KAMIKAZEE frontman Jay Contreras has always had a deep connection with animals. Growing up surrounded by pets and influenced by his grandmother’s care for them, Jay has been an avid animal lover since childhood, caring for a wide range of pets, including dogs, fishes, and even exotic snakes.
However, Jay eventually had to give up his pet snakes due to the challenges of caring for them, particularly the difficulty of feeding them mice, along with his increasingly busy work schedule. “Nahirapan ako sa ahas, mahirap pagkain daga. Nag-alaga rin ako ng daga dahil kailangan ko pakain sa kanila,” he shared during the launch of Pet.Love.Travel at Fiyo Bagi in Quezon City.
Despite parting ways with his snakes, Jay remains devoted to his other pets, especially his dogs. “Ang mga aso ko, parang mga anak ko na sila,” he said.
“Para silang sira ulo, unconditional love talaga,” Jay added, describing his three Bully dogs. “’Yung dalawa pugs ko nasa kitchen ko, dun sila sa baba. Tuwing aakyat ako, parang ang tagal mo nawala. Minsan umihi lang ako, paglabas ko, excited sila lagi. Minsan pag pagod ka, nawawala [ang stress]. Sa akin ‘yun ang kaibahan ng dogs and cats – sa cats, sila kasi master sila. Ang dogs hindi, kahit five minutes ka lang nawala, sobra excited sila.”
With his children living with their mother, Jay revealed how his pets help fill the void. “Yung mga anak ko kasi nasa bahay ng mommy nila, so yung mga pets ko, sila yung mga babies ko talaga. Titigan mo lang sila, na-e-excite na sila. Yun sa akin talaga, ‘yung unconditional love. Kung hindi mo makuha sa tao, sa aso mo makukuha, sigurado ‘yun.”
Jay also expressed his gratitude for Pet.Love.Travel, a pet transportation service that makes life easier for pet owners, especially when bringing larger pets to the vet. Even his ex-wife appreciated the service for simplifying the logistics of their pets’ care.
Founded in September 2022 by John Robert Baculi and Jascha Crenz Chacon, Pet.Love.Travel offers safe and comfortable transportation for pets, from vet visits to long-distance travel, and has quickly gained a reputation for trust and quality.
The owners are proud to say that they do not discriminate and welcome pets of all sizes, shapes and breed – as long as they have permits.
“There was only one instance that we had to turn down and it was an inquiry for crocodile transport since it’s considered critically endangered,” Joscha shared, emphasizing their commitment to animal welfare. “But when it comes to rescue animals, we accept them wholeheartedly and even provide discounted rates.”
The company recently received the National Outstanding Pet Transport of the Year award at the 2024 Excellent Filipino Awards.
“For that award, we are beyond grateful to our clients for always trusting Pet.Love.Travel. We also thank Jay Contreras of Kamikazee for trusting us to be our business partner. We shall continue to improve our services to give everyone the best pet transport experience,” said Baculi.
