- HOME
- COMMON PUBLIC MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT PAWS
- ADOPTION: How do I adopt from PAWS?
- ADMISSION / ABANDONMENT: Can PAWS adopt/take my pet? Can I donate my pet to PAWS?
- ANIMAL CONTROL VS ANIMAL WELFARE
- ANIMAL WELFARE LAWS
- BRANCH OF PAWS: Are there other PAWS branches? Sana may PAWS dito!
- CITY POUND: Help! My dog was caught and was taken to the pound. Is this right/legal?
- CRUELTY: Hit-and-Run Case
- CRUELTY: How To Report Animal Cruelty + Calling 117
- CRUELTY: Online photos / videos / links, what can I do about these?
- DOG BITES: Help! I was bitten by a dog. What do I do?
- DONATE: How can I donate to PAWS?
- FOSTER: Temporarily keeping a rescue is one of the most important things a volunteer or concerned citizen can do. What does it take to foster?
- HOARDING AND IRRESPONSIBLE RESCUING
- HUMANE EDUCATION - BARANGAYS / SUBDIVISIONS : Does PAWS give seminars for barangays on animal care, catching of strays, responsible pet ownership?
- HUMANE EDUCATION: School Tours / Student Interviews / School Visits
- NEGLECT: My neighbor is beating their pet. My neighbor is not giving food/water/shelter.
- NEGLECT: Pet shops (Animals are malnourished, not fed, kept in small/cramped cages, etc.)
- NEIGHBOR COMPLAINING ABOUT OUR PETS
- PET SHOPS / PETS FOR SALE: Is it ok to buy from a pet shop? Is it legal to sell animals in the streets?
- REHOMING ASSISTANCE
- RESPONSIBLE PET OWNERSHIP
- RESPONSIBLE RESCUING
- SHELTER CLEANING PROGRAM
- SHELTER FEEDING PROGRAM
- SICK PET: Help, my pet is sick. What do I do?
- SPAY/NEUTER: Benefits
-
STRAY-RESCUE: What To Do With Rescues and Stray Emergencies
- STRAY-RESCUE: How do I admit this poor puppy/kitten/cat/dog I saw on the streets?
- STRAYS - How to get them off the streets?
- STRAYS: Why are there stray cats and dogs?
- ACTUAL REPORT: Dog with cyst. Need assistance.
- ACTUAL REPORT: Abandoned dog
- ACTUAL REPORT: Run-over stray dog with bone sticking out
- ACTUAL REPORT: Stray dog in bad condition beside hospital
- STRAY/RESCUE: Dog/Cat Stuck In Tree/Roof/Sewer/Creek/Etc
- STRAYS/PETS OUT IN THE RAIN/TYPHOON
- STRAY CATS: Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR)
- TNR - How to do community TNR
- VET SERVICES: Does PAWS offer vet services?
- VET MALPRACTICE: My pet died at the vet, I think this is negligence, how can I complain about it?
- VOLUNTEER: How do I become a PAWS volunteer? / I'm not from Manila, how can I volunteer? / Can kids volunteer?
- WHY DO DOGS BITE?
- ABANDONED DOGS, PUPPIES, CATS, KITTENS - Can PAWS rescue them?
- ABANDONED NURSING KITTENS: Help! I found these little kittens and I don't know how to take care of them.
- BABIES AND PETS
- BEHAVIOR AND TRAINING: My dog has biting/aggressive problems, etc? What do I do?
- BOARDING: Can I board my pet at PAWS? Can my pet stay temporarily at PAWS?
- BURIAL/CREMATION: Does PAWS offer these services?
- CONDO DOES NOT ALLOW PETS
- DR. DOG : How can my dog be a part of the Dr. Dog Program?
- EXOTIC PETS: Is it legal to keep exotic animals?
- FOUND PET
- LOST PET: My pet is missing. Can you help me?
- NEW YEAR'S TIPS
- ON DOLPHINS, COCKFIGHTING, ETC.
- PAWS LOGO: Can our group use the PAWS logo for our event that will benefit PAWS? Can I use the PAWS logo for my blog?
- TRAVEL WITH PET
- PAWS Facebook Posting Guidelines
- PREPARING FOR DISASTERS
- 5 Freedoms
What I Can Do To Help Rescues and Stray Emergencies /
How do I report this poor dog/cat on the streets?
Scenario:
You spot an injured dog/cat while on the road. Instead of just calling/reporting to an NGO who also has to rely on the availability of their volunteers, you want to help in a concrete way but are not sure how.
What NOT to do:
Don't just take a picture and remind yourself to post online in Facebook or to send it through email to an animal welfare organization with just a comment saying "please help! please check this" and leave it up to them. You are there now - you are the best person in that moment to help the animal survive. You can do more other than just taking a picture.
We urge good Samaritans to always do something at their level even by just getting information of the barangay, asking people in the area if the animal has an owner, coordinating and initially getting the animal out of harm's way - and not just call it in to PAWS or any other animal welfare group - as it may take some time before these animal welfare groups and volunteer-rescuers can come in and help them.
Witnesses to the accident are the ones in the immediate area who can find quick relief for an animal. In the case of injured animals, quick action often determines whether an animal will live or suffer a long, painful death.
SEE ALSO: Dog/cat fell into a creek and can't get out / Cat stuck in tree / Dog trapped in ____.
Not all animals in distress can be rescued immediately due to volunteer and transportation availability. In addition, not all animals in distress can be taken in at a given time due to the limited space & number of caretakers in the PAWS shelter and due to our strict quarantine protocols. That’s why we ask our volunteers and people who call or email to foster the rescued animals and wait until there’s space in our canine and/or feline quarantine areas.
Because PAWS is a non-profit NGO (non-govt org) relying on limited manpower, resources and funds (from donations), and heavily rely on the availability of unpaid volunteers (ordinary people just like you who have their own jobs or attend school), it is difficult for PAWS to get up and go at every report coming in and at least 30 emails are received daily with subjects "URGENT!!", "Pls. help po!", "Paki rescue!". Consider that PAWS is actually not a rescue group nor does PAWS go around picking up strays. (READ: WHAT IS PAWS? WHAT IS PARC?) PAWS only has 1 service van - imagine the logistical challenge to pick up a rescue especially if the dog or cat is astray. So we empower concerned citizens with info on what to do from their level. PAWS is not like Animal Cops or SPCAs that you see on television who have the resources, support and funding from their government.
What you SHOULD do:
Or, in the event that treatment would be too costly, so that the animal can be given a humane death (euthanasia is performed by a licensed veterinarian). Please be sure to explain to the vet about the circumstances of the rescue so that the vet can treat it as a "charity case".
You can coordinate with PAWS (call 475-1688) so that we can appeal for the vet to render charity work or make arrangements for PAWS to pay the fees connected with either euthanasia or emergency/ immediate treatment (depending on what the vet's initial assessment is). IMPORTANT NOTE: If the vet refuses to give discounts or a charity rate, we cannot force him to do so.
In coordinating discounts with private vet clinics, it is important for PAWS to talk to the veterinarian first. Coordinating with private vet clinics for discount purposes is generally done for initial emergency treatments only. For further treatment, the animal will have to be brought to the PAWS clinic.
If you cannot bring the animal to a vet, PAWS' guidelines for volunteers and ordinary citizens who come upon situations where there is an injured animal are the ff:
We advise that injured animals not be touched directly unless one is able to cover its head with a towel or cloth to keep it from biting. An option is to slide a huge piece of cardboard under the injured animal so that you can just pull it to an area where it would be out of harm's way.
PAWS will contact volunteers who may be near the area - more often than not, to seek permission from their employers to get off work momentarily - and respond to these cases.
Depending on the availability of PAWS volunteers or PAWS' contacts, the rescue may take as quick as 10 to 20 minutes or for as long as several hours or even days.
PAWS is willing to assist in humane capture and handling for as long as
Again, PAWS is very much willing to help treat the animal at the low-cost PAWS Clinic, but because the PAWS shelter is at maximum capacity, we request from people who report in strays or rescue emergencies to please FOSTER (temporarily keep) the animal after vet treatment is given until space is available at the shelter.
We hope concerned citizens understand that PARC has strict quarantine protocols and cannot afford to overcrowd the shelter as this compromises the health, general welfare and quality of care given to the existing shelter animals, given the limited resources and manpower of PAWS as an non-government organization without funding from the govt and who relies on donations to keep the shelter running.
* * *
If your question is if you can just call in the incident and not bring the animal to the vet, there are no agencies you can call except volunteer organizations like PAWS - who will, in turn, try to contact volunteers such as yourself to pick up the animal if you are unable to bring the cat or dog to the vet.
The important thing is to make sure that the animal is out of harm's way (will not be run over by other vehicles) and that you can give PAWS the name and cellphone number of a vendor/guard/ traffic officer who can keep watch over the animal while we are contacting other volunteers.
IN SUMMARY:
OPTION 1:
OPTION 2:
If you are witnessing people being cruel to the animals (i.e., torturing, in the act of slaughtering or eating them), please call police hotline 117 asap. Take down the name of the one receiving your call.
From our experience at PAWS, all "117 officers" treat these reports seriously and send a mobile patrol right away (but it would be good to take down the name in case you end up with an uncooperative call-taker).
Thank you.
The Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS)
Landline: 475-1688 (ofc hours only)
Email: [email protected]
The PAWS shelter or PARC is open from 10:00am - 5:00pm Mondays to Saturdays except holidays, and operates primarily through volunteers.
PS:
You spot an injured dog/cat while on the road. Instead of just calling/reporting to an NGO who also has to rely on the availability of their volunteers, you want to help in a concrete way but are not sure how.
What NOT to do:
Don't just take a picture and remind yourself to post online in Facebook or to send it through email to an animal welfare organization with just a comment saying "please help! please check this" and leave it up to them. You are there now - you are the best person in that moment to help the animal survive. You can do more other than just taking a picture.
We urge good Samaritans to always do something at their level even by just getting information of the barangay, asking people in the area if the animal has an owner, coordinating and initially getting the animal out of harm's way - and not just call it in to PAWS or any other animal welfare group - as it may take some time before these animal welfare groups and volunteer-rescuers can come in and help them.
Witnesses to the accident are the ones in the immediate area who can find quick relief for an animal. In the case of injured animals, quick action often determines whether an animal will live or suffer a long, painful death.
SEE ALSO: Dog/cat fell into a creek and can't get out / Cat stuck in tree / Dog trapped in ____.
Not all animals in distress can be rescued immediately due to volunteer and transportation availability. In addition, not all animals in distress can be taken in at a given time due to the limited space & number of caretakers in the PAWS shelter and due to our strict quarantine protocols. That’s why we ask our volunteers and people who call or email to foster the rescued animals and wait until there’s space in our canine and/or feline quarantine areas.
Because PAWS is a non-profit NGO (non-govt org) relying on limited manpower, resources and funds (from donations), and heavily rely on the availability of unpaid volunteers (ordinary people just like you who have their own jobs or attend school), it is difficult for PAWS to get up and go at every report coming in and at least 30 emails are received daily with subjects "URGENT!!", "Pls. help po!", "Paki rescue!". Consider that PAWS is actually not a rescue group nor does PAWS go around picking up strays. (READ: WHAT IS PAWS? WHAT IS PARC?) PAWS only has 1 service van - imagine the logistical challenge to pick up a rescue especially if the dog or cat is astray. So we empower concerned citizens with info on what to do from their level. PAWS is not like Animal Cops or SPCAs that you see on television who have the resources, support and funding from their government.
What you SHOULD do:
- If possible to do so (animal is not hostile or immobilized), bring the animal to the nearest veterinary clinic to give the animal a better chance at surviving.
Or, in the event that treatment would be too costly, so that the animal can be given a humane death (euthanasia is performed by a licensed veterinarian). Please be sure to explain to the vet about the circumstances of the rescue so that the vet can treat it as a "charity case".
You can coordinate with PAWS (call 475-1688) so that we can appeal for the vet to render charity work or make arrangements for PAWS to pay the fees connected with either euthanasia or emergency/ immediate treatment (depending on what the vet's initial assessment is). IMPORTANT NOTE: If the vet refuses to give discounts or a charity rate, we cannot force him to do so.
In coordinating discounts with private vet clinics, it is important for PAWS to talk to the veterinarian first. Coordinating with private vet clinics for discount purposes is generally done for initial emergency treatments only. For further treatment, the animal will have to be brought to the PAWS clinic.
- Be ready to foster (temporarily keep) the dog after vet care is given. FOSTERING is one of the most important roles a volunteer or concerned citizen can take because fosterers allow the shelter to make room for the animals that need the most help, and they provide a home environment and human companionship for the dog or cat/s rehabilitation. Many are not aware that PARC is a limited-admission shelter, with strict Admission Policies and Quarantine Protocol, and that PARC is at maximum capacity already. IF YOU CANNOT FOSTER - because of common reasons such as a) pets are not allowed where I live, I am only renting OR b) I already have X number of pets - PLEASE MAKE THE EFFORT TO FIND SOMEONE WHO CAN FOSTER.
- Willing fosterers will be asked to sign the Foster Agreement Form at the PARC office. Under the Foster Agreement, fosterers may bring the animal to the PARC clinic for vet assistance while it is under their care. Fosterers will be entered into the Foster Care Database and will be informed once space is available at the shelter.
If you cannot bring the animal to a vet, PAWS' guidelines for volunteers and ordinary citizens who come upon situations where there is an injured animal are the ff:
- to immediately coordinate with people in the area - the barangay officials, even cigarette vendors, MMDA or traffic cops - to try to move an animal to a place where it will not be hit by another vehicle.
- provide food/water for the animal
We advise that injured animals not be touched directly unless one is able to cover its head with a towel or cloth to keep it from biting. An option is to slide a huge piece of cardboard under the injured animal so that you can just pull it to an area where it would be out of harm's way.
- If one is on his way to work or an appointment, it is important to get the contact number of the barangay and/or mobile numbers of people in the area (ie. the cigarette or sidewalk vendors - all have cellphones now, in this age and time) and tell them that you are seeking help from PAWS, the local pound or the city veterinarian, and that could they watch the dog/cat for the meantime and text you for any developments.
- For Metro Manila cases:
Inform PAWS by calling 475-1688 (ofc hours: 10am-5pm, Mondays to Saturdays except holidays) - if you get the answering machine, please leave your name, contact # and message - or email TO: [email protected] CC: pawsphinquiries@gmail.com
Do not forget to provide ALL of the ff. important information in your report:
1) the specific location of the animal, address and landmarks;
2) your name and contact number for coordination;
3) contact numbers of the people in the area who you asked to watch over the animal;
4) barangay contact person/contact number;
5) are you willing to foster or find a fosterer? Yes or No?
PAWS will contact volunteers who may be near the area - more often than not, to seek permission from their employers to get off work momentarily - and respond to these cases.
Depending on the availability of PAWS volunteers or PAWS' contacts, the rescue may take as quick as 10 to 20 minutes or for as long as several hours or even days.
PAWS is willing to assist in humane capture and handling for as long as
- the one filing the report will make himself/herself available for coordination and meet the team at the location, accompany the animal to PARC or to the supporting vet clinic
- PAWS handlers/volunteers/vehicle are available to get to the location
- last but not the least - reporter and/or fosterer should take the animal home for temporary care right after checkup and initial treatment
Again, PAWS is very much willing to help treat the animal at the low-cost PAWS Clinic, but because the PAWS shelter is at maximum capacity, we request from people who report in strays or rescue emergencies to please FOSTER (temporarily keep) the animal after vet treatment is given until space is available at the shelter.
We hope concerned citizens understand that PARC has strict quarantine protocols and cannot afford to overcrowd the shelter as this compromises the health, general welfare and quality of care given to the existing shelter animals, given the limited resources and manpower of PAWS as an non-government organization without funding from the govt and who relies on donations to keep the shelter running.
* * *
If your question is if you can just call in the incident and not bring the animal to the vet, there are no agencies you can call except volunteer organizations like PAWS - who will, in turn, try to contact volunteers such as yourself to pick up the animal if you are unable to bring the cat or dog to the vet.
The important thing is to make sure that the animal is out of harm's way (will not be run over by other vehicles) and that you can give PAWS the name and cellphone number of a vendor/guard/ traffic officer who can keep watch over the animal while we are contacting other volunteers.
IN SUMMARY:
OPTION 1:
- Take the animal to a vet and foster it until space clears up at the shelter or until an adopter is found
OPTION 2:
- Inform the barangay (get contact number of barangay office)
- Coordinate with people in the area - barangay officials, cigarette vendors, MMDA or traffic cops - to try and move the animal to a place where it will not be hit by another vehicle or keep an eye on the animal
- Provide food/water for the meantime until the animal can be brought to the vet or rescued or until the city pound can collect the animal
For Metro Manila cases - Inform PAWS through the PAWS landline or email TO: [email protected] CC: [email protected] - please be prepared to provide PAWS with:
a) your name and contact number,
b) the exact location and address of where the animal is, and
c) the contact numbers of the barangay and people in the area who you asked to watch over the animal as well as the exact location - Be available and present when PAWS advises you of the day/time of rescue
- Be willing to foster (temporarily keep) or find a fosterer for the animal until there is a vacancy at PARC
If you are witnessing people being cruel to the animals (i.e., torturing, in the act of slaughtering or eating them), please call police hotline 117 asap. Take down the name of the one receiving your call.
From our experience at PAWS, all "117 officers" treat these reports seriously and send a mobile patrol right away (but it would be good to take down the name in case you end up with an uncooperative call-taker).
Thank you.
The Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS)
Landline: 475-1688 (ofc hours only)
Email: [email protected]
The PAWS shelter or PARC is open from 10:00am - 5:00pm Mondays to Saturdays except holidays, and operates primarily through volunteers.
PS:
- Sadly, PAWS cannot solve all problems regarding strays and cannot take in all strays. At present, the shelter is at full capacity. As an NGO volunteer group, PAWS has limited resources and is grossly undermanned, relying on the donations, help and compassion of fellow animal lovers and volunteers. Click here to find out ways you can volunteer.
- There would be no strays in need (or strays caught and impounded by dog catchers) if there were no irresponsible owners.
- PAWS also cannot take in dogs and cats who pet owners wish to give up or abandon for whatever reason. What PAWS can do is offer behavior training (for those who wish to give up their dogs due to their pets' behavior issues) and low-cost spay/neuter services, and can assist in rehoming. Please refer to this link.
- The stray dog/cat population in your area can be reported to the city pound or city municipality.
IMPORTANT REMINDERS FOR RESCUERS
We are always grateful that there are kindhearted, good Samaritans who are willing to take in stray cats or dogs that they see on the streets who are in need of help.
- Assess first one's capacity to assume and commit to the responsibilities of a good rescuer before taking in a rescue -- do you have the time, patience, safe and ample space, resources and budget not only for food but for vet care?
- Annual vet checkup, routine vaccination, spay/neuter should be a standard (not optional) practice among responsible pet owners, and they should be able to provide this for their rescues as well. Also consider if you have the means to provide medical care in case 1,2 or all of the pets get sick at once.
- Being asked to FOSTER (TEMPORARILY KEEP) their rescue is common practice, especially if they approach an animal welfare org that cannot admit new animals into a full shelter with strict Admission policies and a quarantine protocol that will protect the health and general welfare of the current shelter animals
- Only take in the rescue that you can manage and can afford to responsibly care for.
- We have observed an alarming trend lately of people who habitually rescue on impulse without taking into consideration their limitations, without having their pets spayed/neutered early on such that the animals mate and breed until they're in over their heads with the 'zoo' they ended up with.
- In the long run these "rescuers" end up calling groups like PAWS to surrender their pets or asking PAWS to get them treated or spayed/neutered for free - not knowing that by doing so, they are inadvertently depriving other animals in distress from the funds that could have afforded PAWS to extend free or charity rates to genuine low-income pet owners and rescue cases.
RELATED LINKS
- I want to give/donate my pet to PAWS. Nag-aampon ba ng aso/pusa ang PAWS?
- How do I admit into the PAWS shelter the poor stray kitten/dog/puppy I saw in the street?
- PAWS Admission Policy
- PAWS Admission Guidelines - for volunteers and good samaritans
who have rescued a dog/cat - What is the FOSTER HOME Program?
- PAWS Foster Care Agreement Form
- How to report animal cruelty