A Filipino Child Builds An Animal Shelter

There are thousands of abandoned dogs all over the world:  the situation is particularly dire in developing countries. It is so difficult to survive in these places, characterized by low living standards, low income and widespread poverty, that animals, unfortunately, become the least of the problems.

Fortunately, however, there are always people with hearts of gold who are willing to sacrifice themselves to save animals in distress. This is the case of Ken, a Filipino child who managed to fulfill his dream and build an animal shelter. Do you want to know its history?  

Ken and his reflection

Since childhood, every time Ken went to school, he crossed dozens of abandoned dogs on his path.  Instinctively he would have liked to help them or even just caress them, but his mother prevented him, for fear that the child might contract some disease; the conditions of these poor animals were really painful.

Months and years passed and Ken, now grown up, could start going to school on his own. Finally, no one would stop him from approaching the abandoned dogs. And so one day, on his way to school, he called them.

The dogs growled and barked at him “they were scared and they were afraid of people,” Ken says. The child did not lose heart, he was determined to help these animals and give them some love. To win their trust he had to change his strategy and devised a plan b.

Ken and his plan B

Ken thought for a long time how he could approach the dogs. What did these unfortunate beasts need? Of course! Food! How not to have thought of it before! He took courage and talked about it with his mother. The woman, moved by her son’s noble gesture, decided to give him a hand.

Ken and his family do not sail in gold, however the mother, proud of her baby, began to set aside the leftovers to allow Ken to give them to the dogs.  Occasionally they even bought cheap cans of dog food. “It was little, but it was definitely better than nothing,” Ken explains.

Little by little the whole family began to support Ken and the father decided to accompany his son to school to meet his new four-legged friends. Ken had managed to win the trust of the animals, who did not hesitate to go to meet him as soon as they heard him or saw him approaching.

How could it not be otherwise, Ken’s father decided to support his son in this noble undertaking. He began taking photos to immortalize these moments full of tenderness and solidarity.

It was extremely sad and painful to see the animals abandoned to their fate and they decided it was time to do more. The idea of ​​building a shelter in which the dogs could live peacefully and happily began to take hold. 

Ken’s dream comes true

Ken’s feat and stubbornness deserved to be disclosed and that was how the parents posted pictures of their baby on the Internet and told his extraordinary story. Immediately, messages began to arrive from people willing to make small donations to help Ken make his dream come true.

“We soon raised enough funds to feed the dogs as they should and to give them the veterinary attention they needed. Also, my father and I built a small animal shelter in our garage, ”Ken tells us.

The dogs recovered quickly, their wounds healed, gained weight, and their appearance greatly improved. Ken is convinced that his four-legged friends will soon find a family to adopt them. Thanks to the Happy Animal Club web, Ken can continue to rescue stray dogs and take care of them. 

Don’t you think it’s a moving story? If a 9-year-old child has managed to do so much, we cannot back down and turn our faces away when we encounter an animal in distress on our path. We have no excuses. We should learn from the lesson Ken gave us and do everything we can to make this world a better place for people and animals. 

Images courtesy of Happy Animals Club