We once had a dog named Phantom who was a signature breed—or in Tagalog, sosyal na askal. Phantom was a mix of Maltese and Cocker Spaniel. The pet shop owner that sold him threw in another mixed breed into the purchase, a mostly Shi Tzu puppy we called Oprah. Together the two were Phantom and the Oprah.

One day, Phantom got Oprah pregnant, and the resultant puppy, Buzz, was now a tri-breed: a Malte-Cock-Shit, so to speak. We’re not really dog lovers though, so as the kids tire of the novelty of their pets, we tend to exile the animals to the provinces. Today, our only home pets are the goldfish in the small pond in our guest powder room.

Bow & Wow dinner

So when I have a pictorial that needs a pet accessory, I run to friends who have “real” dogs.

MAGNUM hot star Solenn Heussaff and Mikki Yap

For this year’s Bow & Wow Benefit Dinner for Cara Welfare Philippines, I borrowed a Siberian Husky from Cecile Que. Secret has been my pictorial escort dog for several Canon exhibits, one of the last done with master photographer Rupert Jacinto.

Bow & Wow (www.bowandwow.com.ph) annually organizes a charity event. This year’s beneficiary is Cara. Guests wined and dined for a cause, with an array of sumptuous dishes from Gaita Fores’ Cibo di M and luscious wines from Wine Story.

The highlight of the evening was, of course, the spectacular pet buffet prepared by Bow & Wow for their furry guests, plus a unique pet dessert station by Swell Sweets.

The Rockwell Tent served as the perfect venue for this occasion, with the stylish and pet-friendly environment of the Rockwell Center providing an ideal backdrop for dogs and dog lovers to enjoy the night. Selected pet parents and their furry babies strutted up the runway for the Walk of Love, joined by Cara’s two adoptable dogs, who also sashayed on stage.

Lucky guests were given Special Awards, including the Bow & Wow Pawsome Twosome Award (Best Dressed Pet & Pet Parent), won by JC Buendia and his dog Birkin. Check out JC’s blog myrefrigeratordoor.blogspot.com for cute photos.

Thanks to the efforts of Bow & Wow’s guests and sponsors, the benefit dinner was able to raise over P450,000 in ticket sales. On top of that, Romy Sia and Christian Tan, the heads of Bow & Wow, announced that they were going to donate an additional P100,000 for Cara’s rehabilitation of the 230 pit bulls rescued from a dogfight pit in Laguna.

Fit-All-You-Can

The Rockwell Tent is a great venue to have specialty events. The next one is the Fit-All-You-Can Event on July 21. This event focuses on fitness centers, with various studios participating and doing demos for visitors all day.

So many of the demos are being done by friends, so it will be a physical day for me. I’ll start off with TRX Fusion by TRX Philippine Master Instructor Linzi Arellano-Co. Linzi conducted a TRX session for my hubby Dennis and his friends in Balesin Island last May, which everyone raved about.

After that core session, I’ll do some Ashtanga yoga with Yoga+ with Dinah Salonga, and, if I’m not yoga-ed out, AntiGravity Yoga with Beyond Yoga, which I’m eager to try.

Julie Alagde-Carretas of Planaforma (www.forma-asia.com) will also be there, and her Zumba demo class cannot be missed.

RUDY Project family. Mik Gomez, Jeffi Wong, Sea Princess, Ani and Dan Brown with baby Dash

Of course, I must do some Vinyasa at Core Yoga with Tristan Choa. Core Yoga (www.coreyogasia.com) is doing two innovative camps this October. First is a four-day KidzYoga instructor-certification program, perfect for those interested to teach yoga in schools. The other is a three-day Yoga for Breast Cancer Recovery and Beyond, for those who want to help breast cancer survivors live a vibrant, energetic and healthy life. The training camps are open to all, even those who are not yoga teachers. E-mail [email protected] for details.

Other fitness exhibitors include FTX, SkyFitness, Finix, Precor, Options Studio, Bikram Yoga, 360 Fitness Club, White Space Mind and Body Wellness Studio. Tickets are available online at https://event.ayojak.com.ph/event/fit-all-you-can-a-smorgasbord-of-all-things-fit.

Ironman in August

It’s great to see so many Pinoys get into fitness, and the best part is there are so many different innovations to choose from.

MAGNUM FAMILY. Nicole Jacinto, Jean Madrid, Sea Princess, Brian Chanyungco

The pinnacle, of course, is the triathlon—that combination of swim, bike and run that truly demands proper training.

The premier tri event in the country is the Ironman 70.3, which is coming on Aug. 5 in Cebu. Timex Team Valdes recently got our trisuits already, thanks to Timex marketing head Gemma Pagsibigan.

I am in full swing with my bike training, starting with my pictorial for Rudy Project. At the fun photo session with talented photographer Wes Villarica, brand endorsers Monica Torres and super tri couple Dan and Ani Brown posed with the coolest shades and helmets of Rudy Project.

Ani is busy with preparations for Ironkids Aquathlon Race on July 29 at Philsports Complex/Ultra and the Ironkids Triathlon Races in Cebu on Aug. 4, and in Pico de Loro on Oct. 27. Registration and info for all three races are on www.ironkidsphil.com.

OMG Yahoo awards

All that fitness has made me stronger and able to indulge a little with simple rewards like a Magnum Ice Cream Bar. At the OMG Yahoo Awards at the Arena, Magnum ambassadors hosted special guests to an evening of glam royalty with the stars.

The country’s hottest starts were presented with Yahoo Awards all chosen online by their fans.

We all enjoyed the after party in Prive where Magnum and some bubbly were served all throughout the evening. Magnum once again celebrated another smashing party with everyone enjoying the evening.

Selecta has been also so generous with its donation to the Sisters of Mary for the graduation batch of the girls’ and boys’ town in Silang, Cavite. Over 3,000 kids will surely be delighted with their royal moment.

Follow @tessavaldes on Twitter or e-mail her at [email protected].