Dear Sato Supporter,
Hurricane season has officially begun. The latest weather predictions are urging everyone to brace themselves for as many as 10 hurricanes and up to 21 tropical storms. Our team is on the ground preparing as best we can for whatever comes our way. Thank you for being in our corner as we ready for yet another above-normal storm season.
My team and I have some very big news coming up that we can’t wait to share with you. Please stay tuned! In the meantime, keep reading for some uplifting news this month - including 415 newly vaccinated dogs, ten sato dreams that came true, and even a limited-edition sato dog toy that is very close to my heart.
In gratitude,
-- Chrissy Beckles, President & Founder
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415 Dogs Vaccinated at Free Clinic |
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On June 11th, through heavy rain and a rainbow, our team prevailed in vaccinating 415 dogs for no cost at our drive-up vaccine clinic in San Lorenzo, Puerto Rico. |
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On Saturday, June 11th, our team experienced a vaccine clinic like none other. The day began with a rainbow and an ominous cloudy sky and then quickly produced a heavy Puerto Rican downpour. However, our amazing teams of volunteers never swayed. Each one of them continued working in the rain and our incredible veterinary team, lead by Dr. Brito of Candelero Animal Hospital, continued vaccinating. By the end of the day, our feet and clothes were wet, but 415 more dogs were protected against deadly contagious disease.
It is with much gratitude we want to thank all of our dedicated volunteers for working so hard through the rain and compassionately serving each one of the dogs and their families. We are also grateful for the grant support from Banfield Foundation that made this clinic possible.
The Sato Project does not have another clinic scheduled at this time, but we continue to offer our free monthly vouchers to Puerto Rican dog owners for vaccines and a spay/neuter surgery. For more information on this program and to sign up for an appointment, visit our website or email snv@thesatoproject.org.
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Cars were lined up by the hundreds by 6 am despite the clinic not opening until 8 am. The first pet owners arrived at the site at 4 am to ensure their pups would receive vaccines. The 55.3 square mile municipality of San Lorenzo only has one veterinarian. Our one-day pop-up clinic was able to give rescued satos like Chloe and Genesis access to vaccines. Their mom, Magali, rescued both of them herself. She found Chloe outside of a restaurant begging for food and Genesis abandoned on a beach. Both satos were very hungry, clearly needed help, and she just couldn't leave them behind. Now Magali considers both satos to be her family and she was very grateful for the chance to have them vaccinated.
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Get a HuggleHounds Sato Toy |
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Many of you probably already know the story of our Boom Boom. She is the sato who started it all. Boom Boom was our Founder Chrissy Beckles’ very first sato. She rescued her from horrific conditions at the Arecibo municipal shelter. After adopting Boom Boom, Chrissy vowed to her that she would do everything she could to help as many of her Puerto Rican brothers and sisters as possible. It was that promise which lead to the founding of The Sato Project. Boom Boom is the dog in our logo and the inspiration and catalyst behind everything we do and every life we save. When Boom Boom suddenly passed away in 2016, her devastating loss made us fight even harder in her honor. And while she is no longer with us, her legacy lives on forever through every sato that we rescue.
We are excited to share that Boom Boom is now also the inspiration behind a very special and limited-edition dog toy with HuggleHounds! The Sato Project is honored to be a 2022 HuggleCause partner - HuggleHounds’ program that raises money for non-profit organizations through the sale of their one-of-a-kind dog toys. Every purchase of this Boom Boom toy will support our rescue efforts. The toy can now be found at pet stores all across the country, or can be purchased online by clicking here. These unique toys are only available for a limited time. Get yours today before they sell out!
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10 Lucky Satos Fly In-cabin |
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Thunder, Raven, and Gigi are three of the lucky satos who got to hitch a ride to their new families in-cabin, thanks to members of our New York team who flew down to Puerto Rico to help with our vaccine clinic. |
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Nine lucky satos flew to their forever homes already this month and one more is scheduled to fly later this week!
Our first nine satos were able to fly thanks to several flight volunteers and five members of our New York team who came down to the island to help coordinate the June 11th vaccine clinic. When they flew back home to New York, each one of them got to cart a Puerto Rican treasure with them for the plane ride.
Please join us in congratulating Jerry, Lando, Robin, Cora, Duke, Gigi, Raven, Thunder and Claire. All nine of these pups were found dumped, either in the street or on Dead Dog Beach. As soon as they landed in New York, they were greeted by their new families who were very excited to meet them. Now all are enjoying new leases on life — settling into their new homes and receiving lots of love from their families. Our tenth sato, Willy Wonka, is flying this Sunday.
The Sato Project’s next big Freedom Flight isn’t scheduled for another few months. In the meantime, this means our only way of getting dogs off the island is through the help of volunteers flying small satos in-cabin. Thank you so much to everyone who volunteered to fly our puppies in-cabin to their forever homes this month. Thanks to you, ten satos had their dreams come true.
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Top row: Raven, Duke, and Cora meet their new families at the airport!
Bottom row: Lando and Robin are held by their flight volunteer escorts in San Juan, and Gigi and Jerry meet their new families for the first time in New York.
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by signing up for a monthly gift today.
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Thunder's Howling Success with Sato Superstar Stephanie |
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From one pair of loving arms to the next. Left: When our rescue team member, Samuel, found Thunder on the beach, Thunder immediately jumped into his arms. Right: Thunder (now Bubba) meets his new family in New York. His mom, Steph, is even one of our volunteers, so we know that Thunder is in safe, loving hands again.
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Our sweet Thunder was found on Dead Dog Beach right at the start of May. He was discovered dumped on the beach right after a heavy storm, so the team appropriately named him Thunder. This bouncy puppy appeared to be eagerly awaiting his rescue. As soon as our rescue team arrived on the beach, Thunder quickly jumped into our arms and covered us in happy kisses. We knew immediately that Thunder would quickly find a loving home.
Our team was correct. Not only did he find a loving home, he found a home with one of our volunteers! Sato Superstar Stephanie, who has volunteered with The Sato Project since 2020 as part of our New York Transport team, was looking for a new friend for her 15-year-old dog Bruce. Sadly, Stephanie and her family recently had to say goodbye to their 13-year-old dog Lucy. All of them were heartbroken, especially Bruce. When Stephanie saw the rescue video of Thunder, the way he happily approached our team member Samuel reminded her of Lucy. The way Thunder tilts his head is an endearing skill that Lucy had also mastered. Thunder seemed like the perfect match to make their family whole again after the heartbreak of losing Lucy. As Stephanie says, “We sort of feel like she sent him to us.”
Since Thunder arrived at his new home, he has been lovingly bestowed the new name of Bubba. He has also filled the house with love and joy again. Stephanie says: “He loves everything and everyone. We’ve been going for early morning walks, and he even came to his first softball game on Wednesday, which he loved. He’s got such a sweet disposition, and despite being a 4-month-old puppy, he’s very chill. We just couldn’t be happier, because after we lost Lucy, I wasn’t sure I could love another dog the way I love Bruce and Lucy because they were my first dogs that I had gotten as an adult and that were solely mine, but Bubba has completely won us over already.”
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Thunder (now Bubba) immediately settled in to his new life: lots of toys, cozy places to relax, and endless love from his new family. |
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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 euthanasia rate of 94% across all municipal shelters. In 10 years, we have rescued nearly 6,000 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 no-cost spay/neuter and vaccine programs. |
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"We fight so the dogs of Puerto Rico don't have to." |
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