Hi, my name is Vince. This is a picture of my dog, Scarlet. I'm raising funds to be able to bring Scarlet back home to the USA with me from the Philippines. Over the past few weeks, I've been bringing her to the veterinarian in order to get her vaccinations completed. Her rabies and 6-in-1 shots were completed on November 20, 2021, and her 8-in-1 shot was completed on December 4, 2021. I still have to get her microchipped on December 11, 2021, have her rabies titer drawn on December 20, 2021 and sent to a CDC approved laboratory internationally (as there are no approved ones in the Philippines), and then apply for a CDC dog importation permit once all of that is completed. The CDC requirements for bringing a dog from a high risk rabies country such as the Philippines are listed here: How to Apply for a CDC Dog Import Permit

I spoke with a veterinarian, and she mentioned that it costs about PHP 30,000 (roughly $600 USD) to send a rabies titer to Australia and then have the results sent back here. Once I complete this, I can finally apply for a CDC dog importation permit and, upon approval, bring Scarlet with me into the United States of America. Airfare will be approximately $1000-1200 for me, $500 for Scarlet, and there may be additional quarantine and travel fees for her. I also have to purchase an approved pet carrier for her, which can cost $50 or more. Lastly, I will need to hire a driver with a van to bring us from Batangas to Manila, which may cost $100-200. I aim to at least get enough money for Scarlet's rabies titer on December 20th, 2021 and then I'd worry about airfare and other related costs at a later date, perhaps by the end of January 2022. I was planning for us to return to the US in mid February, but the trip may be delayed until March or April depending on when said permit gets approved.

Here's a little backstory as to why we're here.

On October 2, 2019, I arrived in the Philippines to visit my elderly father. I was originally supposed to only be here for a few months, but many things ended up keeping me here: Taal Volcano eruption on January 12, 2020, a global pandemic leading to a severe national lockdown from March 17, 2020 to May 17, 2020, having to take care of my father until his death on January 7, 2021, spending what was supposed to be my airfare money back home on his final hospital expenses, and going to the hospital ER, myself, after being assaulted and suffering from severe food poisoning.

Scarlet, a 6 year old purebred Japanese Spitz dog, originally belonged to my dad. Her late father, Sandy, was given to him by one of my cousins, and her mother was a dog owned by my dad's prior tenants, some nuns from Argentina. Scarlet was from that union. She lived a rather lonely life, though, since my dad was not a dog person. For the first 5 and a half years of her life, she lived outdoors with barely any contact from anyone. To this day, she's still shy around strangers and dislikes other dogs. However, I noticed that she was a very intelligent dog, and she seemed to have taken a liking to me. After my father's passing, I decided to take her inside, train her to be housebroken, and have grown close to her, despite not being much of a dog person myself. She's the first dog I've ever owned, and I can't leave her behind.

I have been unemployed this entire time. I'm supposed to be a citizen of the Philippines and, therefore, be able to work while I'm here. However, I have had issues proving my citizenship here despite being issued Filipino passports in the past. Changing requirements, as well as the legitimacy of my parents' marriage abroad due to divorce not being legal here, have made my Report of Birth application to the Department of Foreign Affairs fraught with problems. Therefore, I cannot legally work while I'm here. I've been trying to make do with a monthly structured settlement from the sale of one of my father's properties before his death, but it only amounts to about PHP 11,000 monthly (roughly $218 USD) and is barely enough for electricity, water, internet, cell phone payments, and food.

Honestly, I didn't want to ask for help like this. However, some people have insisted that they wanted to help and that this was the way to go. I know I'm asking for a lot, and I'm not expecting to hit anywhere close to my target. But I want to go home so badly, and Scarlet has to come with me. She's helped me go through the motions of life when I felt that it was too hard to go on. She was the only companion I had during this trying time. Every little bit helps.

Thank you.