It was an evening of pampering for furbabies from their loving owners, but what made the benefit dinner by Bow & Wow and CARA (Compassion and Responsibility for Animals) at the Robinsons Magnolia Garden in Quezon City even more special was the fact that the beneficiaries would be abandoned dogs and cats in need of tender loving care.
Hosted by celebrity animal advocates and pet owners Tim Yap and Tessa Prieto-Valdes, a heatwarming part of the event was the presentation of some of the rescued and rehabilitated animals under the care of CARA Welfare Philippines which has been providing medical care, spay/neutering services, rehabilitation and facilitation of a permanent loving home for rescued, abandoned dogs and cats whose numbers are growing. CARA’s main focus is to manage the overpopulation of dogs and cats.
Among those presented include the Laguna pitbulls Brutus and Mama that have been brutalized by dog fighting and rehabilitated by CARA, helping them regain not only their health but their trust on people.
Several CARA volunteers have helped care for some of the rescued dogs and cats by bringing them into their own homes, but they can only do so much. The success of an event like the Bow & Wow and CARA Benefit Dinner is certainly a welcome development, with CARA president Nancy Cu Unjieng saying she and and her team are very pleased with the positive turnout of the fundraising dinner that raised P250,000 from ticket sales. A hundred percent of the proceeds was immediately turned over to CARA.
Bow & Wow, the Philippines’ premier all-natural pet store for dogs and cats, made sure that both pet parents and furbabies had an awesome time, providing a wide array of all-natural treats at the pet buffet table from Bow & Wow and ALL4PETSParty. The Benefit Dinner event’s unique attractions include a spot for pawprint keepsakes, a caricature station, a design-your-own cupcakes area, among others.
Meantime, owners enjoyed the buffet prepared by by Gaita Fores’ Cibo di M. Other event partners included Planet Grapes, Cat Café Manila, WhenInManila.com, Ogilvy Public Relations, and Robinsons Magnolia. The evening’s entertainers included singer Jona Viray, herself a dedicated animal rescuer and pet parent and Polecats Manila.
Numerous raffle prizes added gaiety to the occasion, while special awards such as “Best Dressed Pet & Pet Parent” (Pawsome Twosome award) won by Melissa Bagamasbad and her Japanese Spitz-cum-Aspin Cow added to the fun. Other awards include the “Most Congenial Pet & Pet Parent” (Wagging Tails Award) won by Rhome Jervia Yu and her pets Pumpkin and Kai; “Most Photogenic Pet & Pet Parent” (Picture Pawfect Award) with Adrian Tolentino and Show Suzuki with their dogs Logan and Perry.
Visit Bow & Wow Stores located at Level 6 of Shangri-La Plaza Mall, Mandaluyong City; at the lower ground floor of Greenbelt 5, Makati City; at the 2nd floor, Al Fresco, Robinsons Magnolia, Aurora Boulevard, Quezon City; at the ground floor of Excelsior in Eastwood City, Libis, Q.C.; and Ayala Center, Cebu; and now in Nuvali, Sta. Rosa, Laguna. For pet-related pointers and information, visit the Bow & Wow website at www.bowandwow.com.ph.