Filipino Man Leaves His Finance Job at a Bank to Build a Shelter for Over 600 Rescue Dogs

When Jojo Lastimado of Rizal Province, the Philippines, was featured in a segment on 24 Oras, hosted by Kuya Kim, he revealed that he left his financial analyst job in a bank to build a sanctuary for stray dogs. “I’ve been a dog lover ever since. When payday comes, I donate to groups, but I don’t really rescue,” he said in the video.

Life has a way of changing a man’s fate when Jojo rescued a stray dog in their area in 2018. He took the dog home and took good care of it. Soon, he found himself rescuing other stray dogs until he realized one day that there were over a hundred of them in his home. His neighbors began complaining about the smell and noises. One day, he decided to leave his job at the bank to pursue his dream.

He opened a shelter in Laguna called God Sanctuary for Stray Animals in 2023. As of late, it houses over 600 rescue dogs. However, without a paying job, Jojo resorts to the shelter’s saleable goods for their daily expenses worth US$113.00 (about PH₱6,500.) “It’s heavy, to be honest, because I no longer have a job now. We earn from the merchandise of our shelter,” he said on 24 Oras.

Fortunately, Jojo received donations from several individuals. Among them is content creator Laine Bernardo, who “vlogged” about his shelter. “I decided to vlog about it so it wouldn’t just be me who wants to help, but other good people who are willing to share their blessings,” Laine said.

Laine Bernardo’s video garnered many viewers’ attention. Soon, the sanctuary raised around US$743.00 (about PH₱43,000) in donations. Jojo is also looking for potential parents who will provide forever homes for his stray dogs. However, his goal as of late is to have the furbabies spayed or neutered.

According to Kuya Kim, spaying or neutering would be beneficial to a dog’s reproductive system. It also controls the growing number of animal population globally. It is advisable to both stray dogs and pets. Spaying or neutering can prevent the animals from acquiring illnesses and diseases such as pyometra and mammary gland tumors. Female animals can be prevented from ovarian cancer, while male animals can be prevented from testicular cancer.

Spay and neuter services can be expensive, ranging from US$44.00 to $260.00 (about PH₱2,500 to ₱15,000) in the Philippines. Additionally, it also depends on the size of the furbaby. Fortunately, various non-government organizations offer spaying or neutering services for free or at an affordable cost, such as Biyaya Animal Care and Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS).

Thanks to donations provided by these organizations, the surgical procedure costs of spaying or neutering can be reduced to as low as US$12.00 to $26.00 (around PH₱700 to ₱1,500) for “AsPins” (Filipino mixed-breed dogs) and “PusPins” (Filipino mixed-breed cats). Pet owners in Metro Manila with limited income may sign up for PAWS’ free monthly spay and neuter services through their Kapon for All Pets (KfAP) program.