The idea of 600 million hungry, lonely stray dogs around the world is what prompted Alex Pachecho to found 600Million.org: a different kind of animal rescue organization that focuses on sterilizing dogs and cats to prevent overpopulation. When Alex teamed up one day with members of Forgotten Dogs of the 5th Ward to feed hungry stray dogs in Houston and bring awareness to the problem, he didn't expect to actually take any pups with him. But just as the team was heading out of one run-down neighborhood, a tiny stray appeared and changed all that.
The work that Alex and the members of Forgotten Dogs do might not be what you'd expect when it comes to saving dogs on the street. After all, when most people think of rescuing animals, they like to see stories like the one where teenagers rescued a dog that was nearly dead after being shot. But since there are not nearly enough animal shelters to take in all the strays in the world, feeding and spaying the animals is a longterm solution that can help more dogs and cats from starving to death on the streets. But, even though it wasn't part of his job, Alex just couldn't bring himself to leave this little lost dog behind. He took him in the car, named him "Mr. Cookie," and put this tiny pooch on track to a better future.
Just look at how happy Mr. Cookie looks in the arms of his rescuer! This little dog isn't the only important "cookie" in this story — Alex has developed dog treats that will be able to sterilize the dogs that eat them. Right now, they only work on female dogs and require a few doses to be completely effective, but with a little more work, they'll work on all dogs and cats after just one dose! Can you imagine how the population of stray dogs and cats will be reduced when you can spay and neuter countless animals without surgery?
If we can reduce the numbers of animals on the streets and in shelters, more of our beloved pets will get to have the happy ending that Mr. Cookie is finally getting.
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