Bulacan, April 22, 2017 -- Hound Haven PH Inc., a non-profit organization founded in 2015, opens the country's first rehabilitation center for retired working dogs in Angat, Bulacan. The center will be home not only for senior working dogs but also those deemed unfit for any type of service, where they will be assessed and cared for until they are adopted.

The average working dog dedicates about eight to fifteen years, more than half of their lives, in service to humans, working either in the military or private security agencies.

At present, there is no standard local policy on the retirement of service dogs, unlike in countries like the US, where the proper turnover and adoption of working dogs are strictly enforced by law. Hound Haven is the first and only institutionalized organization that caters to this kind of program and advocacy in the Philippines.

"Ultimately, our goal is to influence public policy and establish laws to protect the rights and ensure the welfare of our country's working dogs," explains Maxin Arcebal, Co-Founder and CEO for Hound Haven.

Chika, an 11-year-old Belgian Mallinois who served for the Philippine Army as an explosive detector for seven years, is Hound Haven's first K-9 benefactor.

At the Hound Haven K-9 Retirement & Rehabilitation Center, the four-legged heroes will undergo a rehabilitation program designed by canine-training experts. This will help the dogs adapt to human interaction, address any potential aggression from their experience in service, and prepare them for adoption to a loving home.

Thanks to generous donors, the more than 1,200 sqm center is built to be a hound's haven indeed, with spacious kennels, a dog clinic, dog training grounds, and even a swimming pool designed specifically for dogs, just to name a few of its amenities.

For Maxin and her team, these dogs who've worked almost their entire lives deserve only the best care and eventually, the comfort of a permanent home and a loving family.

For donations, partnerships, and more information, please visit houndhavenph.org. The Hound Haven Center is located at 353 Pinaglagarian Street, Barangay Pulong Yantok, Angat, Bulacan.