Stress Reduction and Health Benefits
Playing with a dog, exercising, walking or running can help human beings reduce stress levels and increase their health and well-being. Scientific studies attest to this and pet-owners, without a doubt, agree 100 per cent.
Service Animals
Dogs raised as service or therapy animals can open up the world for disabled individuals. Service animals can make it possible for physically disadvantaged individuals to work, travel and live independently. Search-and-rescue dogs can track human scent in even the most challenging environments.
Security
Dogs provide a sense of security for human companions. Ask someone who lives alone or a wife left alone with her kids.
Dogs employed by government agencies and police organizations help in locating contraband in places like airports and large public places to ensure public security. Think about that for a second. They provide security to the public. Real heroes.
Teaching Responsibility
Kids can be taught valuable traits and life skills through positive interaction with the family pet and by taking responsibility for feeding, walking, training and grooming. Children can learn the value of treating all living things with respect and dignity when they have the opportunity to care for and love a family dog.
And so AKF salutes those who chose to adopt and not shop, those who prefer to visit shelters and embrace in their lives a rescued animal.
Please know that with every rescued animal you welcome home you provide space in our shelter for another hapless animal to be given TLC and become an unconditional-love-giving-pet again.
