For over 200,000 stray dogs on an island about the size of Connecticut, the need for food, water, medication, and spay/neuter programs cannot wait until there are enough homes — or even rescue facilities — to take them in. That is why Island Dog created its Red Collar Project. The project, which recently launched its new website, provides care to dogs at open-air sites throughout Puerto Rico.
Desperate for a way to improve the lives of the animals starving on streets and beaches, the ladies of Island Dog decided to take action. They started in Las Croabas, a small fishing village on the northeast coast of Puerto Rico. The area is popular with tourists, who come to enjoy the scenery and visit the famous Bio-Luminescent Bay.
Island Dog volunteers began identifying and caring for stray dogs. They posted signs in the area notifying the public that the red-collared dogs had been sterilized and vaccinated. 
Island Dog works with the city to promote tourism and control animal overpopulation. In fact, many tourists fall in love with the dogs, and end up taking one home!
The Red Collar Project was so successful in Las Croabas that Island Dog established several other open-air shelters. The dogs at these sites are fed, vaccinated, spayed or neutered, and tagged. Healthy, domesticated dogs are then listed for adoption. Undomesticated "true island dogs" live out their lives outdoors, but loved and care-for by project volunteers. The red collar is a symbol of protection & care; dogs wearing them receive food, medication, vaccines, spay/neuter surgery, and often the opportunity for adoption.
As to why some of the dogs are returned to beach or park after sterilization, Katie Block (founder of Island Dog) explains that the average cost of rescuing a dog is $600 to $1,000. This cost includes vet care, foster care, and flight to the continental United States for adoption. There is a critical shortage of shelters on the island. 
Because the cost is so high and the need is so great, the Red Collar Project provides an immediate solution.
"While it may not be an ideal solution," Katie explains on the website, "it is the best solution for... over 200,000 homeless dogs of Puerto Rico. In a perfect world, Island Dog would have the funds and resources to rescue every homeless dog. In our real world, in our daily reality, we have an overwhelming population of homeless dogs and one workable solution, the Red Collar Project."
The Red Collar Project is funded exclusively by donations. If you would like to make a donation or sponsor a dog, please click here. If you live in an area where there is a stray dog problem and would like to start a Red Collar Project in your community, click here for information.
Photos courtesy of Mike de Lugo.