rescuing homeless/shelter dog from another country?

I have been to Santiago, Chile as a child, and it broke my heart. I vowed i would never go back.
Now, dh is pressuring me to go, and no one in my family can understand why i refuse to go. Well, the dog population there is really sad, tons of homeless animals on the streets, and no one cares about them. You can see dead dogs/cats very easily when walking on the streets and the ones you see still alive are very emaciated. It would be too much for me to handle, and i would be miserable the whole time there.
So, i have started thinking, that perhaps i can go, as long as i am allowed to bring back a dog. Is this a bad idea? Something tells me it is a very bad idea, as the dogs might be really diseased, and i don't know if i would even be allowed to do it.
Has anyone done something similar, and i don't mean as in bringing home a dog from the states.
Any thoughts or input would be really appreciated.
And i do know that there are tons of homeless dogs in Toronto that need adopting (i have adopted one), but this is just something i want to do in order to ever visit Chile again.

You can look into these organizations and see if they can help you...http://www.chileaustral.com/perros/

http://www.wspa-usa.org/pages/750_wspa_helps_stranded_shelter_dogs_in_chile.cfm

http://www.isaronline.org/index.htm
http://www.volunteerabroad.com/listingsp3.cfm/listing/19839
I wish you all the luck. I remember going to Jamaica and collecting all the food that people did not eat and feeding the strays on the street. Towards the end of my 2 week stay I had people knocking at my door offering me their food. I was called the animal lady. I tried to get a hold of a local vet and had most of the people look at me like I was crazy. They never heard of an animal doctor. They told me that cats and dogs are animals and people don't have time to think about them when they have their own family to feed.
A friend of mine brought back 11 dogs and 2 cats from Santa Domingo. She had to pay off many people and bought tickets that claimed that these dogs were all service dogs. I am not sure how she got around the cats. Anyway good luck

Savannah,I understand how you feel,I have always brought cat/dog food going to any island.
However the last time in Cuba,I really fell in love with one particular dog and I really wanted to take her home with me.
Unfortunately she had puppies,whom she kept hidden under a concrete slab and there was no way I could take her.
Watching out for the cats/dogs,feeling miserable about their condition,really dose not make for an enjoyable holiday :sad:
When I said goodbye to"my"dog Lucy,I thought I'd never stop crying,she was the sweetest little thing...here's a picture of her :sad:
I will never go back..too heartbreaking!

Here i am feeding some of the skinny cats!

Awwwwwww!! That is such a sad story Chico!!

I do think you could bring back dogs from Chile. I know ppl who have brought dogs and cats from a variety of countries. In Chile, you may have to pay some official off - it is considered a fee for doing biz - but I do think you can manage to bring back a dog or cat.

Good luck!