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Thursday, March 28, 2024

A rescuer at heart

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She has been rescuing strays for 10 years now.

It thus came naturally to her to comfort a wet, shaking pup who survived a terrible accident on Mindanao Avenue in Quezon City last Aug. 15. A cement mixer crushed a car, leaving the pup alone on the street when his owners were brought to the hospital.

Jenny B. Ramirez, a 37-year-old licensed criminologist, decided to take care of the pup while waiting for the owners to claim him.

One of the victims, Ulysses Ramos (who bought the pup for his two kids hours before the accident), died on the way to the hospital. His wife, Marife, and their two kids survived. 

A trainee of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) brought the pup named Conrad to the office.

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Ramirez, who works for the BJMP Directorate for Human Resources Development, saw the pup under the kitchen sink in the office, took pity on him, immediately got him and hugged him tight.

Jenny Ramirez with Conrad, the dog who survived the Aug. 15 accident on Mindanao Avenue

“I placed him on my lap and comforted him. I wiped him with wet tissue. I bought puppy food because they told me he had not eaten anything since the night of Aug. 15,” Ramirez recounted.

“He pooped on my pants and on my chair three times I didn’t mind as I am used to such ‘unfortunate events’,” she said.

Ramirez recalled that two persons tried to get Conrad from them.

“A woman came, claiming she is the relative of Mrs. Ramos and that she was there to claim Conrad. I was hesitant to give the puppy. What if nagkukunwari lang na kamag-anak, para lang makuha ang dog. What if magnanakaw pala,” she said.

She recalled that another woman called and said she was going to adopt the pup, claiming the owner had died.

She told the caller that the owner is alive and that they were only waiting for the owner to claim the dog. “I told the woman I will turn over the dog sa mommy lang niya. Binagsakan ako ng telepono,” Ramirez recalled.

Conrad sleeping on Jen's chair

At around 9 p.m. last Aug. 16, she went to Funeraria Paz to turn over the pup to Mrs. Ramos.

“The guard said that dogs are not allowed inside. I said ‘Kuya, this dog belongs to the victims of the accident, I need to turn over this dog sa may-ari.’ Fortunately, pumayag siya,” Ramirez said.

“The son immediately touched Conrad and called Conrad’s name. Parang miss na miss niya ang dog.

I turned over the puppy to Mrs Ramos,” she added.

She recalled the moment she handed over Conrad: “Mabigat sa pakiramdam, kasi mami-miss ko si Conrad. He was such a sweet dog. Mabait.”

“Naging emosyonal din ako sa loob kasi dama ko ang sakit ng nararamdaman nila. I hope Conrad’s presence will somehow ease the pain na na-e-experience nila ngayon. Lumisan ako sa lugar na may konting kaluwagan sa aking dibdib because the puppy has already been reunited with his human family. I hope that one day I will see Conrad again,” she shared.

Jen with rescues (from left) Kikay, Sky, and Browtey

Mother of 11 dogs

Ramirez, mother of a four-year-old boy, describes herself as a “dog lover and mother of 11 dogs.” She was 17 when she had her first dog, Bonjing, in Zamboanga. The dog died at the age of 18.

In 2007, she got Buddy, her first dog in Manila.

Since then, she has brought home a lot of sick dogs.

“Kahit maliit ang bahay ko, pinilit kong alagaan sila. Kasi ayaw ko nang pakalat-kalat sila. Kawawa sila, wala silang pagkain at walang bahay,” she said.

There was a time a dog was left in a plant box.

“Parang mamatay na ang dog. Inuwi ko siya, pinaliguan, ginamot ko ang duguang galis sa buong katawan. I named that dog Sunny. Sabi ko, ‘may pag-asa ka pa Sunny, gagamutin kita.’ Gumaling siya,” she recalled.

Responsible rescuing

Ramirez urged people who find dogs on the streets to look for their owners and to return them. She stressed these pets are members of the family to many owners.

“Masakit sa kanila o sa atin kung mawala o nawala ang alaga natin. Parang anak lang din yan kung nawala sa atin, gagawin natin ang lahat para mahanap ang ating anak.” she said.

Ramirez added, “I am not rich. But as long as I can help, I will. There are other rescuers and I know they, too, lack the resources But if we won’t do it, who will? Please be kind to God’s creations.”

Author’s Note: Please send pet love stories and inspiring stories involving animals to my email address daycarlos@yahoo.com.

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