Amanda’s rescues

WASHINGTON-based animal rescuer Amanda Giese, star of Animal Planet’s reality series “Amanda to the Rescue.”

Amanda Giese was only 10 years old when she took the challenge of taking care of Jane Doe, a four-week-old sickly rescue kitten. Covered in fleas, diagnosed as anemic and about the size of a lemon, people didn’t think that the poor feline would survive.

“I took her down to the vet and they didn’t think the cat was going to live. I invested my time and money. True enough, she survived all the way to my twenties,” Amanda recalled.

Growing up, she wanted to be a neo-natal surgeon, but eventually ended up becoming a phlebotomist, a vet tech, nightclub promotions coordinator and now founder of Panda Paws Rescue, a non-profit organization that specializes in major medical, special needs and hospice care for homeless animals.

In a span of a decade, Panda Paws has managed to rescue over 4,000 animals, to which Amanda personally takes care of a couple of dogs while the others are under the Rescue’s umbrella. Because of limited space, she makes sure to keep her rescues between one to eight, though the number sometimes can go up to 30.

ELEVEN of the 100 dogs waiting to be adopted at PAWS. “I focus on one dog or cat until he or she is ready for adoption, then I go on to focus on the next one. I hope this also encourages other people to do it even on a smaller level to help the problem,” she said.

Where people see these animals as broken and unfixable, Amanda sees these creatures as special ones that need undying love and care. “Whenever I would come across an animal that has been physically or sexually tortured and abused, those ones break my heart the most. It’s an animal being bullied, they don’t have a voice and can’t say no. But that same animal still turns around and love their abuser the next day. It’s so unfair.”

Though a lot of people still have an old-school mentality when it comes to animals, if we all want to stop the rising cruelty, owners have to learn how to take care of them in their own homes first. “Track spay and neuter programs because there is a place for the street dogs and the street cats. It’s one of the best ways you can get ahead,” she explained. “Donate your time, finances and find a place like PAWS (Philippine Animal Welfare Society) where you can actually come down and invest your time because time is priceless.”

Most recently, Amanda was in the country for the annual Discovery Festival wherein she had a booth set up in partnership with PAWS. Viewers of her show Amanda to the Rescue were able to hear first-hand the rescue and adoption process she strictly follows and all the amazing encounters she had with her rescues. Attendees were also able to get their pets a complimentary massage and check-up by the resident veterinarian present at the booth.

“We do have the same problem that we, animal welfare advocates, are battling, with the rise of cruelty, and educating people when it comes on spaying and neutering pets,” she said.

With the limited number of days she stayed in the country, Amanda observed that the United States and the Philippines don’t see these animal issues on the same level. “I think we are a little bit more ahead with animal rights and laws, and how we follow through it with legal repercussions,” she added.

Amanda wanted the 10-episode series to be authentic, genuine, educational and family-inclusive. She further shared, “I want the public to see the other side. When they come to my house and to the shelter, they don’t see all the work I do, all the things that the animal’s needs. I wanted it to be very educational.”

CATS under the special needs ward of Philippine Animal Welfare Society. They currently have more than 230 cats admitted to their care. On the show, viewers witnessed how Amanda went to Puerto Rico six months after Hurricane Maria devastated the island. She also went to Hawaii to help take animals from shelters before going to Missouri’s infamous Puppy Mills, the state’s lucrative business.

“The most satisfying thing is seeing their happily-ever-after when the animals survive, they succeed and they get their forever families. People think you’re crazy for investing your life to this. But when you see an animal find their human best friend, that’s the best part and it keeps me going,” she shared.

“They are part of my family and I’m committed to them no matter how long it takes. And when they get adopted, they take a piece of your heart with them, but at the same time they leave a piece of theirs,” Amada concluded.

Amanda to the Rescue airs every Tuesdays at 9:55 p.m. on Animal Planet.