‘To each his own’: Michele Gumabao weighs in on ‘adopt, don’t shop’ call for pet owners

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MANILA, Philippines — Volleyball player and beauty queen Michele Gumabao believes that pets, such as dogs and cats, are family, thus, they need to be cared for. 

The Binibining Pilipinas Globe 2018 grew up in a pet-loving family, with her siblings, including actor Marco Gumabao, having his own pets. 

Michele is currently the owner of five Maltese dogs, who recently accompanied her as she was unveiled as the new face for the pet app Unleash. 

The beauty queen took on a tempered stance when she was asked by Philstar.com for her thoughts on the calls for potential pet owners or fur parents to “adopt, don’t shop,” a campaign that discourages buying pets. Instead, advocates ask for them to adopt and welcome stray cats and dogs, who are in dire need of loving homes and fur parents. 

“You know, it's different for every pet owner. If you have the capacity to adopt, if you have the capacity to shop naman, it's great to have both. I'm always saying that if you want to adopt, that's great. If you want to shop, that's also great because it's different for every pet owner.

“Our motives are very different. Our advocacies are very different, but to each his own, and we support everything and we just love them no matter saan man sila nanggaling. They all mean the same to us,” Michele said. 

Muji Jaafar, operations director for the pet app, meanwhile, said that this campaign is one of the reasons why the app was launched. 

“That's one of the great stories behind Unleash, you know. It's important to be aware that there are really pets who are more in need. When you go to shelters, when you experience it firsthand, it's really heart-wrenching or heartbreaking to see that these dogs or cats are being left behind,” Jaafar said. 

“For me, pets are family and, at the end of the day, basta mahal natin sila. That’s the most important thing,” Michele added.