The province of Tarlac is well-known as a cultural heritage site. Visitors flock from all over the country to see its natural beauty and bustling cities. With all the sights and sounds to take in, a unique place for pet lovers is sometimes overlooked. Going deeper in the in-ways of Capas you can find the Animal Kingdom Foundation (AKF), a shelter for stray, sick and rescued cats and dogs.
Upon entering the rather secluded compound you are immediately greeted by dozens of dogs rushing towards you. Their barks meld together in a single shout behind the iron cage surrounding them.
Beside the dog cage you can find a smaller kennel with two cats playing inside. They are polar opposites of one another. One looks healthy and pudgy while the other was quite skinny. Greg Quimpo, the program coordinator of AKF, said that they were both rescued. The bigger cat apparently had its claws removed by its former owners using pliers.
Inside AFK’s main house you can see photographs of their pets adorning the walls. One photograph shows dozens of dogs with their front legs strapped behind their backs. “We found them in that condition, they were stacked on top of one another inside a small truck with their muzzles taped,” Greg Quimpo, AFK’s Program Manager, said. “They were heading North when we intercepted them. They were bound for slaughter,” he continued.
Not all the photographs revealed gruesome stories though. On top of a desk you can see a picture of a black and white dog wearing a medal and posing for the camera. According to Quimpo, the dog’s name is Sweet. He was found by the foundation as a puppy bathing in blood from killed dogs in a slaughterhouse. AFK’s founder, Charles Leslie Wartenberg, took a liking to the Sweet and took him to Britain. Sweet will go on to become an award-winning show-dog, and the rest is history.
Behind AKF’s main house you can find a long lane of kennels, each one holding 10-30 dogs. Walking along the lane the dogs can immediately spot you and would rush along the gates. You can also play with some dogs who are free to roam outside the kennels, though they are still quite wary of interacting with strangers.
Another dog you can see roaming around is a big, brown boxer named Manny. But don’t let his size fool you. Once you’ve gotten him calm (with a neck rub or two) he can be quite friendly and playful.
Not all of the animals though are well enough to be let out to play with one another. In a small room inside the main house you can find the quarantine area. It is a small room with about ten kennels, each housing an ailing dog, the illnesses they have range from broken limbs to viral infections. A very sick dog at the very last stall could hardly lift up his head and has to be kept under dextrose.
Unfortunately, some animals in the foundations die before they are adopted. At the back of the compound you can find an animal cemetery where the deceased dogs are laid to rest. The cemetery itself looks like a serene garden. You enter under a canopy of flowers and see several sculptures and tombstones covered in wild grass and flowers.
Cross inside the pet cemetery
At first glance the shelter seems quite ordinary. However the stories you can hear about the animals living there give it a unique quality. “One dog was bought in with its puppy. They were put in separate kennels, but the mother starved herself until we bought the puppy back,” Quimpo said.
After a little time in the shelter, it can be surprising to learn and discern the unique personalities of the animals. Some of them are friendly and outgoing, others are ornery.
The center accepts donations and adoption proceedings. So perhaps the next time you come to Tarlac, maybe you could stop by and say hello to the people and animals in the shelter. With their different traits and personalities it is not difficult to find an animal there that you could forge a connection with. Who knows, at the end of the day you may want to make room in your heart (and house) for a furry friend.
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