#YoHiceFelizAUnPerro: a campaign seeks to reunite Venezuelans with the animals they left behind during their emigration

The story of Gabriel Gagliardoni is that of many Venezuelans. He left the house and his family, including his dog. "I left Venezuela about four years ago for the critical situation in the country. I had to leave Bongo with my mother, who loves her by chance, "he says in a conversation with TN.com.ar this young man who, in ardent desire, has found the impulse to undertake.

Already based in Argentina, it is part of a start-up who gathers walkers with people looking for this service for their dogs, and now leads a a fundraising campaign to reunite Venezuelans with their pets.

"The challenge of #YoHiceFelizAUnPerro it's big. You have to get the licenses, the vaccinations and put the dogs on the plane, "explains Gabriel, who explains that for each animal, it costs about $ 300.

– How was born this movement of mascotera?

– Many Venezuelan walkers in our society told us that their dogs were missing and that they had to leave. That's exactly what happened to me when I decided to start this project and it was also the trigger for the campaign. We want the largest number of dogs to be reunited with their loved ones.

– What challenges do you encounter to achieve this?

– In Venezuela, we have allies called Kitty Tours, responsible for the whole process: obtaining permits, vaccinations and dog walking. For the exit of the animals, it is necessary to generate the requests in a governmental entity.

For the problems that cross the whole country, such as lack of light, water, internet, etc., it's really a puzzle to carry out the whole process.. As fundamental as it sounds, and we take it for granted, unfortunately, in Venezuela, all these fundamental rights and resources are lacking.

After all this, working with the airlines is not easy either. There are always obstacles and it is usually to get money from people. We also solve this because we always have all the required documents. There are also variations with the size of the dogs, the seats available on the flights, the search for people who will travel and take them, among other things.

– How do you make a list of people who want to bring their dogs from Venezuela?

– If the campaign is successful and we collect the expected amount, we will create a website on which all the people wishing to meet their dogs will be able to apply. On this website, all the requirements for people to apply health problems, the status and age of dogs, with those who stayed, etc.

Then, based on all the people who have registered and meet the requirements, they will be drawn by an official mechanism that will be the beneficiary of the campaign.

There will be many people joining us and we can not bring them all back, but this campaign also wants to broaden the visibility of the problem in the country. and that people are becoming aware of other dimensions of what Venezuela is going through. Apart from all we already know, many dogs are separated from their families and do not understand why this happens.

– Do you plan to expand the campaign beyond this country?

– For the moment, we focus this campaign only on Venezuelans. We understand that it is a problem that many people in other countries are going through. Tomorrow it may become a more ambitious project, and in a global movement that works with large entities to make it easier for people to travel with their dogs in other countries. It would be amazing to get to this point, but we are going little by little, step by step.

– How can you collaborate on this campaign?

– In addition to donations, it is important that you reach as many people as possible. Therefore, it will be vital to share it on social networks, by WhatsApp groups and by all possible channels, because if the funds are not collected, we will not be able to do it. It's an all-or-nothing campaign.

In the second case, once the funds are collected, we will need dissemination to increase the chances of obtaining the funds. volunteers from Venezuela in different countries and take a dog with you, because airlines do not allow dogs to travel without a companion. When we bring the dogs, with more budget and better preparation, we will show everything that has been done during the campaign and the results. Dogs arriving at the airport meeting their owners after years.

Gabriel, who is also known to be one of the "kings of memes on the Internet" for his @el_kilombo profile, acknowledges that missing so much Bongo was the big motivation to start a business. kennel. "I keep regular contact with my dog, even at a distance, because I talk every day with my mother and Bongo for video calls," he says.

On this Animal Day celebrated today in Argentina, #YoHiceFelizAUnPerro begins its journey on the platform of crowdfunding Idea.me and will last 40 days. Those who collaborate (it is possible to contribute from 50 pesos) receive different rewards for their pets, free walks to a night of accommodation in animal cribs.