Dear Sato Supporter,

This month began with a very difficult rescue. We found nine abandoned puppies on Dead Dog Beach, who were all in horrific and very fragile condition. They had hairless, sunburned skin and bellies full of parasites. They remain fragile, but thanks to lots of patience from my amazing team and the support from this community, they are doing well in our care. They are slowly recovering and learning what it feels like to be loved. We hope that before long, they'll be able to make their journey to their new lives, just like the 25 lucky dogs we are flying to their forever homes this month - you can read some of their stories below. And finally, we are already busy preparing for Round 4 of The Spayathon for Puerto Rico, which will start on May 3. We're hoping to break our Round 3 record of 1,313 animals served, and are looking forward to playing our role in more "Spayathon Success Stories," like the one featured below.

Thank you as always for being in our corner and making all of this work possible.

-- Chrissy Beckles, President and Founder

Satos fly every weekend in March
These are just a few of our latest arrivals who have already begun their new lives this month. Many have gone right into the arms of their new adopters. S ee the ones who are still adoptable at bit.ly/adoptasato.
March has turned into the month of Freedom Flights! Spread out through seven commercial flights and five weekends, by the end of this month, 25 dogs, including puppies, adult dogs, and seniors, will have taken their Freedom Flights and started their new lives.

These dogs include satos like Bengie, who was rescued by our own vetting coordinator’s five-year-old daughter, Julianne. Young Bengie was roaming the streets in their neighborhood, skinny and looking for affection. He saw Julianne and knew she was the perfect little animal advocate to follow home. Bengie took his Freedom Flight on March 10th and his new dad came to pick him up at the airport. As you can see below, it was love at first sight for them both. 

The “Christmas Puppies” and their mother, Ember (the family we rescued from Dead Dog Beach just a few days before Christmas last year) are also flying this month. They have all finished their vetting protocols and have been declared healthy enough to fly and start their new lives. Ember and five of the puppies flew last weekend and the remaining two puppies are flying this Saturday. Be sure to follow us on social media ( Facebook , Twitter , Instagram ), where we will be sharing updates on our new arrivals every weekend.

Thank you so much to our dedicated volunteers in both Puerto Rico and New York, for spending every weekend this month helping these lucky satos find their way to forever happiness. 
Bengie was so excited to meet his new dad as soon as he stepped off the plane at Newark Airport. You can see a video of their joyous first meeting on Instagram by clicking here.
Spayathon Success Stories:
Salvador, Marilyn, and Hope
Marilyn and Salvador wait in line to get their 'daughter', Hope, treated at our Spayathon clinic in Fajardo last month. Salvador rescued Hope himself from a house that had been destroyed during Hurricane Maria.
Last month, during Round 3 of The Spayathon for Puerto Rico, we were thrilled to meet hundreds of loving pet owners who were willing stand in line all day and do everything they could to help their pet get access to vital veterinary care. Salvador and Marilyn were two such patient pet owners whom we met at our clinic in February. Salvador is an employee of the municipal government. One day last May, his office received a complaint that there was an elderly woman living in a house by herself in unsafe conditions. The house had been destroyed during Hurricane Maria, but she was still living there despite not having a roof and missing several walls. She also had two dogs who had each recently become pregnant and together gave birth to eleven puppies. Salvador was part of the team who went in to take care of the situation. They helped the woman move into a retirement home, and Salvador took it upon himself to see to it that all of the dogs were adequately cared for too. He found a rescue group that agreed to take them all in. However, one of the little pups stole his heart as soon as he saw her in the older woman's home. He texted a picture of her (now named Hope) to his wife Marilyn, and she said, “Yes! Bring her!” They both fell in love immediately and were incredibly grateful to get their ‘daughter’ spayed and vaccinated for free during the Spayathon.

Planning for Spayathon Round 4 in May is in full swing, so stay tuned for more announcements to come. Meanwhile, you can learn more about The Spayathon for Puerto Rico Coalition and read more stories at thesatoproject.org/spayathon.
 
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Murphy's Howling Success
Murphy was first rescued in very neglected condition. But now he has more sweaters and toys than he ever could have imagined and a comfy bed in every room of his house. But most importantly, he also has a family who loves him.
Earlier in 2018, Jamie and Doug's beloved sato, Katie, passed away after being with them for thirteen years. It took a little while, but by the end of the year, they decided they felt ready to welcome another dog into their home and knew they wanted another sato. They found The Sato Project's website online and it was there that they first saw a photo of our scruffy Murphy, who had been found wandering the streets of Puerto Rico with dirty, matted fur. Jamie says it was love at first sight and she immediately saw all of his beauty that was just waiting to be fully realized and appreciated. 

When Murphy took his Freedom Flight in January, Jamie and Doug were right there waiting to greet him as soon as he stepped off the plane. Murphy had never met them before, but he seemed to know right away that they were there to love him. Our former scared little ball of matted fur snuggled right into their arms. 

Now Murphy gets to spend his time hanging out with Jamie all day as her most valuable co-worker while she works from home, napping in one of his multiple comfy beds (he has four!), hoarding his many toys, or being a fashionista in one of his many sweaters. Murphy is still fully adjusting to his new life of luxury, but fortunately he found the perfect parents who are giving him all the time, space, and love he needs until he is able to fully embrace that he hit the family jackpot.
Jamie and Doug were ready to embrace Murphy with open arms as soon as he stepped off his Freedom Flight. Murphy was more than happy to snuggle right in.
The Sato Project is dedicated to rescuing abused and abandoned dogs in Puerto Rico, where there are an estimated 500,000 stray dogs. With only nine shelters on the island with over a 90% euthanasia rate, we have rescued over 3,000 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 our Spay, Neuter, Vaccinate and Microchip Program
The Sato Project is a 501(c)3 organization and relies entirely on tax-deductible donations for our operations.
"We fight so the dogs of Puerto Rico don't have to."