Sweet Charisse

I came across this dog one day running around a side street. I just got done attending mass and when I stepped out of the church, I spotted her in this really terrible condition. People looked at her with disgust. She had mange, hair almost gone from her body and truly pitiful. I was disgusted at people's reactions. Where is the compassion? This dog was miserable and in too much pain, yet, nobody cared.
I went home and changed my clothes and asked my dear cousin, Joel, to go with me to find this dog. We brought with us dog shampoo and dog medicine that we picked up from SALAMAT Animal Shelter. We were lucky to have spotted the dog right away and we asked around who the owner was. The owner was very concerned about the dog. She said that it was really her son's and they are all concerned about her. Medicine for animals in the Philippines is expensive, and when you are poor, it is a choice between food on the table or medicine for a dog. We gave the dog a good bath and put medicine all over her body. We went back 3 days later and she still was not any better. I asked the owner what they were feeding her? They have her loose and is roaming the streets all day long and they don't know what she picks up to eat along the way. I asked the owner if they will give the dog to us so we could take care of her. She agreed, after all, they were just going to lose her in the hills above where they live. They were concerned about the dog but not enough to make sure she got better. I was already back in the U.S. when the dog was finally brought in to SALAMAT Animal Shelter. I was relieved. She would have died a slow painful death in the streets. Below is how she looks now, and is getting better every day. We named her Charisse.