Your perfect morning can start with walking a dog around Makati.
Ampon Alaga, the rescue and adoption project of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) Asia, lets volunteers walk its rescue dogs around Poblacion and Rockwell in Makati. Walks happen in the mornings, usually for about an hour.
Volunteers meet the team, get a briefing and some tips on handling the dogs, and head out with staff on hand if they need help along the way. One blogger who’d never had a dog wrote that the team briefed her and paired her with a calmer one.
For many of the dogs, it’s a meaningful part of the day. Some of them have heartbreaking backstories of surviving abuse and trauma, so the team works to get them comfortable around people again. A walk with a volunteer is exercise, but it’s also a little more time spent getting used to people who mean well.
Walking slots are released early each month, usually in the middle of the month before. November’s, for example, opened around October 15, and slots fill up almost immediately. Keep an eye out for links posted by Ampon Alaga on Facebook or Instagram.
The walks are one piece of a bigger program. Ampon Alaga has been running since 2020, when it began as a rescue effort for animals affected by the Taal Volcano eruption. PETA Asia now describes it as a rescue, spay and neuter, veterinary assistance, and adoption program that relies almost entirely on donations. The dogs and cats up for adoption are shown on its social media pages, and adoption is free.
If you can’t get a walking slot, there are other ways to help. With Biyaya Animal Care, Ampon Alaga runs free kapon field clinics in communities and it has also put out calls for veterinary students and non-veterinary citizens to volunteer.
It also regularly asks for supplies like dog and cat food, vitamins, cat litter, and cleaning supplies, which you can send through GrabMart by choosing Ampon Alaga as the collection point on the Grab app. Its posts also encourage people to report disturbing videos or animals in bad conditions to the authorities.
Slots go fast, so follow Ampon Alaga on Facebook and Instagram and sign up as soon as the next batch opens. And if you miss out, a bag of dog food or a share of an adoption post still helps a dog who’s waiting for a home.
