I mean… Wow.
It’s been a rough few months on our end. Nothing I want to write an article about and all that on this site (I mean if you know, you know… and I appreciate you for reaching out).
The proverbial “show,” however, must go on.
We’re doing another Ask Me Anything session on 28 August, 5:00 pm Manila Time. This time we decided to benefit an organization I’m pretty psyched about: The Ayala Alabang Village Dog Group headed by one of my favorite people (and furparent!), Michelle Monzones. The organization is (and I’m quoting Michelle here) “a volunteer-based group dedicated towards the health and welfare of resident doggos and strays within the village. We help reunite lost dogs with their owners and we advocate for the strays found within AAV. These strays are given necessary medical attention before we seek fosters and/or forever families. Our AAV Dog Group relies 100% on the kind donations of residents and non-residents who help in the plight of abandoned dogs, which are more often than not, aspins. We exhaust ever effort to save our rescues and give them the love and attention they deserve.”
Our family personally had a great experience in putting together our formidable Yaya (the sassiest woman alive, IMHO) with a stray they rescued from a nearby mall who we lovingly call TAFKAP… The Aso (dog) Formerly Known As Pepper.
“Pepper’s” story was a terrible one: He got thrown out of a moving vehicle in a nearby mall, spent days roaming around a parking area, and got attacked by other strays. The story was heartbreaking enough for even Yaya to open her heart (and her home) to give “Pepper” the love he clearly deserves.
Through the group’s help, Pepper got cured from injuries he sustained from the attacks, was rid of a terrible flea infestation, and got over nasty constipation which was likely due to the stressful situation he was in. The group doesn’t just let anyone adopt the dogs, they do their due diligence in making sure each one gets properly homed, taking into consideration the potential families’ lifestyles… After all, it’s doubly heartbreaking for a once abandoned dog to be set up in a home that doesn’t have the capacity to give it what it needs. Some dogs ended up in families far away from our community (like “Pepper” did) but are thriving.
Here’s the thing though: What broke my heart was hearing from the rescuers (and a few other animal advocates outside the community) that Pepper’s case was not the first, nor the worst. Equally shattering is the fact that “Pepper” was one of the lucky ones. There are plenty of dogs out there who need homes, and the ones fortunate enough to get rescued don’t always get the adequate resources to foster healing.
This is why in keeping with my promise earlier this year, I decided to split the proceeds we would get from the upcoming AMA event between AAV Dogs and a project I’m doing with a production company and a chef who both share my vision…
…hang on, that’s something we’re saving for later. #nospoilers
Anyway. We truly appreciate the support industry legends want to give the project, but we have to remind everyone that this is strictly a beginners only session… If you’ve already got a wine varietal/regional preference, could tell yourself with conviction and clarity that you’d prefer an Islay over Japanese Whisky, know what to expect from a 100% Arabica coffee (and make those b@d@ss latté artwork I never developed the dexterity to do), have preferred ratios and ingredients/methods in mixing your signature cocktails, and/or know that rooibos is technically not classified under the tea umbrella… this isn’t the event for you. Also, it’s not a training session, nor is there a highlighted topic. It’s just a safe (and fun!) space for people with no prior drink knowledge to ask whatever they want involving beverages and give much-needed help to furbabies.
Speaking of which… If you already know your Chardonnay from your Sauvignon Blanc, you could help us out by donating to a pretty good charity. Please feel free to – as the kids put it – “slide into my DMs” via our IG account, @2shotsandapintofficial.
