Animal Scene – September-October 2026

Summary

Animal Scene September-October 2026 (Volume 26, Numbers 07-08, P100) puts the Manila Dog Show 2026 on the cover under "Battle of the Champions," and Letizia Balanag reports its fourth run gathering top dogs in the ring at page 46. Stef dela Cruz, MD, opens on the idea of the familiar.

The editor writes about familiars in the Salem witch trials while living with a black cat of her own, and Bea Racoma lists five animals who serve as familiars to witches. Alaina Therese L. Amilanto asks why animals abandon their young at p20, and Alina R. Co asks what animals think of us at p37.

Em Quintana, the writer the magazine calls The Vegan Mermaid, reports at p69 how diapers kill marine animals. Paula Cristyn Bueno gives three things about healing animals for a living that many do not know at p29. Ken Ricafort finds love in the streets at p82, Gregg Yan goes wild in Palawan at p90, and Henrylito D. Tacio writes on birdwatching at p112.

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Content Guide

▸ Cover Story

p.46 · Manila Dog Show on its fourth run: Gathering top Dogs in the ring
Letizia Balanag reports the Manila Dog Show's fourth run, the cover's Battle of the Champions. Fourth-run shows tell you whether a national dog scene is growing. Look up the show's entry classes before you plan to visit.

▸ Editor and Contributors

p.6 · Pet Peeve — On getting familiar
Stef dela Cruz, MD, writes about the familiar, including the animals accused of being witches' familiars in the Salem witch trials, while keeping a black cat herself. She names Bea Racoma, Alina R. Co, Alaina Therese L. Amilanto, Henrylito D. Tacio, Gregg Yan and Em Quintana among the contributors, and mentions Mt. Apo and Palawan. Read her note before the familiar articles, because it sets the issue's tone.

p.8 · Contributors' Corner — Dancing through life
The question asks what animals understand about life that humans sometimes do not. Alina R. Co answers living in the moment, not overthinking, accepting and adapting, and learning to laugh and give kisses. Mona Gonzalez says animals live day by day and focus on present joy, a dog greeting its owner happily and a bird singing at sunrise. Gregg Yan says children play with animals easily because their minds are not full of problems and anxiety. Ken Ricafort points to intuition and trusting a gut feeling, since modern life over-relies on technology. Ask yourself the same question and answer it before reading theirs.

▸ Understanding Animals

p.20 · Why do animals abandon their young?
Alaina Therese L. Amilanto asks why animals abandon their young. Abandonment looks cruel until you know the cause. Never assume a wild animal has been abandoned before a rescue checks it.

p.37 · What do animals think of us?
Alina R. Co asks what animals think of us, one of the issue's more unusual questions. The question matters more than any answer a magazine can give. Watch one animal's reaction to you for five minutes and draw your own conclusion.

p.29 · 3 Things about healing animals for a living that many don't know
Paula Cristyn Bueno gives three things about working as a vet that many people do not know. Vet work is the job owners misunderstand most. Thank your vet for one thing they did that you never noticed.

▸ Ocean and Environment

p.69 · Death by diaper: How our trash is killing marine animals
Em Quintana, called The Vegan Mermaid, reports how diapers kill marine animals. Single-use products reach the sea in surprising forms. Check what your household throws away that could reach water.

p.90 · Wild Palawan
Gregg Yan writes on Palawan's wildlife. Palawan carries more endemic species than almost anywhere in the Philippines. Choose any Palawan tour by its wildlife rules, not its photos.

p.112 · Bird watching: For the love of avian species
Henrylito D. Tacio writes on birdwatching for the love of birds. Birdwatching is the cheapest way into wildlife watching. Keep one list of the birds you see this month.

▸ Alerts and Regulars

p.82 · Finding love in the streets: Adventures in the urban jungle
Ken Ricafort looks at animals finding love on city streets. Street animals live by rules most owners never see. Support a neutering programme in your own city.

p.102 · Yume, the Akita gifted to Putin by Japan in 2012, dies of old age
Martina Jauin Mendoza reports that Yume, the Akita given to Putin by Japan in 2012, has died of old age. Gift animals live political lives they did not choose. Read the piece before repeating any story about gift animals.

p.122 · Cat parent calls out Cebu resort's "pet-friendly" policy after being denied entry
Martina Jauin Mendoza reports a cat owner challenging a Cebu resort's pet-friendly policy after being refused entry. Pet-friendly claims need testing before you book. Ask any hotel exactly which pets it accepts before you travel.

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Editor's Take

Stef dela Cruz writing about familiars in the Salem witch trials while sharing her home with a black cat is the best thing in Animal Scene September-October 2026, and it makes Bea Racoma's five familiars and Alina R. Co's what-animals-think-of-us pieces land rather than drift. The Contributors' Corner answers — living in the moment, a dog greeting its owner, a bird at sunrise — are the kind of page readers remember. Weakest is the alert run, where a Manila Dog Show, a dead Akita and a Cebu resort dispute sit at the same length, and the Marine diaper piece is announced more than argued. The Manila Dog Show cover is a show report, not a feature. Buy this for the editor's note and the contributors' answers.

Strengths
• Editor's familiar note is personal and specific
• Contributors' answers are quotable and real
• Vet column explains a misunderstood job
• Diaper and Palawan pieces cover real harm

Weaknesses
• Alert run flattens a show, a death and a dispute
• Dog Show cover is a report, not a feature

Verdict: Selective read — the editor's note and contributors' page carry it.