With things finally open up in Metro Manila, I feel a little more relaxed to go out of the house, still following health protocols by wearing masks in public and private spaces and sanitizing my hands often.
I volunteered for Ampon Alaga for two days last week. In Filipino, the word ampon means adopted and alaga means care.
All the animals being cared for were rescued from the streets, from a calamity like the Taal Volcano eruption, and families who can no longer care for them. They are all looking for foster (temporary) or permanent homes.
These are the tasks of volunteers:
1. walk the dogs from Poblacion to Rockwell in Makati
2. bathe them
3. feed them hotdogs after walking 😀
The volunteer hours are from 9AM to 12 noon.
On those two days, I met Popcorn, Brandon, Delilah, young Molly (who is sick right now), Mega, and Stella (who is now with her family in Batangas) and the purebred popstars Demi (Lovato), Selena (Gomez). They're well-behaved, funny, friendly with strangers and love going on walks. I wish I can foster or adopt one of them but we can't keep a third dog in the house.
Here are some photos from last week.
Stella
Brandon and Delilah
Molly
Volunteering takes us away from our routines and it's refreshing! It doesn't hurt that we can play with the dogs too.
If you want to volunteer between Monday to Saturday mornings, you can send a message to Ampon Alaga Facebook page.
Odyssa is the author of Like A New Sun Rising: A Collection of Poems on Love. She also publishes stories in Medium. Be a Medium member by clicking here. To subscribe to her stories by email, click this.