Alden Richards can’t imagine life without dogs.
Thus, it was a no-brainer when the 30-year-old celebrity agreed to be spokesperson of the Philippine Animal Welfare Society, joining longtime advocates Heart Evangelista and Carla Abellana.
The top GMA actor is admittedly a proud parent of a seven-year-old aspin, Chichi, whom he dotes on.
“My family has always had dogs. May purebreeds, may aspin. We love them all equally and I can say grabe din sila magmahal unconditionally,” said Richards.
Chichi gets protective upon seeing anybody approaching him. When he pretends to cry, Chichi always has her paws ready to console him.
“So, I really feel bad pag nakakarinig ako ng mga comments na minamaliit ang mga aspin. Lahat ng aso dapat tinuturing na part of the family,” he pointed out.
Richards called out the public over its stereotype perception of aspin: “Common pa rin kasi ‘yung pag-iisip na pag native dog, puwedeng hindi na masyado alagaan kasi matibay naman sila. But that is so unfair.”
Aspin is a contraction of “aso” and “Pinoy,” which PAWS coined in 2007 to replace the derogatory term “askal.”
As ambassador of PAWS’ “I Love My Aspin” campaign, Alden will promote awareness on aspin and responsible pet ownership.
“With this campaign, I want to tell everyone na I am a proud aspin parent. I think aspin need to be talked about more — how they make great pets and that they deserve na magkaroon ng pamilya na mamahalin at magmamahal sa kanila.”