Animalspeak: After Glenda's destruction, rescued pitbulls need help once more

After facing death in the fighting ring, they almost faced death again, this time from the destructive winds of typhoon Glenda.

Pit bulls rescued from an illegal dog fighting ring operated by a Korean syndicate in Laguna in March 2012 witnessed the full force of nature when the Pit Bull Rehabilitation Center in Tiaong, Quezon suffered a direct hit from the typhoon.

Some of the steel cages that weigh an average of 60 pounds each caved in and toppled to the ground. Coconut and madre de cacao trees crashed into several cages while the powerful winds blew away the tarpaulins that protected the dogs from heat and rain.

A huge and tall coconut tree right next to two dogs named Robbie and Bismarkie was completely uprooted. "The fact that Robbie is partially deaf and Bismarkie is completely deaf and partially blind may have saved them from trauma," said Francesca Ortigas, a volunteer of the group Compassion and Responsibility for Animals (CARA).

Even the dogs' caretakers had to run for their lives at the height of the typhoon.

"It was like playing patintero. We would run forward to get to the dogs then dash away to avoid falling debris and flying tree branches," recalled Randy Lontayao, one of three caretakers at the Center.

Lontayao recounted how, at one point, they had to seek refuge under the cage of pit bull Buster to avoid getting hit. "We never even thought of Buster's poop and pee down there. All we could think of was our safety."

Buster, Lontayao said, was his usual hyper self, barking hysterically at the the angry winds and the unforgiving rains. In fact, all the dogs, who normally slept quietly through the night, had started barking hours before the storm arrived.

Melody de Jesus, who heads the team of volunteers at the center, is thankful that none of the dogs and caretakers were hurt. But she noticed that several of the dogs were lethargic even days after the storm, including pit bull Aiko who is afraid of thunder. The dogs would neither stand nor bark to greet the volunteers when they came.



The caretakers' house and the dog clinic were heavily damaged. Two weeks after the storm, there is still no electricity and water at the center while the dog runs have to be either replaced or repaired.

A total of 15 volunteers come when they can, usually on weekends. They replant trees, help with the repairs, clean up the site which is littered with fallen tree trunks and other debris and even whip up meals for the group.

Owen Santos, who enthusiastically did the cooking last Sunday, lamented that they tried to hire carpenters to speed up the repairs, but the local men were busy repairing their own homes. Fortunately, a CARA sponsor lent a brand new generator to power the lights.

The dogs, however, have not been out of their cages since the storm. All hands are focused on the rebuilding and repair of the center, and it is not yet safe to walk the dogs because the perimeter fence is still down.

Ortigas and her daughter Bianca usually visit the center twice a month. This past weekend, they came to replant madre de cacao, which provides much-needed shade for the dogs and is used to treat their skin ailments.

"I like pit bulls. It's difficult not to like them once you get to know them," said Bianca.

Pit bulls have suffered from so much bad press even though the breed is known to be gentle, affectionate and loyal. At present, there is an international campaign to correct the myths surrounding the breed with no less than famous dog whisperer Cesar Millan leading the effort. Huffington Post has joined the campaign by declaring the last week of July as Pit Bull Week.

Maria Parsons, who is overall manager of the Pit Bull Center, estimated that they would need at least P200,000 to P250,000 for all the repairs, rebuilding and purchase of necessary tools, materials, cables and cages.

"We hope to re-open the center by third week of August," she wrote in an email, although they still have no idea when electricity and running water will be restored.

Meanwhile, CARA has launched an online fundraising campaign for the pit bulls. Other efforts are also underway. In an event dubbed as ULTRA SWIM 2, CARA supporter and tri-athlete Hanna Sanchez intends to swim 25 kms or a total of 500 laps on August 16 at the Enrique M. Razon Sports Center in De La Salle University, Manila. Donors can pledge a certain amount of cash for each lap.

The first time she did this last year, she raised more than 80,000 pesos for various CARA projects. This time, she hopes to raise at least 100,000 pesos all of which will be donated to CARA.

Of the 266 pit bulls rescued from the Laguna fighting ring, only 154 now remain under the care of CARA. Many died from wounds and ailments sustained from the fights while others were euthanized. Eight have already been successfully adopted into loving homes.

The remaining dogs are housed in sturdy cages in a 1.5 hectare piece of land leased inside Villa Escudero.  CARA President Nancy Cu-Unjieng would like to provide more protection for the dogs against natural disasters but it would be difficult under the present circumstances. "We can if we had the funds. But because the land is not ours, we cannot set up anything permanent," she confessed. — JST, GMA News

For more info, visit http://caraphil.org or http://helpsavethepitbulls.com