CEBU CITY, Philippines— The dream is to free all impounded animals.
This Cebuana fur mother and animal advocate, Careen, is sharing her story on her dream to rescue all animals in pounds and give them a fur-ever home.
For eight years, Careen has been rescuing animals from pounds and on the streets giving these animals a second chance at life.
How it all started
Her quest to rescue animals all started when he rescued her first cat, Minggaybel. A black cat that gave so much color in her life.
“My first rescue, was a cat. His name is Minggaybel. That was about 8 years ago. About a year later and 3 more cattos, I got my first rescue dog. His name is Coulson,” she said.
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From rescuing a handful of animals, starting with her beloved Caoulson and Minggaybel, she found a deeper meaning with her life through these animals.
Meet Minggaybel, Careen’s first rescued cat.
“I was at a point when I thought, life should have a more profound purpose than just going through our daily lives, pursuing everybody’s definition of a “successful” life,” she said.
Her first two rescues showed her nothing but distinctive characters, which made her fall in love with them even more and wanting to get to know more of animals’ behavior.
Minggaybel showed her that sentient beings have personalities, that they too feel the same chaotic emotions like humans, while Coulson showed her loyalty and unconditional love that according to her we, humans have yet to learn.
The challenges
The act of rescuing the animals is not the challenge for Careen, but with her bout with the pound officials is.
In her recent post, she shared a successful rescue mission which freed 80 dogs and some cats from the Danao City Pound.
“I have never imagined, that a rescue mission from a pound will be like waging war. You would think that the City Vet will welcome you with open arms, because we were basically taking the responsibility off his hands. The stand-off dragged on for days, fortunately, Mayor Mix of Danao City finally intervened. It was a seamless endeavor from thereon,” she shared.
Rescuing impounded animals has been heavy on her since she knows most of the pounds in the country do not have livable conditions or favorable conditions for these animals.
Some animals are caged in small spaces, some are not fed and others are left to die from illness, worst, a number of impounded animals get put down if they don’t get adopted in the given timeline.
Best part of rescuing impounded animals
As a fur mom seeing the personality of each rescue come out once they are in a hoppier place brings nothing but joy to Careen.
“Finally seeing their personality come out. For those who have gone through horrible abuse, allowing you to touch them, gaining their trust. Being loved by these four-legged creatures,” she said.
The loyal and loving, Coulson.
The goal
If rescuing all impounded animals is a little too far of reach for now, Careen still promises to work hard to be able to save as much animals as she can as long as she still can.
In this dream of rescuing animals, Careen is not alone as she also has been in contact with other animal shelters, which she supports and other animal advocates.
“To my fellow advocates, these voiceless, and defenseless four-legged creatures will always need our complete genuine commitment, love and concern. If at some point, you find yourself wavering in this selfless endeavor, always try to find in your heart the genuine love. When you realized, you have lost it. Let go and never ever use the animals for your self-interest. It is despicable as it is deplorable,” she said.
Careen now has a total of 224 rescued dogs and 81 cats, most of them are in her private sanctuary in Bulacan, while 39 dogs and 18 cats are with her in her home here in Cebu City.
Some of Careen’s rescued dogs.
As a fur mom and dedicated animal advocate, Careen’s journey to rescue impounded animals reflects the unconditional love and commitment celebrated on Mother’s Day. With each rescue, she brings hope and a second chance to creatures in need, embodying the essence of nurturing and compassion like all mothers have.
Let’s give a huge pat on the back to all the fur moms out there, whose love knows no bounds, this Mother’s Day and every day.