Dear Sato Supporter,

The past few weeks have been a challenging time for all of us. I want you to know that The Sato Project team stands as it always has: with kindness, compassion, humanity, and love. We are a diverse community and will continue standing up for our foundational belief that all life deserves dignity and respect. 

Thank you for being on our team. We have some exciting things coming up that we can't wait to share with you. But in the mean time, please keep reading to learn more about what we already have going on this month - including two lucky satos who got to fly first class to their forever families!

In gratitude,

-- Chrissy Beckles, President & Founder

Update on COVID-19 and Our Rescue Efforts
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to 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, please stay tuned as we have an announcement coming soon.
  • Some services and businesses have reopened in Puerto Rico, but stay-at-home and curfew orders remain in place until at least June 15th. The government is expected to make an announcement soon regarding any possible changes.
  • Licensed Veterinarians are now open during limited hours and adhering to all social distancing guidelines. However many are still only practicing emergency medicine.
  • Our rescue team still has special permission to feed the many stray dogs in the streets awaiting their chance to enter our program.

For a more detailed overview on how the pandemic is affecting our rescue efforts, click on the image below for an article from Inverse featuring our unique challenges.
Two Satos Take First Class Freedom Flights
Thanks to being able to hitch a ride in-cabin, Roma was our first sato to take her Freedom Flight since March. From being abandoned on Dead Dog Beach as a tiny puppy to waiting months to take her Freedom Flight, Roma is finally where she belongs: home.
After three long months of no Freedom Flights, two lucky satos have finally flown off the island! Earlier this month, our longtime volunteer and supporter, Valerie, and her sister, Natalie, were both in Puerto Rico visiting family. On their return home to the mainland both sisters offered to take a sato back with them in-cabin. So we took a look at our long list of awaiting satos and matched them to two very lucky puppies who needed to go right where their itineraries were taking them. The families of both Roma and Tecto, Jr. could not believe their good luck!

First, was lucky Roma . She flew with Valerie last week.  After landing on the mainland, she arrived to her forever family's house at 2:30am, got a few hours of beauty rest in her brand new bed, and then awoke to a new dog sibling and three human siblings who were so excited to welcome her to the family. Roma was found abandoned as a tiny puppy. But now she has an entire family to shower her with love for the rest of her life.

Next, came Tecto, Jr. This lucky pup flew with Natalie just this week! Tecto Jr. was born in January after his mom was rescued from the streets just in time to give birth in safety. His new mom was right there at the airport, ready to welcome him to his new life with joy and open arms. He even as another sato big sister to help him adjust. His new family says they are completely in love already.

Congratulations to both of our new families and to our entire community on making both of these sato dreams come true this month. And thank you to Valerie and Natalie for chaperoning their journeys. It is our sincere hope that Roma and Tecto, Jr. are the first of many satos to be able to take their Freedom Flights this summer.
Tecto Jr. was our second sato to take his Freedom Flight since COVID-19 restrictions went into place. He is happily enjoying his new life this week! His mom, Ilia, couldn't wait to pick him up at the airport and take him home.
A Second Pet Food Pantry Distributes Another 6,000 lbs of Pet Food
Left: This morning our team distributed 6,000 lbs of dog and cat food to pet owners in Yabucoa. We arrived to a very long line of awaiting vehicles. Our first person waiting had arrived three hours before we opened!
Our first ever Pet Food Pantry last month was such a success (all 6,000 lbs of food was distributed within 15 minutes of opening!) that our team has been working hard to do it again. The very long line of our first pantry made it clear to us that there was still significant need. Many people in Puerto Rico are still not able to work because of COVID-19 stay-at-home orders. During this challenging time, we want to help our community feed their pets. 

We gathered our resources and just this morning, we distributed another 6,000 lbs of dog and cat food in Yabucoa. The line today was even longer than the line for our first pantry. The first people in line had arrived at 6am even though we did not open until 9am. Every pet owner and pet we met was very appreciative and we are so grateful that we are in a position to be able to step up and help our community in this way, right when it needs it.

We would like to say a special thank you to our volunteers, the Yabucoa municipal workers and police officers who helped us manage the line, and our partner GreaterGood.org for make this second pantry such a smooth success. Until this pandemic is over, it is our hope to continue our Pet Food Pantry every month.
Future of Spayathon is Threatened
Are you a citizen of Puerto Rico? If so, we need your help to insure Spayathon for Puerto Rico can continue! Last Thursday evening, we were blindsided by news that a court in Puerto Rico ruled the government does not have the authority to allow veterinarians not licensed in Puerto Rico to practice on the island. This ruling was in response to a lawsuit filed by three Puerto Rico veterinarians who have been against this groundbreaking initiative since the beginning and decided to challenge the government in the courts. 

Spayathon for Puerto Rico, spearheaded by The Humane Society of The United States, has been the shining beacon of hope not only for The Sato Project but also for millions of Puerto Ricans who desperately need help with their animals. The Spayathon Coalition has successfully spayed/neutered and vaccinated over 53,000 animals. And, until this lawsuit, we had planned to reach another 50,000 over the rest of this year and next. 

But there is hope! The government is in the process of appealing the decision. 
Senator Miguel Romero sponsored a bill, Senate Bill 1621, which would establish a new law with a process for granting temporary licenses to outside veterinarians, allowing them to practice. This law would save Spayathon. The bill quickly passed the senate and Governor Wanda Vázquez Garced has released a statement of support. But before it makes it to her desk to be signed into law, the bill has to pass the Puerto Rico House of Representatives. The bill is scheduled to be voted on TODAY in San Juan. But it is not too late to take action!

You can still contact your representative to express your support for Bill 1621. Please click on the button below for all PR Representative phone numbers, email 
addresses, a letter template and more to help you take action.
Thank you for helping us continue to make history for thousands of people and animals across Puerto Rico. This historic collaboration of over 28 organizations has been three years of extremely hard work and we will not let it end without a fight.
Epiphany's Howling Success
When she was first rescued from the streets, Epiphany was very timid and full of fear. But now she is living the life of her dreams and her family adores her master level cuddling skills.
Epiphany was named for the day she was rescued in January: Epiphany or Three King’s Day in Puerto Rico. It’s a holiday of miracles, and she was our very own miracle! You see, on New Year’s Day, we rescued four adorable puppies that we named after Harry Potter characters. We were told by witnesses that they had a mom, but we couldn't locate her. We didn’t give up hope and kept scouring the area just in case. Low and behold, a week later, we found this beauty wandering around with teats full of milk, searching desperately for her babies. 

Epiphany was very timid at first, a shrinking violet hiding out in the back of her kennel at the vet clinic. But once she finished her vetting protocol and moved to Daphne, aka “La Nani”’s home, she did a 180. She came out of her shell and we saw a side of her we never expected to see: a happy, playful, goofy girl who loved attention! 

Adopters Rachel and Todd had recently lost their dog after 17 years, and were looking for a new family member. Living in NYC, they needed a dog that would be well-suited to city life. We felt Epiphany was up for the challenge. A video of her playing with our team in PR sealed the deal: “ She was running between two caregivers and looked so joyful to be with them,” remembers Rachel, “Her tail was wagging like crazy. We just knew that she was our girl.” This lucky girl took her 'Freedom Flight' in March—the last flight out before Covid-19 travel restrictions stranded the rest of our dogs in PR—and her new mom and dad were waiting with open arms at the airport for her. 

Epiphany, now Coco, arrived in New York just as the city was shutting down due to Covid-19. Amid the chaos, Coco settled right in and, within days, it was as if she had been there all along. “She has the funniest way of nestling her head into you; she ends up sort of burrowed into your body,” says Rachel. “Coco's been such a blessing to our family and has given us such happiness and warmth during a really tough period. We love her and feel so very lucky to have found her.”
Epiphany took her Freedom Flight the day before many COVID-19 restrictions went into effect. She arrived just in time. Left: her mom was at the airport to greet her with open arms. Right: This photo was taken during the ride home, right after she gave her new sister her first kiss on the nose.
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.
"We fight so the dogs of Puerto Rico don't have to."