Passion for Paws

Every Life is Worth saving

- Malou Perez

Pawssion Project rescue shelter is a nonprofit organization that I founded in Bacolod City with the first shelter being in Victorias City, Negros Occidental. It all happened so spontaneously after I came across a Facebook post about fifty unwanted dogs who were scheduled to be put to death by gunshot at the local pound. I, like almost everyone else, shared the post but I didn’t do anything to save them at first.

Two days later, after talking with farm owner Manang Jen about a business venture we were about to start at the farm, she tagged me on the same post and asked if I was willing to rescue the dogs. She offered her farm as a temporary shelter for the dogs. Without second thoughts, I just said yes!

No concrete plans, no experience or idea as to how a shelter is being run. I just closed my eyes, prayed, and told God, we got this. I agreed to get the dogs out of the pound even if the farm wasn’t ready to be a shelter. (Thick grass and plants were taller than me.) All I had was a sincere desire to save them, commitment, and a whole lot of faith. I was also driven by a dream of wanting to put up a dog shelter since I was young.

All I wanted to do was just get the fifty out without any plans for what lay ahead. But after the first rescue and seeing how horrible their situation was, as well as the hole where they were supposed to be buried, I thought to myself, This has to stop. I need to do something.

In three days, the farm was ready with a big kennel separating male and female dogs. We had bags of dog food and bowls, leashes and collars, and two caretakers.

I created the Pawssion Project page, and soon after that rescue operation, I got nonstop messages of people reporting pounds, animal cruelty, dog abandonment, and more. I had no team, but God made everything possible.