i've been rescuing dogs for a long time. my husband and i actually have 24 rescue dogs of our own at our house. about five years ago or so, we fostered hundreds of dogs over the years. we started working for the homeless population here in brazil that lives on the street, and discovered that the bond between homeless people and homeless dogs is even more deep and profound because of their mutual deprivation than the average suburban family with a dog. we decided we wanted to tap into that, so we actually started a shelter about a year ago that is designed to rescue abandoned animals on the street, but at the same time employees homelese demonstrated an affinity for animals that have cared for them on the street, employ them, and transition them into permanent employment and getting housing. so we are growing it slowly. we have about 150 dogs that we currently have at the shelter.