It’s one thing to own a pet, and another to cherish them.
Whether it’s a dog or a cat that captured your heart, breed or non-breed, expressing love and care for them can affect the way other people treat their pets.
According to a study by Brooks et al., pets constitute a source of support which people could trust and rely on compared to people — “they provided simple relationships free from conflict and they did not overstep boundaries.”
Pets have done so much for us, humans, and it seems only fitting to honor them any way we can. Ayala Malls is using its platform and facilities to support animal welfare through Paws n’ Play, its annual pet festival at UP Town Center.
On its fifth year, Paws n’ Play continues to promote humane treatment for animals through various pet fairs, dog obedience training sessions, and workshops on responsible pet ownership.
Paws n’ Play officially kicked off with the Forever Home Project, a two-day adoption event at UP Town Center. The program continued with Animal Welfare Talks featuring speakers from local animal welfare groups.
Visitors who donated to the participating animal shelters got lucky at the raffle draw. They took home special prizes from brand sponsors such as Pet Lovers Centre, Woof Freeze Dried Dog Food, Doggies’ Choice, Dogs & More PH, and Quinini Pet Food.
On 10 September, the celebration continues with Gotcha Gala, an exclusive meet-up of rescued and adopted pets and their owners. Those invited will be pre-selected from a pool of online entries in response to Ayala Malls’ call for stories of hope and successful pet adoptions.
Paws n’ Play is also holding a week-long photo exhibit of Gotcha Gala winning entries happening from 10 to 17 September. Ayala Malls is encouraging viewers to interact with the photos by leaving notes on the space provided for the pet-parent and featured fur-baby.
The festival will culminate with Paw It Forward, a one-day event featuring a series of workshops to be held for the benefit of select animal welfare shelters. It will commence on 2 October, a weekend prior to World Animal Day.
Paws n’ Play is in partnership with Philippine Animal Welfare Society, CARA Welfare, Philippine Pet Birth Control Center Foundation, Hound Haven PH, and Cats of Manila.
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Writer’s note: Brooks, H.L., Rushton, K., Lovell, K. et al. The power of support from companion animals for people living with mental health problems: Asystematic review and narrative synthesis of the evidence. BMC Psychiatry18, 31 (2018). doi.org/10.1186/s12888-018-1613-2