Why Adopting an Aspin Makes Sense
A 2024 study by Mars found that only 4 percent of puppies and kittens in the Philippines were adopted from shelters. Davao City’s pound, meanwhile, took in 6,957 cats and dogs in 2025. The Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) says 90 percent of the cruelty cases it receives involve Aspins.
Cebu City placed 170 rescued pets in the first eight months of 2026, and Quezon City reports 454 adoptions since January 2025. None of the reports reviewed counts Aspins separately, so the figures below cover rescued dogs and cats in general.
Few pets come from shelters
The Mars study surveyed more than 20,000 pet owners in 20 countries. In the Philippines, 80 percent of puppies and 79 percent of kittens were acquired at three months old or younger. Only 4 percent were adopted from shelters.
CARA Welfare Philippines said on March 24 that none of the 70 cats at its Mandaluyong shelter had been adopted that month. “Out of 70 cats, 0 were chosen this month,” the group said in a Facebook post.
Davao City’s pound took in 6,957 cats and dogs in 2025. Owners reclaimed 1,069 of them, and 4,139 were euthanized. The city veterinarian’s office adopted out 26 dogs.
Aspins are the dogs PAWS sees most in cruelty cases
PAWS executive director Anna Cabrera said only purebred dogs are often taken out to pet-friendly places. She said that 90 percent of the cruelty cases PAWS receives involve Aspins.
On Sunday, August 23, PAWS held its first Palarong Pang-Aspin at a Quezon City mall. Rescued Aspins took part in games such as luksong baka and paypay power, then had movie time and a pet buffet. Fur parent Kimberly Ramos said Aspins are just as valuable as dogs with breeds.
Pets get vet care before they go home
Ampon Alaga, the rescue and spay-neuter program run by PETA Asia, placed 106 animals through 14 adoption events in 2025. Each animal gets full medical treatment, a behavioral assessment and a spay or neuter surgery first. The same program sterilized 9,250 cats and dogs at 21 field clinics that year.
The Quezon City Animal Care and Adoption Center has a surgery room, and animals are treated and rehabilitated before they are offered for adoption. In Davao City, the adoption center vaccinates and rehabilitates each animal before placement. Adopters submit a letter of intent and are evaluated, and approved pets are monitored for six months.
In Cebu City, adopting costs ₱200
Adopters visit the city pound in Barangay Mabolo with a valid ID, sit for a short interview and sign an adoption agreement. The standard fee is ₱200. Mayor Nestor Archival urged residents on National Dog Day, August 27: “If you are thinking of getting a pet, don’t shop. ADOPT.”
The city’s Department of Veterinary Medicine and Fisheries recorded 51 adoptions in 2022 and 62 in 2023. The number rose to 138 in 2024, fell to 37 in 2025 and reached 170 by the end of August 2026. The 2026 report says that is above any full year since tracking began. Earlier reports gave different totals for 2023 and 2024, 93 and 204, and the reports reviewed do not explain the revision.
Quezon City’s adoption center in Payatas reports 454 pets adopted from January 2025 through June 2026, 338 dogs and 116 cats. The city’s page does not give a year-by-year split.
