Photo by Jim Guiao Punzalan and friends
Kyle Imao
My family takes care of 11 dogs. My favorite is Max because we’ve had him for 10 years—since I was 3. He’s the dog I grew up with. We also have 10 rabbits. There was a time when their number reached 20 so we had to give away some of them. We feed the rabbits thrice a day; the dogs, once because they eat a lot in one serving and this lasts them the whole day. I like taking care of animals. It teaches me responsibility. Marinel R. Cruz
John Lapus
Photo by Romy Homillada
I gave “swardspeak” names to my three pet dogs—Aflu, 12 years old;
Korak, 8; and Queme, 5. All three are male but I suspect they are all gay. Shih Tzu Aflu is obedient and loves eating. The vet has told me that Aflu should go on a diet. Aflu is so friendly, he’d go with just about anyone. Takaw “dognap” siya. Korak, a Maltese, hardly barks. Queme, a Yorkie, is the smartest and will not go with just anyone. Suplada siya. My friend (fellow stand-up comic) Face gave me Queme as payment for a loan. Bayani San Diego Jr.
Photo by Andrew Tadalan
Neil Coleta
A friend gave me my pet Chihuahua, Chloe, who’s 5 months old now. Chloe is a good girl and very sweet. She’s smart, too. I trained her to pee in the toilet, by placing a rug on the floor. She’s pretty chill. She doesn’t bark that much. Unlike other pets, she’s well-behaved. I can leave her on her own at home and she won’t destroy anything. She will only play with her favorite toys, my Angry Bird collection. I take her to the veterinarian regularly. She’s always following me around. She likes hanging out in my room. She sleeps on the carpet. Bayani San Diego Jr.
Ananda Everingham
Photo Courtesy of ANANDA EVERINGHAM
My chocolate Labrador named Kow Poon (sounds like khao poon, Laotian for rice noodles) seriously thinks she’s a person. She’s 10 months old and very adorable. She also has a keen sense of entitlement in my house in Chang Mai; she walks around like she owns the place. You can see it in her eyes. She acts like she’s the only daughter in the family. When my 5-year-old half-brother (Zenith Lee) visited for Christmas last year, they fought for our attention all the time. Bayani San Diego Jr.