HEART Evangelista-Escudero recently launched a campaign with Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) to promote the “asong Pinoy” or “aspins.”
“I grew up with me and my parents who loved dogs and I didn’t know the difference between [an] aspin and having a breed,” she told Push during the launch of her “Have a Heart for Aspins” campaign.
“My dad, super dog lover siya. I grew up with a lot of dogs, siguro mga 20-plus ‘yung aso namin sa bahay so lumaki na iba iba ‘yung aso naming,” she added.
Evangelista said she hopes she can help change people’s minds about adopting local dogs, adding that it is a wrong notion that aspins are always unfriendly and aggressive.
She also explained that the way dogs behave has something to do with how they are trained and treated, regardless of the breed.
“Actually tumatahol sila and na-fru-frustrate sila kasi wala sila tubig, nakatali lang sila. Siguro kahit tao ganun din magiging reaction niya, mabu-buwisit ka parang, ‘Get me out of here,’ ” Evangelista said.
“But honestly it’s just really a mindset na nagangagat (ang aspin). Actually ‘yung first ever dog na kumagat sa akin was a German Shepherd. Linapa ako sa likod, so it’s really not about the breed. It’s really not. In fact I think they’re really, really smart.”
Evangelista’s pet aspin, Panda, has been with her for three years. She is now planning to take her pet with her to Paris on her next trip.
“I’m working on Panda’s paper, pupunta siya ng Paris, so para makita nila na, di ba, aspin in Paris,” she said. (ABS-CBN News)
