While most of us like to think of ourselves as animal lovers and often shares cute and funny videos and photos of our dear pets online. But do you know that the real test of our love for them can be measured on how far we are willing to go to help them, most especially in times of their need?
Nowadays, we often see heartwarming stories of animal rescues on television and social media. But the truth is, saving these animals may not be as easy as it looks and not many of us are willing to do that.
This is an inspiring story of a young boy, who would often disappear from his house for a certain period of time each day. One day his father decided to follow him out of curiosity. To his surprise, he discovered that his son was feeding stray dogs. This brought both joy and sorrow because he was proud of what his son was capable of, but he was also dismayed at the situation of the helpless and hungry creature.
Ken Amante is a 9-year-old boy from a remote city in the Philippines. He was in a habit of leaving his family home every day. He wouldn’t tell his father exactly where he was going and would pretend that he was going for a walk. He had his father’s unquestionable trust, but he also wanted to make sure that his son was not going anywhere he wasn’t supposed to.
One day Ken’s father decided to follow him, he wanted to know where his son goes routinely so, he decided to find out once and for all about his so-called walks without making his intentions clear in order to see what his son was up to.
But what his father discovered was something completely unexpected. He saw Ken from a distance, feeding the street dogs in that area. He found out that his child left the house every day with a mission, his son was doing everything he can in his power to help these stray dogs, instead of turning away from them.
The dogs were just skin and bone and sickly-looking. These animals who have lived their lives in fear of humans but slowly, they realized that Ken was not a threat. Ken recalled that the first time he brought food to them, he had to stand away from them as far as possible and watch from a distance because the dogs would not go near the food when he was standing there.
But now he is able to pet them freely and the animals trust him so much. Ken’s father was amazed that his son had this much capacity for compassion and he took pictures of his son in the act. After that, he set his camera down and went to help his son.
All of the dogs are strays and it is very likely that they carry diseases and infections with them. That’s why both father and son decided to have proper vaccination and when they play around with the dogs they also take extra care for their hygiene.
They decided to name three of the familiar faces, they would see each day; Ken named the two young puppies as Brownie and Whitey and the bigger dog as Blackie, who he assumed was their mother. But despite the mother dog looked especially ill, Blackie had stood by her pups regardless.
The little boy was determined to do something to care for these animals which nobody else would even take a second glance at. The father and son duo have started a volunteer organization that aims to help homeless animals in their area.
On March 31, 2014 they started their project called the “Happy Animals Club” and it had since become a success. It’s the only no-kill animal shelter in the Davao region.
Their family decided to have a dedicated place where they can continue to help the animals. Ken’s father managed to rent a plot of 10,000 square feet and secure it all round in the area near his home. Cats are also welcome here, as well as all kinds of animals in need.