PAWS memorial wall relives good times with cherished pets

The Pet Memorial Wall of the Philippine Animal Welfare Society. | PHOTO: PAWS Facebook page

MANILA, Philippines — Memorializing departed loved ones is no longer exclusive to deceased humans because owners of animals who already crossed the rainbow bridge can now do it, too.

At the Pet Memorial Wall of the Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS), pet parents and guardians remember their cherished companions.

In this space, pet owners can pray, light candles, offer flowers, or present their pet’s favorite food and toy, just like humans do at the cemetery during All Saints’ Day or All Souls’ Day.

PAWS said around 500 pets are being commemorated at the Pet Memorial Wall in its animal shelter in Loyola Heights, Quezon City.

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The animal welfare organization also said that some pets have been buried in the shelter, but since 2010, due to limited space, they only authorize posting of memoirs on the wall.

The Pet Memorial Wall is open for visitors on November 1-2 from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

“Dati kasi, we used to allow burial doon. Kaya lang, hindi na ina-allow kasi punong-puno na,” PAWS Executive Director Anna Cabrera told INQUIRER.net over the phone.

(Before, we used to allow burial there. However, it’s not allowed anymore because it’s already full.)

READ: Dogs, cats and bunnies have their day at pet cemetery

This photo taken on Wednesday, November 1, 2023, shows a memoir dedicated to a dolphin named “Wen Wen” on the Philippine Animal Welfare Society’s memorial wall in Quezon City. Wen Wen died on a flight to Singapore in 2012. INQUIRER.net/Angeline Marcelino.

Anna Natividad, owner of a dog buried in the shelter, told INQUIRER.net that she has been visiting the memorial wall annually for 10 years. She only missed doing so during the pandemic.

“Para yearly, tulad nito, madadalaw siya. May memory din siya. Masaya kaya, parang tao rin siya na nadadalaw. Yearly, dinadalaw ko talaga ‘yan,” she replied when asked why she decided to memorialize her first dog, Patricia, on the wall.

(So that annually, like this, he could be visited. He also has a memory. It’s fun. He’s like a person being visited. Yearly, I really visit him.)

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Pet memoirs stay on the wall for five years, according to PAWS, for a fee of P2,500 for each tile.

The earnings are being allocated for animal rescue and maintenance of the animal shelter.

On its Facebook page, PAWS posted this appeal: “Please consider making a donation for the shelter animals in honor of a dearly departed pet or in honor of someone who lived a life caring deeply about animals and their welfare.”

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