A Web site launched Wednesday aims to find homes for the hundreds of thousands of stray dogs roaming the streets of Chile, Callejeros Buscan Hogar Foundation Spokeswoman Naomi Sepulveda told EFE.
“There are approximately 1.7 million abandoned dogs in Chile,” she said.
Promoters of the initiative placed 1,500 cardboard dog houses in downtown Santiago’s Plaza Italia early Wednesday to raise public awareness of the issue and publicize the launch of the Buscadog.cl site.
With the Web site, “our idea is to get hundreds of dogs adopted each month,” Sepulveda said.
She said that all the dogs up for adoption have been rescued from the streets, and many have suffered from illness, mistreatment, or accidents.
The chief marketing officer of the Shopping Portal chain, Flavia Artus, said the company wanted to contribute to Buscadog.cl to connect Sepulveda’s foundation and other likeminded groups with people who want to adopt dogs.
Buscadog.cl users interested in adopting a dog must complete a questionnaire about their lifestyle and personality in order to match them with the right animal.
The site allows visitors to access photos and information about the dogs available for adoption.
Artus said the adoption fee is “minimal” and the proceeds are used to fund vaccination.