For as long as he can remember, it has been 9-year-old Ken’s dream to open an animal shelter to help the stray dogs and cats on the streets of the Philippines. Although Ken anticipated that he wouldn’t be able to start his own shelter until he was an adult, that dream has now become a reality thanks to his own hard work and the help of his father, concerned locals, and kind donors from all over the world. The main goal of Ken’s shelter, named the Happy Animals Club, is to rescue dogs from the city pound, where most of them are put down.
Back in February, a photo of Ken feeding dogs on the street went viral. Touched by reading about the young boy’s compassion and determination to help stray animals, kind strangers everywhere donated enough money to enable Ken to move the dogs into a shelter he built in his garage, feed them high-quality canned food, and provide them with veterinary care. As a result, the three dogs Blackie, Brownie, and White Puppy–who had been underweight, malnourished, mange-infected, and scared of humans–became clean, healthy, and happy after just two months of care.
Ken didn’t just stop there. Thanks to more donations, he was able to lease an empty lot to turn into a full-fledged animal shelter. Although he doesn’t have enough money to completely populate the shelter with dogs yet, he is slowly working on taking in more strays to heal and care for until they’re ready for adoption.
It’s incredibly heartwarming to think of this young boy doing everything he can to make a difference in his community by following his dream of rescuing animals. To help Ken and the Happy Animals Club, feel free to donate here.
