In Central Mexico, the city of Soledad de Graciano Sanchez in San Luis Potosi is working to make life a little bit better for one of its most precious populations: the city’s homeless dogs!
The city has an estimated stray dog population of 300,000, meaning there are more dogs roaming the streets than there are people across the metropolis. And while that’s a tough population to find safe, loving homes for, the municipal council has decided to start up a program that can at the very least make sure many of the strays have something safe to eat.
The city started a new program in 2019 that sets up “self-serve” dog food installations all across town, providing a good meal for any dogs that happen to stop by the amenities. The program, dubbed “ComeDog”—a play on the Spanish word for “eat” and an invitation for all the dogs to come and grab some chow—should help both the local stray population and domesticated dogs alike as they sniff out a meal while roaming.
Each feeder looks a bit like something you'd see in the bulk food section of the grocer’s or a specialty candy store; they’re gravity-fed dispensers, but in this case, they’re full of dry dog food. The local organization that collaborated on the project with the Soledad de Graciano Sanchez City Hall, Respuesta Ciudadana, will oversee the maintenance of the food dispensers and make sure they remain cleaned and filled.
Each food dispenser will have a bucket of clean water next to it, which provides hydration in the toasty climate for the dogs as they look to fill their bellies.
“The City Council of Soledad de Graciano Sanchez, in coordination with the department of Respuesta Ciudadana implemented and started the program ComeDog 2019, which will give food to the street dogs of the municipality,” the City Council wrote on Facebook.
“In order to provide attention to stray dogs, we will be placing feeders for dogs that do not have a home at different points in the municipality.”
The program is a fantastic step towards making the streets safer for both the dogs and the people living in the city, as it should diminish some of the need to forage in potentially dangerous areas for the strays.
While it may seem like a potential mob scene as the dogs rush for the much-needed sustenance, it appears that so far it’s been a smashing hit.
The city hasn’t stopped at feeding the hungry pups, either. They’ve introduced a free “dog ambulance” in the city as well, called the AmbuDog, which will patrol and provide everything from shots to medical care for strays that appear to be in need. They‘ll be able to provide crucial vaccinations for any newborn pups they spot, and can help out if they see a dog struggling with an injury or illness as well. According to Dolores Elisa García Román, director of Municipal Services for the city, this should help reduce the spread of infectious diseases among stray dogs as well—which could lower the risk that they’ll attack humans, to boot.
The program’s total costs haven’t been revealed, and it seems like it could be a tough system to implement in a bigger city without a private backer. But as a step towards making the world a safer place for animals, Soledad de Graciano Sanchez is clearly leading the way!
