The three Robinsons Malls in Quezon City are uniting to give our furry members of the family a little extra love. Robinsons Malls Happy Pets Club, a community of pet owners and lovers established in 2015, teamed up with the Animal Care and Disease Control Division of the Quezon City Veterinary Department to start off the "Journey to Responsible Pet Ownership," a collaboration that will be held at Robinsons Magnolia in New Manila, Robinsons Galleria in EDSA Ortigas, and Robinsons Novaliches.

The partnership dubbed as Journey to Responsible Pet Ownership, Partnership Kickoff Pawrty at the Trade Hall of Robinsons Novaliches  will start at  10 am. 

"Our goal is simple: Keep pets together with their human families whenever they visit Robinsons Malls. Through this program, citizens of Quezon City will have access to necessary health and welfare resources for their pets, including free pet vaccination, free spay/neuter services, and free veterinary advice and guidance. Should they decide that they are ready to welcome pets to their home, we will provide a venue where they could adopt Quezon City's rescue cats and dogs. All they have to do is stay tuned to our Facebook pages as well as announcements that will be posted at our Robinsons Galleria, Magnolia and Novaliches malls," said Roseann C. Villegas, Robinsons Land Corporate Public Relations Director.

Robinsons Malls Happy Pets Club, with thousands of members across the country, has been holding similar activities in all Robinsons Malls for the past eight years--with four initiated in 2021, Robinsons being the first mall chain to launch an organized Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program for pets--and their partnership with Quezon City will considerably allow the club to serve more since Quezon City has some of the most dedicated and compassionate veterinarians and support staff in the country.

With the three Robinsons Malls in Quezon City involved, pet owners and pet lovers in Quezon City will have the chance to have a place that is accessible, safe, spacious, relaxing and one that would allow everyone to enjoy all the other offerings and facilities that a mall could offer (especially pet-friendly restaurants and shopping outlets, pet stores, areas where pets could socialize and rest, among other amenities).

“We have always envisioned QCitizens to be responsible pet owners.  We hope that by making our veterinary services accessible to all, everyone will become better fur parents,” says Ana Marie V. Cabel, DVM MBA MDMG, Head of Quezon City Veterinary Department.

 “Community engagement and private partnership are essential in delivering our veterinary services to each and every household.  By making the QC Veterinary programs available in all RLC properties within QC, we hope that every fur parent will take advantage of our services on top of their mall experience with their pets,” adds Rey Del Napoles, DVM, Division Chief of Animal Care and Disease Control, Quezon City Veterinary Department.

The "Journey to Responsible Pet Ownership" program involves Robinsons Malls Happy Pets Club's four pillars that have been part of its CSR program for years. One of the four pillars called the "Pet Bakuna," is an anti-rabies vaccination drive that will be done in all the three malls of Robinsons in Quezon City. The pet vaccination will be exclusively available to the residents of the city or "QCitizens" during weekdays. Apart from vaccination, there will also be a free microchipping service for eligible pets. 

The second pillar is the "Free Pet Spay and Neuter" drive that will be exclusive to QCitizens. This drive is noteworthy because it helps lessen the overpopulation of strays. Moreover, research shows that spayed and neutered dogs and cats live longer, healthier lives. Spaying eliminates the possibility of uterine or ovarian cancer and greatly reduces the incidence of breast cancer among female pets. Moreover spayed and neutered dogs and cats often exhibit less behavior and temperament problems.

The third pillar is the free "Pet Konsulta" or free pet wellness consultation that will be held every month in the three Robinsons Malls in Quezon City.

The fourth and perhaps the most far-reaching pillar is called the "Gift of Forever Home,"  a pet adoption activity which aims to give permanent homes to rescued animals of Quezon City Animal Care and Adoption Center. This particular event will be open to everyone, not just QCitizens. 

“Deciding to adopt a shelter dog or cat is an important decision and one should be prepared for the expected as well as the unexpected--a reason we at Animal Kingdom Foundation (AKF) screen possible  candidates during the Adoption Event, shares Atty Heidi Caguiaoa, AKF program director.  Atty Caguiaoa adds that  adopting a four-legged family member means helping make space at the shelter for another animal in need of rescuing. Also, that person will be giving a second chance to a particular deserving animal.

Indeed, the "Journey to Responsible Pet Ownership" program of Robinsons and the Quezon City government is far-reaching. It has the potential to spread the word about responsible pet ownership, the benefits of spaying and neutering as well as raise awareness about the rewards of adopting dogs or cats. Besides, studies show that having pets helps people cope with depression, anxiety, stress, and can even improve one's heart health, especially if one regularly takes their pet out for a walk in parks as well as inside pet-friendly malls like Robinsons.