Project Zero K, which stands for Project Zero Kills (of animals), has reported that all the dogs in the City Pound of Digos, Davao del Sur, where the group has been pursuing its mission and advocacy, have all been saved by adopters from execution.

It thus posted on its Facebook Page, “We at Project Zero K are proud and excited to announce that as of April 10, 2024, there are no more dogs in the Digos City dog pound. The pound has been emptied, and all dogs were saved from execution by the adopters…”

The group attached in its FB post some photos of the emptied cages where dogs that are captured or surrendered by their owners are normally kept.

It sent a “huge thank you to our volunteer coordinators, our generous donors, Kuya John’s Pet Transport Service, and of course, the adopters who opened their hearts and hearths to the imprisoned dogs.”

It elaborated, “Together, we were able to save all impounded dogs from execution. But we can’t relax yet. Sooner or later, the dog catchers will catch more dogs, or more irresponsible owners will surrender their dogs to the pound. Then it will be time to scramble and save lives again. Please follow this page and recommend it to your friends. So far we’re winning, and the kill count is ZERO.”

In its earlier FB post, the group stated, “In almost all municipal dog pounds in the Philippines, impounded dogs are executed after a specific time (usually 3-5 days). The goal of this project is to get all dogs in the dog pound of Digos City adopted before they are executed… This project is run by Happy Animals Club, a Davao-based animal shelter.”

Based on information, execution through euthanasia (humane putting to death) of unclaimed dogs in city or municipal pounds is allowed under the law as a means for dog population control, prevention of the spread of rabies and other diseases, and other legal purposes, as stated in Republic Act No. 8485 or the Animal Welfare Act of 1998 as amended by RA 10631 (Philippine Animal Welfare Act of 2013), as well as RA 9482 or the Anti-Rabies Act.

Happy Animals Club told in its April 3 Facebook post how Project Zero K came about: “[W]e were deluged with messages (many of them unrelated to adoption) and still haven’t processed all of them. To address this shortcoming, we set up Project Zero K, dedicated to saving the pound dogs, and it now has a team of 3 volunteers who are handling inquiries rapidly.”

Anyone can adopt a dog that hasn’t been claimed by its owner within 3 days after capture or a dog that was surrendered to the pound by the owner, according to the group. It added that dogs can be claimed after the adoption fee of P250 is paid at the City Veterinarian’s Office.

On April 2, Project Zero K paid the adoption fees for 15 dogs, totaling P3,750.

The group expressed appreciation to the City Veterinarian’s Office in Digos City, which it said has been cooperative, progressive, and transparent.

Project Zero K vividly described its mission and advocacy through a Facebook post dated April 2 in which it showed a “happy” adopted dog, with the caption, “From certain death at the city pound to a loving home. It’s moments like this that we live for.”

📷 Project Zero K Facebook