Pit bulls need your help

Batangas, Philippines – Meet Pam the pit bull. 

Just 6 months ago she was rescued from an illegal dog fighting operation. 

In late May, police find her and hundreds of other pit bulls chained to fuel drums in a neglected coffee plantation. 

Dog fighting is a lucrative underground operation in the Philippines. 

A South Korean gambling ring manages the blood sport in Laguna. Matches are broadcast online and money raked in from bets abroad. 

Operators take advantage of weak animal rights laws. Fines are only a few thousand pesos and prison terms just 6 months to 2 years. 

The same syndicate has been arrested twice in under a year.  

This time roughly 300 pit bulls are left wounded, dehydrated and diseased. Veterinarians prepare to euthanize them.

Maria Parsons of the group Cara, Compassion and Responsibility for Animals, steps in. 

You just get pulled in. I couldn’t turn my back on these dogs. Even when they were back chained to the ground in the most terrible conditions possible, they were not aggressive towards humans, they just would come up to you, rub up against you. 

MARIA PARSONS

CARA VOLUNTEER

She and Cara volunteers move 170 dogs to a farm in Batangas. They construct 170 shelters from scratch. 

They rehabilitate the dogs with force-free training, rewarding good behavior with affection.

U.S. certified trainer Francis Cleofas says love is the key.

You can’t fight pain with pain. 

FRANCIS CLEOFAS

DOG COACH

This is Tinker Bell. She hides in the farthest corner of her cage when she sees a human.

Francis waits 10 minutes for her to get comfortable enough to come closer.

His patience pays off. 

Good Tinker Bell, good.

FRANCIS CLEOFAS

DOG COACH

Many hours need to be devoted to each dog. The end goal is to get each one ready for a permanent home.

The dog sanctuary costs USD$3,500 to $4,000 a month to run and is completely dependent on donations. It’s too expensive to keep open forever. 

There have been times when we’ve had one or two days of dog food left and no new donations to go out and buy any. We can only do so much and we need the support of the community to get them into homes. 

MARIA PARSONS

CARA VOLUNTEER

The Bautistas say they are ready to give a homeless dog a home. Ress Bautista has taken a liking to Pam and hopes she will be a good fit for his family.

This family of 3 has their heart set on 2 dogs. Both of which are bigger than their 3-year-old daughter. 

After screening several dogs, the parents have no doubt the pit bulls they choose are safe.

We hope that she’ll follow and set a good example like her mom and dad and when you’re called out to help you’ll give a hundred percent. They’re not a vicious dog, they’re not a bad dog and we want her to set a good example for her friends, for her generation. 

SHIELLA LLOREN

PARENT

Each week the family comes to spend time with their future dogs.

 

It’s a success story. The odds are daunting but CARA hopes the happy ending will be repeated over and over again.

Katherine Visconti, Rappler Batangas – Rappler.com

If you want to make one of the Laguna pit bulls part of your family, complete the adoption requirements at helpsavethepitbulls.com and e-mail adopt.a.lpb@gmail.com. 

To donate much needed food or to become a volunteer, visit the SAVE THE LAGUNA PITBULLS page on Facebook. For more information visit www.caraphil.org.