Moalboal Dog Rescue's sanctuary

Thousands of dogs are abandoned in the Philippines each year. Here in Moalboal, the population of street dogs is reaching unsustainable levels. The Covid-19 pandemic is making things even worse and every day we discover more dogs in horrible condition. In the past months we have experienced poisoning and dogs being shot because no humane long-term solution is available in this part of the country. Just a few weeks ago we received a report of dogs dumped in a sack. When we arrived at the location, only one out of four puppies was still alive. 

 

Living without owners makes these dogs exposed to starvation and disease. The loose dogs make the problem worse as they also cause road accidents.


Tinky, one of our patients treated for mange.

There is a desperate need for a safe heaven for the abandoned and stray dogs of Moalboal. Everyday we receive requests from Moalboanons asking us to help rescue dogs and adopt them. As much as we would love to do that, we have now reached our maximum capacity in our own home.

 

What is Moalboal Dog Rescue ?
https://web.facebook.com/MoalboalDogRescue 

In 2018, my partner and I started living in Cebu City, and taking care of and rescuing dogs. While doing that, we met some of the amazing local organizations involved in bettering the life of street dogs in the big city and they all inspired us.

When we moved to Moalboal, we were shocked by the state of things. There were many dogs in terrible condition and we realized no one was organizing efforts to help them. With so many dogs suffering, we could not just look on and do nothing, so we started taking on the worst cases and caring for them in our own home. 

During the pandemic, the number of hungry and sick dogs increased. On top of that, a number of dogs were poisoned. Several dogs that we were caring for on the street died, killed by cruel people just because they were strays.

Our stray dog feeding activity. Here is Mango, a dog who was almost dying from severe mange last year.

We decided to get help from the local community so we started the Facebook page “Moalboal Dog Rescue” and the response has been heartwarming. Many people care about dogs and every day we get questions and reports by concerned citizens. The page has also been crucial for us to find permanent homes for treated dogs. In less than a year, over 30 of our rescued dogs have gone off to a new loving home. Unfortunately with all the reports coming in we can no longer help all the dogs in need. It is the most heartbreaking thing to be aware of all the suffering dogs and not being able to help. We lack funds, we lack volunteers, but most of all we lack a place to house them.


Arya and Sansa, adopted by a kind couple from Moalboal

Our plan - The Moalboal Dog Rescue Sanctuary 

The Moalboal Dog Sanctuary will be a safe heaven for dogs in need. There we will be able to nurse suffering dogs back to health and keep them safely off the streets. A dog shelter in Moalboal will also help reduce the dog population long term by taking breeding females off the streets.

Our goals :

Taking care of immediate cases and treating them off the street. Treating dogs on the street presents several issues. For example, the dog may not be found when volunteers are there to feed or administer medicine. 

Fostering females while waiting for them to get spayed. Every adult female left unattended on the street is a potential for more puppies on the street. By being able to separate females from male dogs, we can hinder the rapid growth of the dog population.

Recovery facility for dogs after spaying/neutering. Currently, only dogs with an owner can be spayed/neutered under the program run by Dogs of Moalboal. This is because the dog is in the need of attention and medicine after the operation. The current lack of a shelter prevents the spaying/neutering of uncontrolled dogs. With a shelter in place, we can complement the existing spaying & neutering program by providing a facility for the dogs to recover after surgery.

 

As a first step, the shelter will focus on bringing in female adults and puppies currently on the streets. By reducing the female population available for having puppies, the population growth is quickly hindered. To maximize the use of the shelter for those in need, a relocation program is needed to find new permanent homes for rescued dogs. We are however assuming that only around a small percentage of adult females rescued by the shelter will ever be relocated.

 

By caring for dogs in a shelter, we can feed and medicate the dogs most in need. Doing this in a shelter compared to on the street has several advantages. The release of spayed/neutered dogs to the street is also an option if no permanent homes can be found and the shelter is full. Released dogs would need to be followed up and fed regularly.


 

The Moalboal Dog Rescue sanctuary will offer:

A place to treat the dogs in need

A foster home for dogs who received treatment and are waiting for adopters

A safe place for dogs that are in danger on the street

A place where we can place the stray females before and after their spaying surgery


Chu-Chu, a female dog we saved from TVT cancer
 

The funds that will be raised through this page will go to:

·        Paying the rent of the land

·        Building a fence and dog houses

·        Paying a caretaker’s salary. This employee will watch and take care of the dogs on a daily basis

·        Buy the food and medicine for the dogs and puppies

·        Pay for the dogs’ vaccines. Every dog that enters the shelter will have to be vaccinated to keep the place safe for all the resident dogs

 

 With your help, we are hoping we can open the first Moalboal dog’s sanctuary in the coming months. Thank you for your support!

Moalboal Dog Rescue