A homeless man adopted and treated seven stray dogs as his own, providing them shelter, food, and even good hygiene by selling junk or “kalakal” he scavenges along Taft Avenue in Manila.

Tatay Carlos, 66, said in an interview that he found his dogs, Menggay, Minggoy, Rica, Rico, Melo, Sharon, and Ruby, wandering near dumpsters when he was looking for scraps.

They also have life, he thought, and they symbolize his life that’s why he took the chance to keep them.

“[Noong] bata po ako walang kumupkop sa akin, eh sila pa kaya na wala naman silang kinagasnang tatay [o] nanay,” he expressed, reminiscing his childhood.

Through his earnings, Tatay Carlos manages to feed his dogs twice a day and give them a clean bath every other day.

“‘Yun lang po ang pamumuhay ko sa sarili ko. Mamulot ng mapakinabangan o maibenta sa junk shop. [Kapag] kumita ‘ko ng Php 80, Php 120, nahahati ko lang po yung pangkain ko sa kanila… ‘pag magandang panahon o kaya dumadaan ang tag-araw, minsan tatlong beses ko pa pinapaliguan ‘yan, umaga-hapon. [‘Pag] tanghali ‘di ko na sinasabunan, maano lang sila sa init,” he said.

On the thought of abandoning them, he said that he could not possibly do that for they have already been his family ever since they were little.

“Hindi ko magawa eh. Ewan ko ha. Kasi mga tuta palang sila. Nagpursigi ko sila mabuhay. May pamilya rin naman ako, pero mas minahal ko ‘tong mga ‘to,” he shared.

Besides his livelihood, Tatay Carlos gets help and assistance from kind souls who see him along Taft and hear about his touching story online, giving him monetary and in-kind donations for his and his dogs’ needs.

H/T: The Philippine Star

Photo credit: https://www.facebook.com/PhilippineSTAR/