A PAWS TROPHY

Mazda PHL gives rescued dogs and cats hope — and a set of wheels

- By Kap Maceda Aguila

IN A HORRIBLE hit-and-run-incident, Garen, a pudgy aspin (or asong Pinoy), was run over by a vehicle — leaving, according to Malou Perez, the creature’s eyeballs “hanging out” of their sockets.

The poor animal, who was someone’s pet, went about his way for a few days before someone mercifully reported the sorry animal to the Pawssion Project. “The owner couldn’t afford to bring him to the vet,” she narrated. By the time Garen was brought to a veterinarian, it was too late to save his eyeballs — and sight.

Still, Garen is one of the nicest dogs you'll ever meet, said Malou. And, ironically, “He’s also probably opened the most number of eyes.” She’s referring to the pressing problem of stray cats and dogs — particularly the awful fate that usually awaits them.

Lolo Paul, meanwhile, is a rescue from the Old Balara pound. He settled on the floor and rested after feeling more comfortable in the unfamiliar environs of the showroom. “He was one of thousands of dogs in pounds waiting to die in vain. That’s basically why I started Pawssion Project — because of dogs and pounds,” added Malou. It was close to seven years ago when the animal advocate had an epiphany as she heard about 50 dogs waiting to be shot at a pound. Prior to that, she was unaware that it was legal to exterminate animals just like that.

At the Mazda Philippines showroom, Garen trundled — tentatively, at first — with Ms. Perez. The dog would bark occasionally, the sound filling the cavernous space. I wondered if this was a move to ascertain the unfamiliar surroundings he was in, or an expression of nervousness. Malou had told us that Garen’s smell and hearing are unusually heightened to make up for his sightlessness.

Garen is surely a fitting poster pooch (or, as they call him, an “ambassadog”) for the Pawssion Project — a nonprofit, nonstock organization devoted to the “rescue, rehabilitation, and rehoming of rescued animals.”