Dear Sato Supporter,
We currently have more than 100 dogs in our program in Puerto Rico who are anxiously awaiting their chance to take their Freedom Flights. And just like our satos, our team is also anxious for the COVID-19 flying restrictions to end. But even though we are unable to fly dogs off the island, we refuse to let these limitations stand in the way of our life-saving efforts. This month, for the first time ever, we held a one-day pet food pantry to help feed the dogs and cats of our Yabucoa community. And just this week, we rescued 17 dogs from a heartbreaking hoarding situation, even though we are already filled to the brim with dogs.
But no dog is rescued without a plan and I am so proud of our small but mighty team for stepping up for these dogs and all our satos. Thanks to the backing of our community, we have been able to continue making a difference for the dogs of Puerto Rico every day.
Please continue reading below to learn more about our efforts this month.
And please stay tuned. As soon as restrictions are lifted, we are going to hit the ground running to make an even bigger impact.
In gratitude,
-- Chrissy Beckles, President & Founder
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Update on COVID-19 and Our Rescue Efforts
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The COVID-19 pandemic continues to greatly impact The Sato Project’s daily rescue operations.
- All 100+ rescue dogs currently in our program remain trapped in Puerto Rico until current COVID-19 live animal cargo flying restrictions are lifted in both Puerto Rico and New York. However, we are excited to share that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. We have been in constant communication with our Freedom Flight partner, Wings of Rescue, and have every reason to believe that we should be able to begin very flying soon. Please stay tuned!
- The government of Puerto Rico has started reopening some services and businesses, but stay-at-home and curfew orders remain for many people.
- Veterinarians are still restricted to emergency services only and are not allowed to issue travel certificates. However, our rescue team has been issued official paperwork allowing them to feed the many stray dogs in the streets awaiting their chance to enter our program.
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The Sato Project Pet Food Pantry Distributes 6,000 lbs of Pet Food in 15 Minutes
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Left: Last Tuesday morning, our team arrived to a long line of pet owners waiting to receive free pet food to feed their dogs and cats. Right: a friendly 'customer' says thank you.
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Earlier this month, our friends at
GreaterGood.org reached out to offer us a large donation of dog food. While we are always happy to accept dog food donations, we are very fortunate to have plenty in our supply to care for the dogs currently in our program. We are well aware, however, that there are many members of our community in Yabucoa who are not as lucky.
So we politely asked
GreaterGood.Org
if we could share their generous donation with our community instead.
With so many people laid off from work due to COVID-19 stay-at-home orders, we know that there are many pet owners who might be struggling to afford to feed their pets
- especially in Yabucoa, which is already the lowest-income municipality in all of Puerto Rico.
We arranged a time and a place, and quickly spread the word that we were holding a one day pet food pantry.
Within 15 minutes of opening, we had given out every last bag of
GreaterGood.org
's
6,000 lbs of donated food.
We are grateful that we could help feed the dogs and cats of our community and share the resources that were so generously offered to us. We would like to say a special thank you to GreaterGood.org for donating the food and to the Yabucoa municipal government and police for helping to make the pantry such a success.
We know that there is still additional need and are going to do everything we can to hold a food pantry again.
There was one special sato at our food pantry who received much more than a free meal.
When our team arrived at the distribution location, there was a friendly stray dog waiting to greet them. We must have done such a good job of spreading the word that she heard about it too! Of course we had to take this smart girl with us. And now she will never know a day of life in the streets again. Welcome to The Sato Project, Santi!
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Left: our team unloads 6,000 lbs of pet food from a truck to distribute it to the community of Yabucoa. Right:
When our team arrived to the food pantry location, stray dog Santi was waiting to meet them.
This lucky sato is now a part of our program!
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17 Dogs Rescued from Hoarding Case
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On Monday morning, in coordination with local authorities, our team rescued 17 dogs from a heartbreaking hoarding situation.
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Last week we were contacted by local law enforcement about a serious hoarding case. Our program was already packed with 94 dogs and we are still unable to transport. But when we heard about the conditions that these dogs were living in, our entire team voted unanimously that we had to step in.
We did not know how many dogs were there or what physical condition they would be in - we only knew that we had to find a way to help.
So first thing Monday morning, our rescue team faced what turned out to be a horrific and heartbreaking situation. The dogs had been living in handmade dark, wooden crates that allowed for little light.
Their coats were matted, covered in feces, and they were all covered in fleas. They had no access to fresh water, air, or sunshine.
The majority of them are at least five years old and have most likely never known a different life.
Our team saved 17 dogs from this darkness. Now every last one of them has been thoroughly bathed and is sleeping soundly in a clean crate with access to food and water.
They are frightened, but wagging their tails as if they know we are helping them. They have only been in our care for a few days, but we are looking forward to getting to know each one of them as they begin our vetting and behavioral protocols. Stay tuned to learn more about our newest arrivals.
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Take our 'Which Sato Are You?" Quiz
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Jack, Gypsy, and Vic are three of our dogs currently in Puerto Rico. They can't wait to meet their forever families on the mainland as soon as they can take their Freedom Flights. In the meantime, they are available to foster from afar!
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We currently have more than 100 rescue dogs in Puerto Rico anxiously waiting to take their Freedom Flights as soon as we can resume flying. Each one has their own unique story of survival. Would you like to meet more of these dogs? We just added six more lucky satos to our
Foster From Afar
program.
Click here to meet them and read their stories.
This program is a fun way to support our rescue efforts in a direct way. You can sign up to support the care of one special sato, receive a digital postcard of their adorable face, and be kept in the loop about their journey. Your generous support will not only help your chosen foster dog, but all dogs currently in our program and future satos yet to be rescued.
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David and Sarah needed some reassuring before they adopted Zola, as she was very slow to warm up to them, especially to David. But now, Sarah says,
"the three of us are an inseparable unit and Zola is her happiest when all three are in a room together - preferably on the same couch."
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Sarah and David were perusing adoptable dogs on Petfinder when they discovered The Sato Project. They reached out to inquire about an available dog but were just a little too late. That dog had just been matched to another family. Our adoption team sent them photos of little Zola to consider instead and Sarah says they “instantly knew she was our dog.”
But when they met Zola in person, it was not the joyous first meeting they had imagined it would be.
Zola was shy and very slow to warm up to both of them. Like many rescue dogs, Zola was especially afraid of new men.
When David knelt down to meet her, she was so scared that she barely let him touch her.
But they didn’t want to give up on Zola, so we connected David and Sarah to some of our previous adopters for advice. They convinced them that all Zola needed was love and patience. Sarah and David decided to give her a chance. And our adopters were right!
Now we are so happy to share that it has been nothing but true love and joy ever since.
Each morning begins with her covering David’s face in kisses as soon as he wakes up and she is equally bonded to both her parents.
Sarah says that, “All in all, we just cannot express how grateful we are to have Zola in our lives. As people who struggle with some depression and anxiety, this sweet creature makes us laugh, grin, and play every single day.
She has taught us patience, consistency, and love on another level.
What an absolute joy it has been to watch her grow. Zola constantly lets us know how loved we are, and although I'm sure I'm a little biased, I believe she is truly special.” Thank you to Sarah and David for giving sweet Zola the chance to prove that all she needed to live her best life was love.
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It did not take long for shy little Zola to fall deeply in love with both of her parents. Now she never wants to let them out of her sight and gets to travel with them everywhere.
Since her adoption in the fall, this lucky Puerto Rican treasure has traveled with her parents to Massachusetts, California, and even to Germany!
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The Sato Project is dedicated to rescuing abused and abandoned dogs in Puerto Rico, where there are an estimated 500,000 stray dogs and a combined 94% euthanasia rate across all municipal shelters. We have rescued over 4,000 dogs, rehabilitated them with the highest standards of veterinary care, and found them loving homes on the mainland U.S.. We are also working to make permanent change on the island through community outreach and a Spay, Neuter, Vaccinate and Microchip Program.
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"We fight so the dogs of Puerto Rico don't have to."
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