Museum in memory of a dog, established in Kalibo

KALIBO, Aklan- A local entrepreneur here has established a small museum in memory of his dog he loved the most. The dog, a Japanese Spitz breed, died of a heart disease on December 17, 2018.

Albert Manalo, the museum owner, said that he established the museum as part of his personal advocacy on animal welfare especially for dogs.

“Among the highlights in the museum includes things of Princess Nikki’s (the name of the dog) while she is still alive. Stuffs include her pillows, photographs and even toys. Anybody could visit the museum for free,” he said.

When the dog died, the entrepreneur prepared a tombstone at the third floor of his commercial building near his bedroom. “I wanted to always remember him,” he said.

Manalo said he has been caring for dogs in many years. In 2015, two of his dogs named Nick and Nikko were able to alert them as their house is on fire. The incident which was caught on CCTV showed that the two dogs made unnecessary noises to alert Manalo and helpers after their electrical fans overheated and caused spark reactions.

Because of the said incident, Manalo started to devote much of his time promoting dog’s welfare in the province. He started sponsoring free veterinarian missions in cooperation with the Provincial Veterinarian Office. He also provided free dog food assistance to pet owners at the height of the COVID 19 pandemic in the province early this year. “I observed that the national and local government has been giving aid to the residents but no one amongst give aid for the animals. I have decided to do my part and use my personal money to give out free dog food to those in need,” he added.