Public Feeders Feed 6000 Dogs In Colombia

A veterinarian from Puerto Colombia, Juan Manuel Montoya, zootechnical expert, had an idea to feed and improve the quality of life of many stray dogs: comedogs, or feeders placed on public roads.

Juan manuel walked around the city bringing food to the abandoned animals. However, failing to meet the needs of all strays, he began searching the internet for feeders, until he came across one owned by dog-loving actress Jimena Hoyos.

The start of the Comedog project

Based on this same model, Juan Manuel began to think, with the help of a designer, about the manger he wanted to make. “I tried it in my neighborhood and then posted some photos on Facebook that aroused great interest. People began to write to me and congratulate me on an idea  that many had had, but which no one had been able to realize. So the project began to become popular, ”  Montoya himself says.

The comedog can only be requested by natural persons. It is necessary to send a form with the general information of the project. “We don’t sell it to companies, it can only be obtained from foundations or individuals. The idea is to give it only to people who make good use of it ”, comments the creator of the project.

How do the feeders work?

These food and water dispensers have the capacity to store 5 to 18 kg of food and 8 liters of water. As the animals eat, the feed drops in level and becomes accessible for the animals. There are around 380 such feeders in Colombia, which feed as many as 6,000 dogs across the country.

However, the project does not aim to increase the number of these public feeders, but rather to decrease the number of stray dogs. Dogs that are fed through these feeders are subsequently neutered and given up for adoption.

The Comedog project has been so successful that other countries in South America are also adopting it.

How did the project start?

Five women started this project. They got in touch with different people, studied the various options for choosing possible collaborators and began to shape their idea. In the next phase, they got in touch with Juan Manuel Montoya Pardo, a young veterinarian born in Armenia who now lives in Barranquilla and who, as mentioned, was inspired by the one owned by actress Jimena Hoyos for the feeders. The idea of ​​creating a food dispenser for stray dogs was beginning to take shape.

“Although we do not know exactly how many stray dogs there are in Neiva, what we do know, thanks to the information provided to us by the Environmental Police, is that many stray dogs pass through the Leasburg Park sector and will be the first to benefit from the installation of the first ComeDog. Neiva; in addition, we have been provided with the protection of the National Police, to prevent the mangers from being stolen or damaged, ” said Rosnayra Córdoba.

Food and water at will

The feeders, or ComeDog, are made of galvanized sheet and are capable of supporting a weight of about 22 kilograms. They are also equipped with a front door that allows you to introduce dog food. Each side of the dispenser is equipped with structures that allow you to place containers to be filled with water. Each deposit can contain about 4 liters. The structure, as a whole, is about 1 meter and 20 centimeters high.

ComeDog’s actions and benefits

The actions carried out by this project are many:

• Provides food assortment.
• It takes care of the sterilization of some animals.
• Raise awareness of the stray dog ​​problem.
• Take part in days in favor of sterilization, nutrition, vaccination and deparasitation.
• Identify places where there is a real need to help strays and where there is little traffic and pedestrian traffic. In these places it is responsible for the installation of public feeders.

For more information, you can get in touch with them by writing to the email address [email protected] or visit their social profiles:

• Web:  www.comedog.org
• Facebook: Proyecto ComeDog
• Twitter: @proyectocomedog
• Instagram: @come_dog
• YouTube: Proyecto ComeDog

Donations for comedog

The food contained in these public mangers is donated by activists and people interested in the project. To keep them full of food, people can deposit coins at the top of the dispensers. With the money raised, food is bought every 15 days.

In the neighborhoods where the feeders are set up, the locals take it upon themselves to check that they are always full and that they are not damaged. It is an excellent example of solidarity and social participation.