posted by Michel on Nov 1

So far, we tried to cater for our adoptees, well, in our house and compound really. With the limited number of animals that we can keep at present, this is no disaster, but there is only VERY limited room for expansion in case of e.g. emergencies and rescues. And then really only for cats. Clearly something needed to be done. Since we were going to extend our house towards the currently unused backyard, we decided to include dog kennels, catteries and even a small “clinic” in the plans. During my last visit, this is what I found at the back of the house:

Construction started 2 weeks earlier

While I was there, progress was slowed down because of the side-effects of severe typhoons that struck the northern island of Luzon, causing large parts of Manila and surroundings to be flooded. It’s difficult to mix concrete in the pooring rain, so we simply had to wait for better weather.

In the mean time, plans were being discussed and refined and we decided on a total of 6 dog kennels, two of which that could be used as quarantine, 2 adjoining catteries and the clinic. I know that doesn’t sound like much compared to the “proper” shelters we have here in Europe, but it is a good start which will allow us to house rescued strays until they are adopted or transferred to a real shelter (there are preliminary discussions with Aklan State University for this). At least we will be able to provide a safe haven for those animals that we put up. Hopefully, I will be able to prove to all our partners and visitors that this sort of facility is just what we need and that it provides great improvement in areas of animal care, management and hygiene.

Two (quarantine) dog kennels

By the time I left, a little over 3 weeks later, the outline of the resulting building work was already becoming more apparent. Let’s hope all goes according to plan!