tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79240826526357689312012-01-12T02:04:13.986-08:00Khrysta Imperial Rara's informative ideas about Animals in different Realms of KnowledgeKhrysta Imperial Rarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10505475741222764832noreply@blogger.comBlogger201100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7924082652635768931.post-81653684629409048842012-01-12T01:31:00.000-08:002012-01-12T02:02:41.604-08:00<p align="center"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-c_m8pG4BzhE/Tw6ozOZq7yI/AAAAAAAAAPM/V449eD23MDw/s1600/lessons%2B2011%2B_Page_1.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 236px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696676176662818594" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-c_m8pG4BzhE/Tw6ozOZq7yI/AAAAAAAAAPM/V449eD23MDw/s320/lessons%2B2011%2B_Page_1.jpg" /></a></p><br /><br /><div align="center"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fU7PAxzNVH0/Tw6ozdDQvUI/AAAAAAAAAPU/CZnuFQVcKU8/s1600/lessons%2B2011%2B_Page_2.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 236px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696676180595359042" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fU7PAxzNVH0/Tw6ozdDQvUI/AAAAAAAAAPU/CZnuFQVcKU8/s320/lessons%2B2011%2B_Page_2.jpg" /></a> <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UYZs0CYeZ0k/Tw6ozad7MjI/AAAAAAAAAPk/tZN0OpwGm2Y/s1600/lessons%2B2011%2B_Page_3.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 236px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696676179901887026" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UYZs0CYeZ0k/Tw6ozad7MjI/AAAAAAAAAPk/tZN0OpwGm2Y/s320/lessons%2B2011%2B_Page_3.jpg" /></a><br /><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;">RIGHT CLICK OPEN IMAGES TO ENLARGE</div><br /><div align="center"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-b4xZl1uh8UI/Tw6o0LMPA9I/AAAAAAAAAPs/YYAQ1E2suqo/s1600/lessons%2B2011%2B_Page_4.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 236px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696676192981025746" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-b4xZl1uh8UI/Tw6o0LMPA9I/AAAAAAAAAPs/YYAQ1E2suqo/s320/lessons%2B2011%2B_Page_4.jpg" /></a> <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-T9qBmExnBQk/Tw6o0U4xGpI/AAAAAAAAAP8/sw9HR50NMH0/s1600/lessons%2B2011%2B_Page_5.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 236px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696676195583728274" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-T9qBmExnBQk/Tw6o0U4xGpI/AAAAAAAAAP8/sw9HR50NMH0/s320/lessons%2B2011%2B_Page_5.jpg" /></a> </div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7924082652635768931-8165368462940904884?l=crystasark.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Khrysta Imperial Rarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10505475741222764832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7924082652635768931.post-45251223009611310522012-01-12T01:22:00.000-08:002012-01-12T02:03:07.098-08:00<div align="center"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fRyO2TKSB_k/Tw6mly54JzI/AAAAAAAAAOc/l1hCX5KDvwU/s1600/vegan%2Bdesserts%2Bfor%2Bmeaningful%2Bchristmas%2B_Page_1.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 237px; 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HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696673762452018674" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gHMMNqJqY6E/Tw6mmsw9lfI/AAAAAAAAAO0/V_16m9J7c2c/s320/vegan%2Bdesserts%2Bfor%2Bmeaningful%2Bchristmas%2B_Page_3.jpg" /></a> <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-s4MmbJrWUpI/Tw6mm4Lfo7I/AAAAAAAAAO8/HFSe4ElJfIc/s1600/vegan%2Bdesserts%2Bfor%2Bmeaningful%2Bchristmas%2B_Page_4.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 237px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696673765516092338" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-s4MmbJrWUpI/Tw6mm4Lfo7I/AAAAAAAAAO8/HFSe4ElJfIc/s320/vegan%2Bdesserts%2Bfor%2Bmeaningful%2Bchristmas%2B_Page_4.jpg" /></a><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7924082652635768931-4525122300961131052?l=crystasark.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Khrysta Imperial Rarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10505475741222764832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7924082652635768931.post-86649052559768116822012-01-12T01:03:00.000-08:002012-01-12T02:03:25.163-08:00<div align="center"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-suu5Sa4Pgo4/Tw6jkxPgrKI/AAAAAAAAANg/40HhFfB59PY/s1600/campaign%2Bto%2Bsave%2Bthe%2Bworld%2527s%2Bsaddest%2Bdolphins%2B_Page_1.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 236px; 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font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; "><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zCdMmL1En94/Tw6V7kejhWI/AAAAAAAAALA/clH0WvvnO8Q/s320/aspins%2Bmake%2Bhistory_Page_3.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696655429306910050" style="text-align: left; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7924082652635768931-8773518509138728556?l=crystasark.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Khrysta Imperial Rarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10505475741222764832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7924082652635768931.post-9030791842085350992011-12-08T01:42:00.000-08:002011-12-08T01:52:10.383-08:00<div align="center"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AAX6ELPjC0w/TuCHzvRd1tI/AAAAAAAAAJI/PH9mWFiW4mw/s1600/September%2B2010%2Bgassing%2Bdogs%2B_Page_1.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 204px; HEIGHT: 262px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5683692052674369234" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AAX6ELPjC0w/TuCHzvRd1tI/AAAAAAAAAJI/PH9mWFiW4mw/s200/September%2B2010%2Bgassing%2Bdogs%2B_Page_1.jpg" /></a> <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-p6ZaXegjCxE/TuCHz2wPWvI/AAAAAAAAAJU/jY8rftkL6kk/s1600/September%2B2010%2Bgassing%2Bdogs%2B_Page_2.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 220px; HEIGHT: 260px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5683692054682491634" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-p6ZaXegjCxE/TuCHz2wPWvI/AAAAAAAAAJU/jY8rftkL6kk/s200/September%2B2010%2Bgassing%2Bdogs%2B_Page_2.jpg" /></a> </div><br /><div align="center">RIGHT CLICK OPEN TO ENLARGE<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KaXoEXpITP4/TuCH0uIYiLI/AAAAAAAAAJg/yLv2nc-nAy0/s1600/September%2B2010%2Bgassing%2Bdogs%2B_Page_3.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 238px; HEIGHT: 241px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5683692069547706546" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KaXoEXpITP4/TuCH0uIYiLI/AAAAAAAAAJg/yLv2nc-nAy0/s200/September%2B2010%2Bgassing%2Bdogs%2B_Page_3.jpg" /></a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7924082652635768931-903079184208535099?l=crystasark.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Khrysta Imperial Rarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10505475741222764832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7924082652635768931.post-87892633131698859902011-12-08T01:35:00.000-08:002011-12-08T01:41:48.200-08:00<div align="center"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6QgEeMNK444/TuCFDlJbu1I/AAAAAAAAAIA/pQ7RKrf07GE/s1600/August%2B2010%2Bpinoy%2Bcats%2Bin%2Bparis%2B_Page_1.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 198px; HEIGHT: 251px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5683689026299345746" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6QgEeMNK444/TuCFDlJbu1I/AAAAAAAAAIA/pQ7RKrf07GE/s200/August%2B2010%2Bpinoy%2Bcats%2Bin%2Bparis%2B_Page_1.jpg" /></a> </div><br /><br /><div align="center"><strong>RIGHT CLICK OPEN TO ENLARGE </strong></div><br /><br /><div align="center"></div><br /><br /><div align="center"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Nnyn66pkW1Q/TuCFD76XeBI/AAAAAAAAAIQ/Q1NlKXLDpHU/s1600/August%2B2010%2Bpinoy%2Bcats%2Bin%2Bparis%2B_Page_2.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 191px; HEIGHT: 254px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5683689032410167314" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Nnyn66pkW1Q/TuCFD76XeBI/AAAAAAAAAIQ/Q1NlKXLDpHU/s200/August%2B2010%2Bpinoy%2Bcats%2Bin%2Bparis%2B_Page_2.jpg" /></a> <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-v1tj75YEOm4/TuCFE2Fgw9I/AAAAAAAAAIY/p1kx8N1MqlI/s1600/August%2B2010%2Bpinoy%2Bcats%2Bin%2Bparis%2B_Page_3.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 186px; HEIGHT: 253px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5683689048026170322" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-v1tj75YEOm4/TuCFE2Fgw9I/AAAAAAAAAIY/p1kx8N1MqlI/s200/August%2B2010%2Bpinoy%2Bcats%2Bin%2Bparis%2B_Page_3.jpg" /></a> </div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7924082652635768931-8789263313169885990?l=crystasark.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Khrysta Imperial Rarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10505475741222764832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7924082652635768931.post-4818805587169328552011-12-08T01:24:00.000-08:002011-12-08T01:31:58.909-08:00<div align="center"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b0FdyEEYLt4/TuCDLoq0LVI/AAAAAAAAAHc/mIe-kxQcklA/s1600/July%2B2010%2Blava%2Bdogs%252C%2Bwild%2Bdogs%2B_Page_1.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 175px; HEIGHT: 253px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5683686965660364114" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b0FdyEEYLt4/TuCDLoq0LVI/AAAAAAAAAHc/mIe-kxQcklA/s200/July%2B2010%2Blava%2Bdogs%252C%2Bwild%2Bdogs%2B_Page_1.jpg" /></a> <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-O5nfOJydlxw/TuCDrfDYUNI/AAAAAAAAAH0/qr0jS6qD94c/s1600/July%2B2010%2Blava%2Bdogs%252C%2Bwild%2Bdogs%2B_Page_2.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 185px; HEIGHT: 252px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5683687512834855122" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-O5nfOJydlxw/TuCDrfDYUNI/AAAAAAAAAH0/qr0jS6qD94c/s200/July%2B2010%2Blava%2Bdogs%252C%2Bwild%2Bdogs%2B_Page_2.jpg" /></a><br /></div><br /><div align="center"><strong>RIGHT CLICK OPEN TO ENLARGE</strong><br /><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7924082652635768931-481880558716932855?l=crystasark.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Khrysta Imperial Rarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10505475741222764832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7924082652635768931.post-44350659287753428362011-12-08T01:04:00.000-08:002011-12-08T01:24:34.622-08:00<div align="center"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NHJM5tjv-oY/TuCAd_OyizI/AAAAAAAAAG4/-f0EkdZFrdE/s1600/mine%2Bmay%2B2010%2B_Page_1.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 253px; HEIGHT: 258px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5683683982419594034" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NHJM5tjv-oY/TuCAd_OyizI/AAAAAAAAAG4/-f0EkdZFrdE/s200/mine%2Bmay%2B2010%2B_Page_1.jpg" /></a> <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aOr0-Xpc4zY/TuCAeNCbqtI/AAAAAAAAAHA/lc3S1v7JTIE/s1600/mine%2Bmay%2B2010%2B_Page_2.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 219px; HEIGHT: 257px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5683683986125859538" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aOr0-Xpc4zY/TuCAeNCbqtI/AAAAAAAAAHA/lc3S1v7JTIE/s200/mine%2Bmay%2B2010%2B_Page_2.jpg" /></a> </div><br /><br /><br /><div align="center"><strong>RIGHT CLICK OPEN TO ENLARGE</strong> </div><br /><div align="center"><br /><img style="WIDTH: 198px; HEIGHT: 257px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5683683986404830002" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Zs1gfVMDk5I/TuCAeOE8azI/AAAAAAAAAHQ/cchkYBA4vak/s200/mine%2Bmay%2B2010%2B_Page_3.jpg" /> </div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7924082652635768931-4435065928775342836?l=crystasark.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Khrysta Imperial Rarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10505475741222764832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7924082652635768931.post-11127039748183423122011-12-08T00:43:00.000-08:002011-12-08T01:03:01.464-08:00<div align="center"><img style="WIDTH: 234px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5683677979992010114" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KNaG4TgO_KM/TuB7AmciLYI/AAAAAAAAAFw/ybs6jgdUnQk/s320/April%2B2010%2Brey%2Boronan%2B_Page_1.jpg" /><br /></div><br /><div align="center"><strong>RIGHT CLICK OPEN IMAGES TO ENLARGE </strong></div><br /><blockquote></blockquote><br /><div align="center"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XC47QeJ5ACI/TuB7xsFpBRI/AAAAAAAAAGI/iMVfghcZleM/s1600/April%2B2010%2Brey%2Boronan%2B_Page_2.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 234px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5683678823320192274" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XC47QeJ5ACI/TuB7xsFpBRI/AAAAAAAAAGI/iMVfghcZleM/s320/April%2B2010%2Brey%2Boronan%2B_Page_2.jpg" /></a></div><strong></strong><br /><br /><br /><div align="center"></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7924082652635768931-1112703974818342312?l=crystasark.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Khrysta Imperial Rarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10505475741222764832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7924082652635768931.post-23137247707230471192011-11-09T08:47:00.000-08:002011-11-09T08:55:59.729-08:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yySTcPOqbuM/TrqoJrEVLmI/AAAAAAAAAEQ/BJd4aw6VQ-o/s1600/animal+scene1a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yySTcPOqbuM/TrqoJrEVLmI/AAAAAAAAAEQ/BJd4aw6VQ-o/s320/animal+scene1a.jpg" width="214" />&nbsp;&nbsp;</a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aBSdzv0rNko/Trqoh3tr6jI/AAAAAAAAAEY/P0A64eHAdJc/s1600/animal+scene2a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aBSdzv0rNko/Trqoh3tr6jI/AAAAAAAAAEY/P0A64eHAdJc/s320/animal+scene2a.jpg" width="237" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>RIGHT CLICK OPEN TO ENLARGE</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GUBDmf14gPU/TrqqLK7nUqI/AAAAAAAAAEg/MPAb6AxkYC4/s1600/animal+scene3a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">&nbsp;&nbsp;<img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GUBDmf14gPU/TrqqLK7nUqI/AAAAAAAAAEg/MPAb6AxkYC4/s320/animal+scene3a.jpg" width="218" />&nbsp; &nbsp;</a>&nbsp; &nbsp;<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vlHn7QuudBA/Trqqg19yEQI/AAAAAAAAAEo/oqQ_1zcANn8/s1600/animal+scene4a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vlHn7QuudBA/Trqqg19yEQI/AAAAAAAAAEo/oqQ_1zcANn8/s320/animal+scene4a.jpg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7924082652635768931-2313724770723047119?l=crystasark.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Khrysta Imperial Rarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10505475741222764832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7924082652635768931.post-82597139608283881132011-11-08T10:04:00.000-08:002011-11-08T10:10:41.836-08:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SRG3QkuBfDo/TrlsXmNsLaI/AAAAAAAAAD4/S_b8YrImTp4/s1600/animal+scene+1a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SRG3QkuBfDo/TrlsXmNsLaI/AAAAAAAAAD4/S_b8YrImTp4/s320/animal+scene+1a.jpg" width="230" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">RIGHT CLICK OPEN TO ENLARGE</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-80n9VhLAubQ/TrlsmGm56ZI/AAAAAAAAAEA/mF4F2mbmVnE/s1600/animal+scene+2a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-80n9VhLAubQ/TrlsmGm56ZI/AAAAAAAAAEA/mF4F2mbmVnE/s320/animal+scene+2a.jpg" width="226" />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qcHlkEPABYs/TrlszeZApgI/AAAAAAAAAEI/uOtRhm_sOUM/s1600/animal+scene+3a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qcHlkEPABYs/TrlszeZApgI/AAAAAAAAAEI/uOtRhm_sOUM/s320/animal+scene+3a.jpg" width="224" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>SEE RELATED POST: &nbsp;<a href="http://crystasark.blogspot.com/2011/11/aspins-rewrite-k9-history_06.html" target="_blank"><b>ASPINS REWRITE K9 HISTORY</b></a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7924082652635768931-8259713960828388113?l=crystasark.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Khrysta Imperial Rarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10505475741222764832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7924082652635768931.post-19061027098011830002011-11-06T02:28:00.000-08:002011-11-07T05:26:32.885-08:00<br /><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia,Times,'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-top: 11px; padding: 0px;"></div><h1 class="headline" style="font-family: arial,helvetica,clean,sans-serif; font-size: 26px; line-height: 1.21em; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"></h1><br /><div style="background-color: white; color: #666666; margin-top: 11px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 22px;"></div><div style="color: #1d1d1d; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 15px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><strong style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"></strong><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 19px;"><strong style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">ASPINS,&nbsp;the Philippine native dogs, are finallymaking history.<o:p></o:p></span></strong></div><strong style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"></strong><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 19px;"><strong style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><br /></strong></div><span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px;"><span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Two aspins have graduated with 25 other purebred dogsfrom the Philippine Coast Guard’s (PCG) K9 school and will be joining theroster of security dogs guarding the country’s ports against smuggled narcoticsand bombs.</span></span></div><span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WbuoUa8pW9g/TrZfA0pEqoI/AAAAAAAAADk/ArHsJYAn_hg/s1600/IMGP1569.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WbuoUa8pW9g/TrZfA0pEqoI/AAAAAAAAADk/ArHsJYAn_hg/s320/IMGP1569.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">CGK9 Cola</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">They proudly trooped to the stage with their handlers to receive their diplomasduring a ceremony honouring them at the PCG base camp in Taguig last week.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The PCG is an armed and uniformed unit attached to theDepartment of Transportation. It is tasked with securing maritime publictransport like ships and ferry boats. Detecting drugs and bombs as well assearch and rescue operations are part of its job description.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">PCG dog handlers also learned water rescue, survival,swimming, scuba diving and first aid. But they first had to go through a rigidscreening process.<o:p></o:p></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">“We first check to see if they are animal lovers so theywould be concerned about the dog who would be their daily companion. They alsohave to be physically fit and unafraid of being bitten,” PCG Commander Allen J.Dalangin said.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">But the dogs were taught only bomb and narcoticsdetection. “They are not trained to attack because that would be dangerous forthe passengers,” he clarified.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Next year, they will begin training dogs for rescue aswell as tracking human scent which is necessary in the search for survivorsduring a calamity.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The aspins, named Cola and Fiona, successfully passed alltests for the one-year Coast Guard K9 Handlers Course together with a JackRussell named Joyce, 5 Labradors, 16 Belgian Malinois, 1 German Shepherd, 2Golden Retrievers.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Though they looked friendly, not all the dogs can behugged and stroked, Dalangin explained. It all depends on their personalities.The Belgian Malinois, for instance, are considered the best security dogs butthey can be unpredictable and moody with strangers.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XEjZ3QWM0CA/TrZd3gjM6HI/AAAAAAAAADU/vI-jm5KxWIM/s1600/author+with+Jack+Russelj+terrier+K9+Joyce.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XEjZ3QWM0CA/TrZd3gjM6HI/AAAAAAAAADU/vI-jm5KxWIM/s320/author+with+Jack+Russelj+terrier+K9+Joyce.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Author with CGK9 Joyce</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The K9 graduates all stood at attention beside theirhandlers during the two-hour ceremony but a few decided later to skip theformalities and do what dogs do best.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-f1hv6eLX84Y/TrZdBJVyTnI/AAAAAAAAADE/hYCEwmvAVHY/s1600/restless+retriever.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-f1hv6eLX84Y/TrZdBJVyTnI/AAAAAAAAADE/hYCEwmvAVHY/s320/restless+retriever.JPG" width="240" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">One Golden Retriever stood on his hind legs as ifprodding his handler to play or seek shelter from the heat of the sun. Somedogs lay on the concrete driveway, noses on their handlers’ boots and hind legsapart.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Of the 27 graduates, 20 are bomb sniffers while 7 are trained to look forillegal drugs.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">“We have a quota of producing 20% narcotics detectiondogs for every batch and we are trying to increase this to 30%,” Dalanginstated.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The bomb sniffers are chosen according to theirbehaviour, he said.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Hyperactive dogs who excitedly scratch at boxes andcontainers when they sniff something are trained for narcotics detectionbecause a bomb might go off if there is too much movement around it. For thiskind of work, dogs that can calmly sit down once they smell explosive devicesare preferred.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Cola and Fiona are the first aspins in Philippine caninehistory trained to detect bombs. Foreign breeds are traditionally used todetect explosives and illegal drugs because they are known for theirintelligence and observation skills.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">As an example, Belgian Malinois Narda topped the classbecause she impressed PCG officers with her 100 percent accuracy rate innarcotics detection. “Belgian Malinois are highly intelligent, very vigilantand observant, and they have high intensity and high endurance,” LieutenantCommander Famela Aspuria, who is also Officer-in-Charge of the CG VeterinaryService, said.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The aspins were donated by civilians after they heard CGofficials announce on television that they would be accepting and adoptinglocal dogs.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">PCG officers believe training native dogs would allowthem to cut their canine food budget and save on money spent in purchasingforeign breeds. The local dogs are also expected to be more adjusted totropical weather and therefore be less prone to disease.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-n16Q3aUNhhk/TrZcNRCEBpI/AAAAAAAAAC8/ow5Pby3YV4s/s1600/Aspin-K9-FionaB-.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-n16Q3aUNhhk/TrZcNRCEBpI/AAAAAAAAAC8/ow5Pby3YV4s/s1600/Aspin-K9-FionaB-.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">CHK9 Fiona</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The K9 school accepted 38 dogs at the&nbsp;</span><strong style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"></strong><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="display: inline !important;"><div style="display: inline !important;"><strong style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><strong style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">start of thetraining program last October. Eleven dropped out of the program for variousreasons. Three Aspins, namely Pacman, Charice and Arnel, flunked this yearbecause they lacked focus and were a bit moody.</span></strong></strong></div></div></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px;"><strong style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"></strong></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="display: inline !important; font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 18px;">But PCG officials are giving them a second chance and thesiblings will be joining the next batch of trainees.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The three dogs, together with their siblings Manny and Pacquiao, werecatapulted into instant celebrity status last year after the PCG announced thatthey were being eyed for security work and were undergoing puppy training atthe base camp. This kind of training encourages them to go after the ball beingheld or thrown by a puppy handler.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Aspin Manny, who was about 3 months old at the time, didn’tseem to have the heart for the game. He would often escape from the puppy pento go exploring in the garden.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Manny and Pacquiao have since been adopted by Coast Guardpersonnel. Charice, Arnel and Pacman are still at the base awaiting their nextchance at training.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Their mother, Azumi, was adopted by PCG personnel twoyears ago at the Manila Harbor. The five pups inherited her short legs, stockybuild and long nose.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Azumi, meanwhile, had another litter of 7 puppies. Onedied, five were given away because they lacked “the ball drive”, and one iscurrently in the puppy training program.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The PCG has so far trained 126 regular working dogscomposed of 100 explosive detection and 26 narcotic detection canines.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px;"><br /></div></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a3ZXwbQD-TY/TrZdXX_FXjI/AAAAAAAAADM/mMGg-s1fkVs/s1600/with+Cdr+Dalangin+in+formation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a3ZXwbQD-TY/TrZdXX_FXjI/AAAAAAAAADM/mMGg-s1fkVs/s640/with+Cdr+Dalangin+in+formation.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="margin-top: 11px; padding: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin-top: 11px; padding: 0px;"><i>(VERA Files is put out by veteran journalists taking a deeper look at current issues. Vera is Latin for "true.")</i></div><div style="margin-top: 11px; padding: 0px;"><i>===============================================</i></div><div style="margin-top: 11px; padding: 0px;">This was published at <a href="http://ph.news.yahoo.com/blogs/the-inbox/aspins-rewrite-k9-history-101136358.html" target="_blank">Fit to Post The Inbox </a>at yahoo.ph on Oct. 19, 2011.<br /><br />Also published at <a href="http://verafiles.org/2011/10/19/aspins-rewrite-k9-history/" target="_blank">Vera Files website</a></div><div style="margin-top: 11px; padding: 0px;">See related post: <a href="http://crystasark.blogspot.com/2011/03/aspins-trained-for-bomb-sniffing.html" target="_blank">ASPINS TRAINED FOR BOMB SNIFFING</a></div><br />(<b>If you like this article, please share it on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ or others. Thanks.</b>)<br /><br /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7924082652635768931-1906102709801183000?l=crystasark.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Khrysta Imperial Rarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10505475741222764832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7924082652635768931.post-59260428227092673952011-03-12T17:32:00.000-08:002011-11-07T06:56:27.668-08:00<div style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5583373882891020722" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dA8mT5TMMTs/TXwg9unpqbI/AAAAAAAAACs/SM8vJz0lPq8/s320/aspin.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 320px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 233px;" /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xm6r9s_aspin-training-for-coast-guard-duty_animals" target="_blank">SEE VIDEO (CLICK here)</a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #434343; font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"></span><br /><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #434343; font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><strong style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">by KHRYSTA IMPERIAL RARA</strong></span></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #434343; font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><strong style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">VERA FILES</strong></span></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #434343; font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><strong style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></strong></span></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #434343; font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><strong style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">EVERY </strong>day at 6:30 a.m., Pacman goes to his training area for a 30-minute run. Egged on by his trainer, he goes through his morning routine with the focus and determination of a top-seeded athlete. But this Pacman doesn’t spar with his coach. This Pacman chases his trainer around instead.</span></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #434343; font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">Pacman the puppy is bound for stardom, just like world-renowned </span></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #434343; font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">boxer Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao. And Pacman the puppy may never know it, but in the future, human lives will depend on him.</span></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #434343; font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">Pacman the puppy is one of five <em style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">aspins </em>or <em style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">asong pinoy</em> (native Filipino dog) at present undergoing puppy training so that, in a year’s time, he could sniff bombs and narcotics in passenger ships and ports. He is one of 90 dogs in the kennel of the Philippine Coast Guard: Forty of them are under training, while the rest will undergo screening before starting doggie school next month.</span></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #434343; font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">The PCG, an armed and uniformed service attached to the Department of Transportation and Communications, is tasked with securing sea-going public transport vehicles like ships and ferry boats. Part of its job is detecting explosives and narcotics for which it used to procure foreign breeds like the German Shepherd, Labrador, Belgian Malinois and Golden Retriever.</span></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #434343; font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">But since budgetary constraints do not allow the purchase of these expensive breeds, PCG personnel have resorted to breeding and training their own and accepting donated canines. The only budget allotted is about P5,000 spent monthly on each dog for food and other needs. The cheaper table food is not an option because the dogs might go after provisions in passengers’ bags.</span></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #434343; font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">Native Filipino dogs were never considered before for security work because they are “independent, survivors and can be mean if feral” or left abandoned in the streets, said Lieutenant Commander Famela Aspuria, veterinarian of PCG’s K9 unit.</span></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #434343; font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">But experience gained from the training of mixed breeds told them it just might work.</span></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #434343; font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">“Intelligence is not based on breed. There are mixed breed and native dogs that are intelligent,” Aspuria said.</span></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #434343; font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">The training of <em style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">aspins</em> is the brainchild of PCG Admiral Wilfredo Tamayo and PCG K9 Unit Commander Allen Dalangin, who keeps 20 dogs at home.</span></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #434343; font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">“The commandant is under pressure to provide 200 dogs for ports all over the country and the idea to train the <em style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">aspins</em> came up during several discussions,” Dalangin recalls.</span></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #434343; font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">Seventy-two active working dogs are now deployed with their handlers in 30 K9 detachments along the nautical highways and ports in the country’s primary destination spots. K9 teams also check the vessels plying the Pasig River route as they enter the Malacanang area.</span></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #434343; font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">Native dogs, the PCG top brass thought, would be easier to feed and maintain. They would be more resistant to local diseases and are used to tropical weather. Small dogs would also be able to enter cramped spaces like the cargo compartments of buses on board sea vessels.</span></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #434343; font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">As luck would have it, the petty-officer-in-charge of the PCG detachment in South Harbor Manila had adopted and raised a native female puppy abandoned by a Superferry passenger three years ago. The passenger had to leave the pup behind because he had no quarantine clearance to bring her to the Visayas.</span></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #434343; font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">The dog, named Azumi after the lead character in a Japanese manga series who happened to be a young woman trained as an assassin, is the mother of the five PCG pups. Their father, according to Dalangin, was a stray dog, known in Filipino as <em style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">askal</em> (short for <em style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">asong kalye</em>)<em style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">,</em> roaming the area.</span></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #434343; font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">After they were weaned off their mother’s milk, the five pups were taken to start training. A few days ago, mother and babies had a happy reunion at the base. In two weeks, the puppies will join 35 other dogs who will pass the screening test and together they will comprise “Class 7” of the K9 unit.</span></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #434343; font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">The more refined among the Class 7 dogs will be taught to sit when they find explosives, while the rest will learn to scratch at containers hiding illegal substances. And the only reward they will seek is their handler’s praise and pat on the head.</span></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #434343; font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">Azumi’s pups are all named after Filipino celebrities who have hit it big overseas. Four-month-old Pacman and siblings Manny and Pacquiao are all named after the world’s best pound-for- pound boxing champ, another brother Arnel after Arnel Pineda of the American band Journey, and only sister Charice after Charice Pempengco, now a guest star on the hit American TV series “Glee.”</span></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #434343; font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">Oblivious to the curious eyes of onlookers, the fat and short-haired young canines carry on with their half-hour daily puppy training, which is actually more play than work. They need no second prodding as they make a mad dash for a plain red rubber ball that their trainer swings and bounces around.</span></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #434343; font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">The trainer makes it more exciting for them by uttering commands in an encouraging tone and praising the ones that manage to grab the ball with their teeth and hang on to it. Their level of “ball drive” will indicate their potential as bomb or narcotics sniffers.</span></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #434343; font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">Four months from now, this harmless ball and others like it will be laced with the odor of bomb components and illegal drugs like opium, hashish, marijuana, shabu and heroin to sensitize the dogs’ noses to their smell.</span></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #434343; font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">“We are not breed-conscious,” Aspuria said. “Mixed breeds perform just as well.”</span></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #434343; font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">Cola, for instance, is a black, white and brown Beagle and <em style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">aspin</em> mix. She’s barely 8 months old. Donated only a month ago, she is still in the conditioning phase but has constantly surprised her handler with her amazing ability to find at first try the ball hidden under one of the overturned pots, or “pot search” in Coast Guard parlance.</span></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #434343; font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">Cola’s owner donated her to the PCG because he thought she had special skills that could be tapped. Back home, she would steal his socks, hide them and then retrieve them for him.</span></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #434343; font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">The K9 unit is rooting for Cola. But if she doesn’t make the grade, then she’ll just be sent back home or maybe given a second chance. Flunkers are allowed to go through another year of dog schooling, and if they don’t make it the second time, they are either sent back to their owners or adopted by PCG officers.</span></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #434343; font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">But for now, Coast Guard personnel are letting the puppies be puppies. They eat puppy kibble three times and play twice a day. The adult canines, on the other hand, are fed twice daily.</span></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #434343; font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">“I’m still adjusting to the <em style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">aspin</em> puppies because they behave differently from the foreign breed pups. But looking for their potential is a challenge for me,” Seaman 2<sup style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">nd</sup> Class Ryan Philip Ventura, trainer of the pups, confides. “It’s good to train our native breed so we can show people what they can do.”</span></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #434343; font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">Dalangin, meantime, has no second thoughts about the project he has initiated. He is convinced that like their namesakes, the <em style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">aspins</em> will do their country proud. “We just have to start them off at an early age,” he stated.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #434343; font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">====================</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #434343; font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #434343; font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">Published in The Philippine Star Sept. 21, 2010 and other Manila newspapers (Manila Times, Malaya, etc.)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #434343; font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">Also published online at YAHOO - <span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre;"><a href="http://ph.yfittopostblog.com/2010/09/20/coast-guard-trains-aspins%E2%80%99-to-sniff-bombs/">http://ph.yfittopostblog.com/2010/09/20/coast-guard-trains-aspins%E2%80%99-to-sniff-bombs/</a></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #434343; font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">at GMANEWSTV: <span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre;"><a href="http://www.gmanews.tv/story/201602/coast-guard-trains-asong-pinoy-to-sniff-bombs">http://www.gmanews.tv/story/201602/coast-guard-trains-asong-pinoy-to-sniff-bombs</a></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #434343; font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">at MALAYA: <a href="http://www.malaya.com.ph/09202010/news10.html">http://www.malaya.com.ph/09202010/news10.html</a></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #434343; font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">at VERA FILES: <a href="http://verafiles.org/main/focus/coast-guard-trains-aspins-to-sniff-bombs/">http://verafiles.org/main/focus/coast-guard-trains-aspins-to-sniff-bombs/</a></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #434343; font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">and other sites.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #434343; font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> </span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7924082652635768931-5926042822709267395?l=crystasark.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Khrysta Imperial Rarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10505475741222764832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7924082652635768931.post-5077224193673904532008-12-14T01:00:00.000-08:002011-11-07T06:48:46.083-08:00Cats are like people. And oftentimes, they think like people.<o:p></o:p> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"> It is simply amazing to see how mother cats act just like human mothers. I’ve observed my cats for 10 years now and I have seen that each female has her own ideas about mothering. But the unique ways with which they prepare for motherhood, give birth and raise their kittens really remind me of different women with children. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"> Here’s is a list of the various kinds of feline female behavior I have observed through the years:</div><div class="MsoNormal"> </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">NATURAL MAMA<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"> This cat is the ideal mama. No one, neither elder cats nor concerned humans, teaches her how to take care of the babies yet she does it like a real pro. She gives birth alone, without any fuss or sound, and instinctively knows that she has to eat the umbilical cord and sack like her cousins do in the wild (no Lamaze lessons, no nurses, wet nurses nor doctors to assist at the moment of birth). She then grooms the newborns, lets them suckle and never leaves them for the first 24 hours.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">TEEN MAMA<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">cheira and toy</div><div class="MsoNormal"> <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_NLB73LTgyIU/SUTQVtjUcBI/AAAAAAAAAAY/MrKxRS79kwk/s1600-h/cheira+N+stuffed+dog2.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279573734608629778" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_NLB73LTgyIU/SUTQVtjUcBI/AAAAAAAAAAY/MrKxRS79kwk/s320/cheira+N+stuffed+dog2.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 272px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 320px;" /></a>Like human teenage moms, cats less than a year old usually make bad mamas. They just aren’t mentally and emotionally prepared to be mothers. My white Persian cat Cheira got pregnant when she was just 7 months old. When she gave birth, she did not know what to do. She left the kittens in a corner and refused to nurse them despite my repeated attempts to force her to lie down and let them suckle. Needless to say, the babies lived for just a day. But when she gave birth again a year later, she knew exactly how to care for her babies.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">PROTECTIVE MAMA<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"> Mama cats are very protective of their offspring. Like their wild cousins the lions, tigers, cheetahs, etc., they feel the need to protect the babies against predator species or, as in the case of my cats, from the other adult cats at home. In the wild, male lions kill cubs to eliminate competitors for food and females. So the mother lion keeps on changing dens to make sure her pups will not be found. My cats still follow this instinct. A few weeks after giving birth, they always move their kittens to a different area or room.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">PROUD MAMA<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"> These mothers are so proud of their kittens that instead of sticking to their maternal instincts and hiding the babies, they bring out the litter and place them in an open area for all to see. It worries me when they do this a day or more after giving birth. My cat Mignonne is guilty of this. She enjoys the attention when the rest of the family come to check out her babies.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">THE KIDNAPPER (OR KITTEN NAPPER?)<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"> Kidnapping – or in this case, kittennapping - occurs when a cat is either about to give birth or has just given birth. Strangely, the mothers of the kidnapped kittens do not raise a fuss except for another white Persian, Xerea, who scolded her kitten and refused to let him suckle for a day when he (the kitten) agreed to stay with his aunt Bast and did not try to escape. When they are kidnapped, the reluctant and often screaming little victims are taken by the scruff of the neck by the expectant or new mother and brought to her chosen den. Perhaps the expecting mom is so excited about her coming babies that she gets impatient and decides to mother someone else’s kitten. The kidnapped kittens are then expected to babysit or teach the newborns a few things.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">THE TEACHER<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"> Ishtar, a pewter-colored Persian, trains her daughters to care for the babies. She makes them stay and watch over the kittens while she socializes with the other cats or inspects the house. The daughters usually don’t mind as long as they, too, get to suckle even if they are already six months old or more.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">COLLABORATING MAMAS<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"> I first noticed this apparent agreement between feline mothers to cooperate and share responsibilities some seven years ago when sisters Mau and Bast gave birth at the same time to a litter of 3 kittens each. The sisters took turns eating so that one of them would always be with the kittens. They groomed and nursed each other’s babies. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"> Last year, the phenomenon was repeated when Filipino (or American Shorthair) cats Spider and Pouncival gave birth weeks apart. I had rescued Spider two years ago from under the back tire of a Pajero parked along Times Street in Quezon City. Pouncival, on the other hand, just walked into my garden one day and refused to leave. I gave her away to a neighbor but every morning I would find her back in my garage in time for breakfast. Like Bast and Mau, Spider and Pouncival care for each other’s litter, groom each other’s babies and watch over them.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">PEOPLE-FRIENDLY MAMA <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"> Not all cats become attached to people. Some keep an independent attitude and do not wish to be petted nor stroked. But Barbie is quite the opposite. She always wants to be near me and makes sure that her babies become close to me. In fact, she moved her babies from under the bed to under the bedside table so they would always have easy access to me. Thus her three babies Aslan, Simba and Pocahontas grew up climbing in and out of my bed and even sleeping with me. But not all my female felines teach their kittens to be close to me.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">SEEKER OF HELP<o:p></o:p></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_NLB73LTgyIU/SUTQ-pPmlUI/AAAAAAAAAAg/AbpVUs9VQQA/s1600-h/cats-+artemisNkitties.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279574437826827586" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_NLB73LTgyIU/SUTQ-pPmlUI/AAAAAAAAAAg/AbpVUs9VQQA/s320/cats-+artemisNkitties.jpg" style="display: block; height: 188px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">ARTEMIS and her kittens</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"> Some cats even go further by literally asking for help when they need it. Eleven-year-old Artemis always experiences a delay in kitten delivery. Her stomach gets so big and heavy that sometimes she doesn’t want to stand anymore. When it’s time to give birth yet her babies won’t come out yet, she comes to me for a healing. So I place my hands on her stomach and give it Reiki energy. Or I gently stroke and massage it. She loves it and usually wants to stay all day on the bed. The babies come out usually a day or two later.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"> </div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_NLB73LTgyIU/SUTRp-ftJfI/AAAAAAAAAAo/0oV0iJq6Lpo/s1600-h/cats2.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279575182265886194" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_NLB73LTgyIU/SUTRp-ftJfI/AAAAAAAAAAo/0oV0iJq6Lpo/s320/cats2.jpg" style="display: block; height: 277px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">BAST and her kitty</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Her sister Bast also had the same idea. She usually keeps her babies hidden and well-protected. But one day, when a good friend who happens to be a doctor came to do acupuncture on our cat, Sam, Bast brought out her three babies and laid them out in front of him. It was the first and only time any of the cats did that to a visitor. We thought it was rather cute and we didn’t know what it meant at the time. It was only after the babies died two days later that we realized she was asking for medical or acupuncture help.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">ULTIMATE MAMA</div><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_NLB73LTgyIU/SUTSIM36FHI/AAAAAAAAAAw/hE7HEYmPU3k/s1600-h/ishtar+grooms+her+babies.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279575701521568882" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_NLB73LTgyIU/SUTSIM36FHI/AAAAAAAAAAw/hE7HEYmPU3k/s320/ishtar+grooms+her+babies.jpg" style="display: block; height: 250px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">ISHTAR with Mau and Bast</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"> This type of cat gives up whatever little food she has to her kittens. Not all mothers do this. But I’ve seen this admirable trait among some of my cats. When the kittens want more food or milk, Ishtar, Spider and Pouncival give them their share. It’s very much the same for human mothers. My mom does it for me. She buys clothes for herself and then gives them to me if I like them. Now that’s what I call the ultimate mother. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">THE CHANGED CAT<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"> </div><div class="MsoNormal">Motherhood, I am told, changes many women. I had the chance to observe this first hand with Xerea who used to be a timid cat who feared all the other cats. Xerea made her home in my bathroom perhaps thinking that the closed-in walls would provide her better protection from her siblings who just loved to tease and harass her. She often stayed on top of a tiled wall dividing the shower from the toilet area. For several years, none of our Prince Charming cats could lay their paws on Xerea, our “wall tower princess”. After giving birth to two kittens, Xerea first nursed them inside the bathroom cabinet and later moved them out to my room. More than a month later, she began making excursions to the dining room and kitchen. She must have liked it there because she brought her babies there. Now, Xerea goes all over the house. She has lost her fear of the other cats and she now fights back when they try to boss her around. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"> </div><div class="MsoNormal">Animal behavior indeed mirrors human behavior. Or is it the other way around? And when it comes to mothering, humans do not have a monopoly on love for their babies. Mother cats and other species give the same attention and sacrifice to their offspring. Scientists may refer to it as the instinct to ensure “survival of the species”. But anyone who has the opportunity to observe animals up close will know that this is too simplistic an explanation. Animals are intelligent and they have a way of knowing which we do not completely comprehend. And mothering, for them, generally seems to be a special experience. (end)</div><div class="MsoNormal">============</div><div class="MsoNormal">Published in Mr. &amp; Ms. magazine (May-June 2008) under my column: ANIMAL TOTEMS</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">(<b>If you like this article, kindly share it through FB, Twitter, Google+ and/or others.</b> )</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7924082652635768931-507722419367390453?l=crystasark.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Khrysta Imperial Rarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10505475741222764832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7924082652635768931.post-30064089373651642472008-03-10T05:31:00.000-07:002008-12-14T01:35:29.452-08:00<p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style=""> </span>By Khrysta Imperial Rara</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Alternative healing methods are now legitimately practiced in the United States, Europe, Australia, Japan and China. In these places, hospital officials of state-run hospitals ask their patients whether they want to see regular doctors or alternative healers.<span style=""> </span>The same goes for the animals. People can choose either to bring their pets to regular veterinarians or to alternative pet healers. A growing number of pet owners opt for the latter mainly because alternative healing turns out cheaper in the long term. Another reason is that more people are becoming health conscious and they no longer want to fill their pets’ bodies with chemical products (like antibiotics, chemical flea killers, de-wormers, etc…) Many pet owners would rather use natural ingredients and methods to heal their animal companions. Others combine homeopathic and allopathic methods. It all depends on what works best for you and your animal companion.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Healing pets the non-conventional way protects them from traumatic experiences.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">A trip to the vet often causes fear and panic to an animal particularly if he or she had been previously subjected to injections, physical exams, blood tests and mishandling by a vet’s assistants.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Alternative healing methods also help humans bond with their animal friends. Everything that lives and exists in this world is composed of<span style=""> </span>energy. Humans and animals are made up of energies, each vibrating at a different level. So when you try to heal a sick pet, he will immediately feel that you are trying to manipulate his energy field and he will love you the more for it.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>I rarely go to the vet nowadays because it has become quite expensive. With 14 cats in the house, I have opted for energy healing to cut costs.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>I practice several kinds of methods. My favorite is <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reiki">REIKI healing</a>. Reiki, which means universal life energy in Japanese, is a method of healing that uses extremely fine energy tapped from the universal source. Practitioners are initiated so they can gain easy access to the life force. As a second-degree REIKI healer, I just put my hand on the part of the cat’s body that is bothering him and pass on healing energy to him. I can see the relief from pain in the cat’s eyes and actions. It’s either he falls asleep or he suddenly bounces off from my lap, completely energized. The results can be seen immediately or after a few sessions.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Sometimes,<span style=""> </span>I do <a href="http://www.lifepositive.com/pranic-healing.html">pranic healing</a>. It’s basically the same principle of energy (prana) manipulation, but this time the pranic healer uses his hands to “sweep away” all negative energies within the animal’s energy field. Pranic healing is an ancient healing art.<span style=""> </span>Animals tend to get impatient, though, so you might have to hold him with one hand while the other does the sweeping. Two of my cats have been healed with pranic energy. Aswad, a black stray cat, was going blind when he was dumped in my garage by some neighbors. His eyes were in a sorry state either because he didn’t get the proper care and nutrients or he had been scratched in the eyes. Veterinary doctors said both Aswad and Tuxedo, a black and white stray cat who had blood oozing from her eyes, were “hopeless” and would definitely go blind. Well, they did not. They recovered their eyesight within two weeks with the help of pranic healing and of course, a lot of love, attention and clean food. Fauna, a sleek jet black stray, was cured by REIKI energy – and Vitamin C. Another vet had taken her x-ray and said she was dying of lung and stomach infection. In 1999, my white Persian cat Horus suddenly started walking like a drunkard. He acquired a glazed look as if he were high on drugs and he could neither jump up nor come when called. The reason? A vet had prescribed a high dosage of antibiotic to stop his diarrhea. Well, the sickness stopped but Horus got even worse. I gave him lots of REIKI treatments and he is now one sweet fat independent cat. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Now, when my cats get diarrhea, I give homeopathic tablets in addition to the usual alternative treatments. Homeopathy cures an illness by treating the whole being rather than just the symptoms. It is holistic. Its medicines come from plant, mineral and animal sources and are used in extremely diluted amounts. The tablets I give my cats are for diarrhea and they are very effective.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>My feline friends also love the spinal flush, so-called because it flushes the toxins out from the body. To do it, apply thumb pressure along the canals on both sides of the spine but not on the spine itself. Do this from the back of the neck all the way down to the edge of his body. To balance a pet’s energies when she’s feeling too aggressive or too weak, trace the number eight (8) sideways a few inches from her body. Do this several times.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Quartz crystals can also be a big help. When any of my Persian cats gets sick, I put the appropriate crystal in his or her sleeping corner. Once when pewter-haired Ishtar was stricken with diarrhea and throwing up everything she ate, I placed a pink quartz under her stomach while she slept the whole night. By the time I woke up the following morning, she was busy playing with her two-month kittens.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Often, like people, animals get sick due to stress. They are so sensitive to the energies around them that they easily get affected by negative energy waves. When there’s a lot of anger in the home, pet behavior can turn erratic. Some animals even absorb the negative energies released by their human companions. When this happens, stressed people usually say they always feel better when their pet is around. Problem is, it could be toxic for their animal friends.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Wildlife, or animals who don’t know you, are a different story. Long-distance mental healing would work best for them. When I was still a student in<span style=""> </span>France, I used to spend my afternoons watching the swans as they gracefully glided along the Ill River in Strasbourg. I would give them bread and it came to a point when they would come rushing to shore as I approached the bridge. One day I noticed that one of the swans was limping and having a hard time coming to shore. For three days I did mental healing on him and at the same time I sent him a lot of love energy. I wasn’t sure I was getting anywhere but on the fourth day, he came to shore with the others and even stayed behind as if to thank me.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Sometimes, though, there are animals who can no longer be healed. For some of them, it’s simply time to leave. On such occasions, I just thank the animal for the love and company he shared with me. Often, they come back or reincarnate and end up with me again.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>In China, Japan, Thailand, Australia, the United States and Europe, vets already use acupuncture on their animal patients. Acupuncture cures almost all diseases including arthritis and mental disorders. It is an ancient Chinese therapy that requires the insertion of needles into the skin at specific points in the body. Sluggish animals usually regain their energy after an acupuncture session.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>There are still more kinds of alternative cures but nothing beat prevention. Exposure to the morning sun does a lot of good for the animals. And of course, lots of love and attention works wonders for them. It’s always the best way to heal – and protect – them from disease.<o:p><br /></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><o:p> </o:p></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7924082652635768931-3006408937365164247?l=crystasark.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Khrysta Imperial Rarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10505475741222764832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7924082652635768931.post-60594906485759275752007-04-04T04:16:00.000-07:002011-11-06T05:02:16.948-08:00<embed anchor_height="225" anchor_left="3" anchor_top="3" anchor_width="490" height="0" hover="true" onmouseout="" pref_url="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_NLB73LTgyIU/RhOLWNwZDKI/AAAAAAAAAAM/FZ2PQBBrgQo/s1600-h/SPOTTEDDOLPHINS.JPG" type="application/browster-plugin" width="0"></embed><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_NLB73LTgyIU/RhOLWNwZDKI/AAAAAAAAAAM/FZ2PQBBrgQo/s1600-h/SPOTTEDDOLPHINS.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5049532820978470050" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_NLB73LTgyIU/RhOLWNwZDKI/AAAAAAAAAAM/FZ2PQBBrgQo/s320/SPOTTEDDOLPHINS.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a><br /><br />Revered in ancient cultures because of their awesome grace and power, the dolphins inspired so much respect and admiration that the Sumerians and Egyptians thought they had direct connections to the gods. Classical Greek writers, on the other hand, believed the dolphins to be the King of Fishes, with the power to guide the souls of the dead into the Underworld. Dolphins came to symbolize powers, speed and freedom, and they were often called upon to lend their magick to the Celtic warriors and even the coastal Native Americans.<br /><br />Those were the days when Nature ruled the Earth. Humans evolved to become masters of the land while the dolphins became masters of the sea. Because of the conditions on the land, man developed his sense of sight and smell. But since these senses count for naught in murky waters, the dolphins evolved into sonar or echolocating beings whose low- and high-frequency sound emissions allow them to locate and identify objects out of visual range, up to a distance of 1,000 meters away.<br /><br />While man hunted, built bridges and cities, the dolphins also hunted as well as swam, frolicked, mated and defended themselves from predators. But unlike men who multiplied rapidly and colonized other lands to satisfy their needs for space and more food, dolphins multiplied at a slower pace and therefore never felt the need to colonize. Besides, their domain, the oceans, occupy 2/3 the Earth's surface area.<br /><br />But the free-roaming dolphins are not so free anymore. Man has taken it upon himself not only to invade dolphin territory but to plunder and destroy it as well. Man's technological advances have made sure of this. Commercial and military ships have raised the noise pollution level in the high seas. Since water is a very good conductor of sound, this noise pollution has jammed echolocation signals exchanged by dolphin pods, whales and other sea creatures as well. Oil spills, nuclear experiments and the indiscriminate throwing of garbage into the sea has affected their social behavior and even endangered their lives. Dolphins are now hunted and slaughtered for food, fertilizer and pig feed. Thousands drown when caught in purse seine nets used by tuna-fishing boats. Those not killed could end up as disposable soldiers trained to hunt mines, sabotage nuclear submarines or ram enemy frogmen with explosive devices tied to their bodies.<br /><br />To top it all, many are turned into reluctant and unhappy pets, seaquarium prisoners or show dolphin clowns. They are confined to tanks where many succumb to stress-related diseases and depression. Since they communicate by sonar, many become neurotic in a steel tank where every sound ricochets back. Add to this the stress of travel. In the sea, they are weightless. When transported by land or air, gravity pulls the weight of their 500-lb. bodies down on their lungs. They become confused and helpless. But they cannot be tranquilized because if they lose consciousness, they die.<br /><br />Yet despite all the abuse humans subject them to, dolphins never harm people. Their 96 sharp cone-shaped teeth and powerful flukes could easily kill, but dolphins have been known more to save drowning or marooned people.<br /><br />Richard O'Barry, former trainer of all dolphins used in the hit FLIPPER series, turned activist when he could no longer stand to see the dolphins suffer. He realized that dolphins in captivity are at odds with their true nature. "Dolphins who are full of human impressions are virtually cripples. They need de-programming, and they would also have to re-learn how to hunt live fish," he said in one of his books.<br /><br />Scientists, like neurophysiologist Dr. John Lilly, discovered that dolphin memory is equal to human memory and they do better in many tests than the chimpanzee. They can also mimic us, even our laughter, at a rate 8 times faster than human speech. Lilly had to use a computer to keep pace with them. Not surprising, if we consider that they have a brain mass / body mass ratio equal to humans’. According to scientific studies, one of the foremost criteria for intelligence is the brain mass / body mass ratio.<br /><br />Non-scientists have been conducting their own "experiments" in interspecies communication. But this time, they realize the importance of interacting with the dolphins in their natural habitats, in order to observe their natural behavior and learn from them. Musician Jim Nollman has made many dolphin friends by playing classical and ethnic music in the high seas. Like the Pied Piper of Hamlin, they have followed his music to specially-designated coves where adults and children wait to play with them. Is this the making of a human-dolphin community? Why not? Pregnant women claim they felt blasts of energies directed at their stomachs while interacting with the dolphins, while manic-depressive people say they had never been happier than<br />when they were in contact with the dolphins.<br /><br />For such interspecies projects to work, Nollman and others like him first had to gain the trust of the dolphins, who had by now learned to be wary of most humans. Communication between species can only work if we do not force the other to learn English or undergo intelligence tests. It will only work if we go out of our way to harmonize with them like the people of Mauritania who called on the dolphins to bring them fish, as documented by French oceanographer Jacques Cousteau. Peaceful interaction between man and species either in the wild or the high seas can be re-learned, and it will surely help to re-establish our lost link with the natural world.<br />=====================================<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Published in The Philippine Post, July 3, 1999<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7924082652635768931-6059490648575927575?l=crystasark.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Khrysta Imperial Rarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10505475741222764832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7924082652635768931.post-7671809126183734682007-03-06T02:00:00.000-08:002007-03-06T02:12:05.969-08:00<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""></span><span style=""></span><span style=""> </span><span style=""></span>Much has been said about the domesticated pig in Western cultures and societies closely linked to them. More often than not, the pig is pictured as filthy, greedy, sloppy and undesirable. In present-day colloquial English, “You’re a pig” means “you’re greedy and dirty”.<span style=""> </span>A pigsty, which refers to a pen or enclosure for pigs, also connotes an unclean room or house. In local and international movies, pigs are always shown bathing in mud or hungrily gulping down dirty leftover food from metal buckets.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>This depiction of the pig, however, was different in times past. A review of literature reveals that the pig and its ancestors the boar (male) and the sow (female) were revered and respected in ancient societies. The boar, the largest of all wild pigs, roamed the forests of <st1:place>Europe</st1:place>, <st1:place>Asia</st1:place>, <st1:place>Siberia</st1:place>, the US Pacific Coast and <st1:place>North Africa</st1:place>.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">THE WESTERN PIG<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">D.J. Conway, author of Animal Magick, describes the animal as “sacred to the Greek god of war and destruction, Ares or Mars” perhaps because of its ferocious and courageous nature. Greek and Roman mythology are awash with stories of the courage of the boar. The Greek hero Adonis was killed by a boar and so people would sacrifice the boar to Aphrodite, lover of Adonis.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Writers through the ages have witnessed the hunting of the boar, which when cornered, attacks and fights back with its sharp tusks that measure up to a foot long. The teeth of boars decorated the helmets of Greek warriors while the Romans used pig blood as “purifier”. The cowrie shell, which reminded the Romans of the white sow, was called “porcella” and this is where the word porcelain came from.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>According to <st1:city><st1:place>Conway</st1:place></st1:city>, the boar or pig was a symbol of fertility of the land to the Norse and Anglo-Saxon peoples. The English used to serve the head of a wild boar with an apple in the mouth to guests at Christmas time. The apple represented the charmed apple of immortality. The wild boar was a symbol of Richard III of <st1:country-region><st1:place>England</st1:place></st1:country-region>.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span>To the Welsh, the sow was a lunar animal and a symbol of divine inspiration.<o:p> </o:p>In <st1:country-region><st1:place>Ireland</st1:place></st1:country-region>, people believed that the pig could see the wind.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">The Celt warriors carved the image of the boar into helmets to protect them from harm. The boar and pig symbolized war, the warrior, hunting, protection and fertility. They were also sacred because they were considered food of the gods. The black sow, however, was considered evil. It symbolized death and rebirth to the Celts.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">The boar is the mascot of the Belgian Army’s Premier Infantry Regiment whose soldiers wear a boar’s head pin on their beret.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">THE EASTERN PIG</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>The pig was also very much present in Eastern lore.<span style=""> </span>In ancient <st1:country-region><st1:place>Egypt</st1:place></st1:country-region>, the pig was an evil animal that belonged to the god Set but they allowed it to trample seeds into the ground during sowing. The pig was considered a dirty animal and therefore not eaten. Perhaps this was the source of the Jewish-Islamic tradition of not eating pork. In Zoroastrianism, the pig was associated with the Sun.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">Tantric Buddhists still worship Marici, the Diamond Sow while the Hindu god Rudra was known as the “Boar of the Sky”. Vajnavrahi, goddess of the dawn and source of all life, was symbolized by a sow. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">To the Chinese, a white boar represented the Moon, courage as well as conquest and qualities needed by a warrior. They also thought the pig was greedy and dirty and only useful if tamed.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">Far from being ignored or despised, the pig or boar was also used as a familiar in magick rituals, according to Timothy Roderick, author of <i style="">The Once Unknown Familiar</i>. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">Roderick writes that “each animal carries with it certain powers and abilities that are bestowed on the bearer of the animal spirit.” He says our “familiar self” gives us special abilities that are recognizable in certain animals, like playfulness, patience, courage and honesty. Pig familiars are non-committal, freedom-loving, magical, he says. They don’t want to feel obligated to others. They avoid getting caught in long-term relationships and commitments and therefore have a lot of free time to work on themselves. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>In the <i style="">Encyclopedia of Dreams</i> published by Tiger Books International in <st1:city><st1:place>London</st1:place></st1:city>, a fat and healthy pig in your dream means reasonable success in your affairs. However, pigs wallowing in mire would mean hurtful associates and misfortune in affairs. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;"><span style=""></span>In the world of Chinese astrology, the pig is said to be the most generous and honorable of all zodiac signs. Contrary to the myths that abound about the animal, the Chinese pig personality is a perfectionist who loves the family as well as the fine things in life. Chinese astrologers describe the pig as honest, patient, modest and shy. Pig people keep a small circle of friends to whom they remain fiercely loyal.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">In the animal kingdom, pigs mate for life. But in today’s food industry, sows are made to mate with any and all male pigs. A few days or weeks after giving birth, their babies are taken from them and weaned on vitamins and antibiotics so they will grow fat and huge. The sows are then forced to mate again and the cycle begins once more. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">THE PAST AND THE PRESENT</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">It is always an interesting learning experience to read about different cultures and their varied beliefs. It is humbling to find out that our beliefs and practices may not even be the absolute truth. Modern man in so-called civilized societies like ours sees the pig as nothing more than food. But biologists and animal behaviorists have discovered that the pig is a highly intelligent animal, one that is even smarter than the dog. This was revealed in an experiment where a group of pigs were housed in a barn and a group of dogs in another barn. Both groups were given different objects to play with. Much to their surprise, the scientists saw that the pigs were much more creative in inventing games than their counterparts, the dogs.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">In today’s health-conscious society, it’s no longer fashionable to eat pork after scientific studies proved that pigs – especially the way they are raised now on drugs like antibiotics - causes terrible diseases like hypertension or high blood pressure that may even lead to untimely death. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">Now that we’re celebrating the Year of the Pig, let’s give this friendly animal a chance to rebuild its reputation. After all, it symbolized courage and was sacred to warriors once.<span style=""> </span>There’s also the cute and smart little pig who won the hearts of viewers in <i style="">Babe</i>. And there’s the lovable and adorable Miss Piggy from <st1:street><st1:address><i style="">Sesame Street</i></st1:address></st1:street>. The pig, it seems, is more than just ham and bacon. It’s an icon that’s here to stay.<span style=""> </span>(END)</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><o:p> ============****************************===========</o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><o:p>Belated Happy (Chinese) New Year! <span style="font-style: italic;">Kung Hei Fat choi!</span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><o:p><span style="font-style: italic;">==============================================</span><br /></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><o:p> </o:p><span style=""></span>FAMOUS PEOPLE BORN IN THE YEAR OF THE PIG</p><o:p></o:p>- Arnold Schwarzenegger, actor and governor of <st1:state><st1:place>California</st1:place></st1:state> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">- Chiang Kai-shek, leader of the Chinese Nationalist Revolution</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">- Elton John, famous singer</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">- David Letterman, talk show host</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">- Ewan McGregor, actor</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">- Henry Ford, inventor and founder of the Ford Motor Company</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">- Hillary Rodham Clinton, US Senator and wife of former <st1:country-region><st1:place>US</st1:place></st1:country-region> President Bill Clinton</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">- Jack Ruby, assassin of US President Kennedy</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">- Kareem Abdul-Jabar, basketball player</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">- Kevin Spacey, actor</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">- Lee Kwan Yew, <st1:country-region><st1:place>Singapore</st1:place></st1:country-region>’s first Prime Minister</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">- Magic Johnson, basketball player</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">- Rachel Weisz, actress</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">- Ronald Reagan, former <st1:country-region><st1:place>US</st1:place></st1:country-region> President</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">- Lucille Ball, actress and singer</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">========== ***************** ==========<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">Published in ANIMAL SCENE magazine, February 2007</p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7924082652635768931-767180912618373468?l=crystasark.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Khrysta Imperial Rarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10505475741222764832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7924082652635768931.post-14467817551678529562007-02-11T20:09:00.000-08:002011-03-12T22:30:54.112-08:00<span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=""> </span><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><o:p></o:p></span> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;">In September 2003, a native Philippine dog or <i style="">askal </i>was brutally clubbed to death in the garage of one of the more prominent and visible college of the University of the <st1:country-region><st1:place>Philippines</st1:place></st1:country-region> in Diliman. The reason – college officials thought the dog had gone mad when he killed the less than a month old puppies of his mother, Media. Not at all knowledgeable about animal behavior, a top employee ordered the guards to kill the dog without first seeking the advice of a vet or animal behaviorist. The <st1:place><st1:placetype>College</st1:placetype> of <st1:placename>Veterinary Medicine</st1:placename></st1:place> was just a few minutes away. As Chair of the Journalism Department and member of the College Executive Board (CEB), I told the college officials that the killing was illegal in the Animal Welfare Law. No One seemed interested in the incident.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;">The fact that such a heartless crime took place in the country’s premier university only stresses the lack of awareness and interest in<span style=""> </span>the plight of animals in the country. Although animal stories appear more often on television and in the print media, their treatment leaves much to be desired. Recently, a former student from my Television Journalism class said the program producer was looking for animal stories for the <i style="">masa </i>(masses). If I am to infer what this means from current TV fare, it probably refers to stories on cooking snake adobo, etc… Not much dignity is bestowed on the animals in such stories.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=""></span>In the fields of education and research, students, as a general rule, are not encouraged to sympathize with the animals. In medical schools, stories abound about how students capture stray cats for dissection in their classes. When I was a grade schooler in a Catholic school, my classmates and I were asked to trap lizards and cut their tails off so we could watch them grow back. Dissection of frogs was also mandatory in biology classes.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=""></span>Considering the way students are taught how to regard animals, it is no wonder that when many graduate and become vets, many lack a sensitivity that is crucial to the survival and well-being of animal patients. Most vets in the <st1:country-region><st1:place>Philippines</st1:place></st1:country-region> look at animals as commodities and sources of income. A vet even euthanized my Persian cat even if he was healthy. It seems many vets easily resort to euthanasia when the animal bites.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><o:p></o:p><span style=""></span>Language is often said to be a function of culture. If so, then it would be interesting to note the use of the word <i style="">buwaya</i> (crocodile) to refer to corrupt politicians and <i style="">baboy </i>(pig) which refers to a dirty and fat person.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><o:p></o:p><span style=""></span>But is it really cultural? Can it be said that the Filipinos’ apparent lack of respect for the other members of the animal kingdom is borne out of culture? </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><o:p></o:p><span style=""></span>Despite all the flak the concept of globalization has been getting in the <st1:country-region><st1:place>Philippines</st1:place></st1:country-region>, the entry of ideas and news from abroad via communications technology and books has made many Filipinos aware of the new trends and concepts. In 1996,<span style=""> </span>members of the House of Representatives approved a bill on Animal Welfare. Though the law has many loopholes (like banning dog fights and horse fights but not cockfights), it is a big step forward to help the animals. Implementation of the law, however, is another matter altogether. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><o:p></o:p>I hope to write in this blog informative ideas about <span style="font-size:180%;">A</span>NIMALS IN DIFFERENT <span style="font-size:180%;">R</span>EALMS OF <span style="font-size:180%;">K</span>NOWLEDGE -- ANIMALS IN MEDIA, IN LAW, EDUCATION, RESEARCH, LINGUISTICS, VETERINARY PROFESSION, ETC.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><span style="font-size:130%;"> </span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7924082652635768931-1446781755167852956?l=crystasark.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Khrysta Imperial Rarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10505475741222764832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7924082652635768931.post-54319574611725321062007-01-04T06:01:00.000-08:002007-01-04T06:04:57.730-08:00<o:p></o:p><span style=""> </span><br /> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Alternative healing methods are now legitimately practiced in the <st1:country-region><st1:place>United States</st1:place></st1:country-region>, <st1:place>Europe</st1:place>, <st1:country-region><st1:place>Australia</st1:place></st1:country-region>, <st1:place>Asia</st1:place> and <st1:place>Africa</st1:place>. In many of these places, personnel of state-run hospitals ask patients if they want to receive alternative healing together with their medical treatment.<span style=""> </span>Like their colleagues in the hospitals, veterinarians also work in partnership with animal healers to find the best kind of treatment for the animals. Or people can choose either to bring their pets to regular vets or to alternative pet healers. <span style=""> </span>More pet owners seem to be willing to try out alternative healing because it turns out cheaper in the long term and it doesn’t have negative effects on the animals. Animals are like people and some may not respond well to drugs. In such cases, alternative healing presents a good alternative. <span style=""> </span>A growing number of people are becoming health conscious and they no longer want to fill their pets’ bodies with chemical products (like antibiotics, chemical flea killers, dewormers, etc…) Many pet owners would rather use natural ingredients and methods to heal their animal companions. Others combine homeopathic and allopathic methods. It all depends on what works best for you and your animal companion.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Healing pets the non-conventional way protects them from traumatic experiences.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">A trip to the vet often causes fear and panic to an animal particularly if he or she had been previously subjected to injections, physical exams, blood tests and mishandling by a vet’s assistants.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Alternative healing methods also help humans bond with their animal friends. Everything that lives and exists in this world is composed of energy. Humans and animals are composed of and are surrounded by energy fields that vibrate at a different level. Body energies go through changes depending on a person’s or an animal’s physical, emotional and mental experiences. When you try to heal a sick animal, for instance, he may feel a tingling sensation in the whole body or in the affected body part. Judging from the reactions I got from the animals I have healed through the years, they usually feel drowsy or relaxed during or after a session. Some, though, may refuse to be touched specially if they are not used to strangers. But in most cases, the animals seem to appreciate the healing and immediately feel its beneficial effects.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>I rarely go to the vet nowadays because it has become quite expensive. With 20 cats in the house, I have opted for energy healing to cut costs.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>I practice several kinds of methods. My favorite is REIKI healing. Reiki, which means universal life energy in Japanese, is a method of healing that uses extremely fine energy tapped from the universal source. Practitioners are initiated so they can gain easy access to the life force. As a second-degree REIKI healer, I just put my hand on the part of the cat’s body that is bothering him or her and pass on healing energy. I can see the relief from pain in the cat’s eyes and actions. He either falls asleep or he suddenly bounces off from my lap, completely energized. The results can be seen immediately or after a few sessions.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Sometimes,<span style=""> </span>I do pranic healing. It’s basically the same principle of energy (prana) manipulation, but this time the pranic healer uses his hands to “sweep away” all negative energies within the animal’s energy field. Pranic healing is an ancient healing art.<span style=""> </span>Animals tend to get impatient, though, so you might have to hold him with one hand while the other does the sweeping. Several of my cats have been healed with pranic energy. Aswad, a black stray cat, was going blind when he was dumped in front of my apartment some five years agao. His eyes were in a sorry state either because he didn’t get the proper care and nutrients or he had been scratched in the eyes. Veterinary doctors said both Aswad and Tuxedo, a black and white stray cat who had blood oozing from her eyes, were “hopeless” cases and would definitely go blind. Well, they did not. They recovered their eyesight within two weeks with the help of pranic healing and of course, a lot of love, attention and healthy food. Fauna, a sleek jet black stray, was cured by REIKI energy – and Vitamin C. Another vet had taken her x-ray and said she was dying of lung and stomach infection. In 1999, my white Persian cat Horus suddenly started walking like a drunkard. He acquired a glazed look as if he were high on drugs and he could neither jump up nor come when called. The reason? A vet had prescribed a high dosage of antibiotic to stop his diarrhea. Well, the sickness stopped but Horus got even worse. I gave him lots of REIKI treatments and he is now one sweet fat independent cat. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Now, when my cats get diarrhea, I give homeopathic tablets in addition to the usual alternative treatments. Homeopathy cures an illness by treating the whole being rather than just the symptoms. It is holistic. Its medicines come from plant, mineral and animal sources and are used in extremely diluted amounts. The tablets I give my cats<span style=""> </span>for diarrhea are very effective.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>My feline friends also love the spinal flush, so-called because it flushes the toxins out from the body. To do it, you must apply thumb pressure along the canals on both sides of the spine but not on the spine itself. Do this from the back of the neck all the way down to the part where the tail is joined to the body. To balance a pet’s energies when she’s feeling too aggressive or too weak, you can trace the number eight (8) sideways a few inches from her body. Do this several times.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Quartz crystals can also be a big help. When my cats get sick, I put the appropriate crystal in his or her sleeping corner. Once when pewter-haired Ishtar was<span style=""> </span>throwing up everything she ate, I placed a pink quartz crystal under her stomach while she slept the whole night. By the time I woke up the following morning, she was busy playing with her two-month kittens. A few days ago, Ishtar gave birth again (her fifth litter) to four kittens. On that morning, she climbed up my bed and miaowed loudly in my ear to wake me up. I knew it was time so I stroked her stomach and talked to her gently. An hour later, she gave birth to four healthy black kittens.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>When my Persian cats get pregnant, they always ask for some healing from me. They usually come to me and demand attention just before they are about to give birth. Artemis, a silver-haired Persian, was overdue by a couple of weeks so I helped her by gently stroking her stomach and assuring her that her babies would be all right. She slept with me that night and gave birth the following morning. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Often, animals get sick due to stress just like people. Stress can come from the wrong diet, chemicals, poor housing conditions, competition from other animals, lack of attention, the weather and many other factors. Geopathic stress – that which occurs naturally in the earth and that created by man - also affects them. Animals instinctively avoid places where such energies abound. But sometimes, they cannot avoid the so-called harmful ley lines when they go right through the places where they are kept in a house or building. Stress may have physical, emotional or mental origins. Animals are sensitive to the energies around them that they easily get affected by negative energy waves. When there’s a lot of anger in the home, pet behavior can turn erratic. Some animals even absorb the negative energies released by their human companions. When this happens, stressed people usually say they always feel better when their pet is around. Problem is, it could be toxic for their animal friends.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Animals also get hurt when people intentionally do things to harm them. A tri-color stray cat who took up residence with me suffered a lot when somebody threw a big chunk of rock or hollow block on her. Li Shou’s back caved in and for a while it was really touch and go for her. She was in so much pain and could not eat. I immediately went to work on her. Everyday, I put my hands on her back and passed on energy to her. Because of the gravity of the situation, it took me about 2-3 weeks to heal her. But she got well and was able to walk and run again.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Wildlife, animals who don’t know you, or those far away are a different story. Long-distance healing would work best for them. I once healed a friend’s dog whose hind part was swollen. I send him healing energy and a phone call later less than an hour later confirmed that the swelling had indeed subsided. When I was still a student in <st1:country-region><st1:place>France</st1:place></st1:country-region>, I used to spend my afternoons watching the swans as they gracefully glided along the <st1:place><st1:placename>Ill</st1:PlaceName> <st1:placetype>River</st1:PlaceType></st1:place> in <st1:city><st1:place>Strasbourg</st1:place></st1:City>. I would give them bread and it came to a point when they would come rushing to shore as I approached the bridge. One day I noticed that one of the swans was limping and having a hard time coming to meet me. For three days I did mental healing on him and at the same time I sent him a lot of love energy. I wasn’t sure I was getting anywhere but on the fourth day, he came to shore with the others and even stayed behind as if to thank me.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>Sometimes, though, there are animals who can no longer be healed. For some of them, it’s simply time to leave. On such occasions, I just thank the animal for the love and company he shared with me. Often, they come back or reincarnate and end up with me again. I usually recognize them because of they exhibit the same habits and behavior as a dearly departed animal friend.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>In <st1:country-region><st1:place>China</st1:place></st1:country-region>, <st1:country-region><st1:place>Japan</st1:place></st1:country-region>, <st1:country-region><st1:place>Thailand</st1:place></st1:country-region>, <st1:country-region><st1:place>Australia</st1:place></st1:country-region>, the <st1:country-region><st1:place>United States</st1:place></st1:country-region> and <st1:place>Europe</st1:place>, vets already use acupuncture on their animal patients. Acupuncture cures almost all diseases including arthritis and mental disorders. It is an ancient Chinese therapy that requires the insertion of needles into the skin at specific points in the body. Sluggish animals usually regain their energy after an acupuncture session.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span>There are still more kinds of alternative cures but nothing beats prevention. Exposure to the morning sun does a lot of good for the animals. And of course, lots of love and attention works wonders for them. It’s always the best way to heal – and protect – them from disease.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style=""> </span></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7924082652635768931-5431957461172532106?l=crystasark.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Khrysta Imperial Rarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10505475741222764832noreply@blogger.com1