Most of us believe how it would be awesome if every stray animal finds a forever home, or at least is well fed and taken good care of.
But what is that we actually do to help these poor creatures? If your answer is not much because you don’t know how to help, the story of one kind-hearted man from Bolivia may serve for you as an inspiration.
The number of strays in this country is staggering. More than 2 million dogs wander the streets every day, and the fact that nearly half of them were once family pets is really heartbreaking.
Bright Side picked up the story of Fernando Kushner, from La Paz, the man whose actions restore our faith in humanity.
Everything started around 4 years ago when this businessman in brand marketing stumbled upon a stray dog whom he shared his sandwich with. The animal was so grateful that it started licking the man’s hands as a way of saying thank you.
This encounter was a faithful one and changed the way Fernando saw strays. The next day, he got back to the same place and made sure he brought some food for his pal again. The feeling of feeding that sweet and innocent dog who found himself outside all alone made Fernando reconsider his life goals.
Out of the blue, he set up a mission to feed as many dogs as he could, even if that required quitting his highly paid job as a marketing executive. Yes, you’ve read that right, this man did exactly that.
Each day, this amazing man leaves a bunch of food at the same places, making sure hundreds of dogs get their daily treats. He makes two rounds a day and is genuinely committed to his mission.
At this point, you probably think how all this is kind of cool, but at the same time wonder where does this man find all that food. The answer will surely amaze you.
Most of the food he collects comes from the city’s cafeterias and restaurants who are willing to give Fernando the leftovers. Each day, this man collects around 11 gallons of chicken, bones, and other food. Before he gives this to the dogs, he mixes it with dog biscuits he buys himself.
Fernando works all by himself, but hopes more people would join him once they see how what he does affects all those poor souls. They are happy knowing someone cares. In order to motivate others to take action, he often shares photos of the cheerful dogs on Facebook.
This isn’t the only thing Fernando does for the animals in need. He also volunteers in animal shelters around 5 to 6 times each week and is planning on using his skills in business and marketing in order to convince more people and companies to get involved in solving the issue with the homeless animals.
“I have had 1,300 interviews with TV channels and newspapers both inside and outside of Bolivia. I am not a politician or a star that needs to be followed. I just do what I do transparently,” says Fernando. He also persuaded a few big Bolivian companies to publicize his slogan: “Adopt, don’t buy” and encourages people to find their pets on the city’s streets.
We have to agree how what Fernando does is astounding. We definitely need more people like him in the world. Hopefully, this story would serve as an inspiration for others to follow this man’s example.
