Dear Sato Supporter,
Every day I am grateful for the amount of support that we receive from our community. But the start of a new year makes me especially grateful.
Looking back at our End-of-Year campaign, I am moved by how much the community cares about the satos in Puerto Rico and all the work we do to help them. We not only reached our matching fundraising goal, but also reached our matching stretch goal.
My team and I are starting the year off with even more strength to continue fighting for all satos in Puerto Rico. We won’t stop fighting.
Thank you for being in our corner.
In gratitude,
Chrissy Beckles, President & Founder
|
|
Last Flight of 2022
days before the New Year
|
|
LEFT: Plane landing in Morristown, NJ filled with our satos RIGHT: Our sato puppy, Mark, getting introduced to his adopter.
|
|
Throughout 2022, we were able to rescue hundreds of satos from the streets and municipal shelters where their chance of survival is scarily low. We then fully vetted, transported, and adopted them out to loving, forever homes, and our rescue efforts did not stop the last week of the year. Our final Freedom Flight was days before the new year–a powerful way to end an annual chapter #satostrong. |
|
The transport in San Juan, PR where our team loaded a plane for our last Freedom Flight of the year. |
|
We have done many Freedom Flights so we have our process of loading the planes down to a science. Our aim is to maximize the number of dogs that we can safely fly on the plane. Like a well-oiled machine, our team works quickly with everyone knowing what to do. |
|
The reason that we are transporting these satos to the Northeast is that it is rare for dogs to get adopted locally on the island. There is limited space in the shelters with limited resources, and the population of dogs is too much for the low demand for adoptable dogs. Evacuating these animals year-round is extremely important and makes an impact on the lives of so many satos. Our rescue efforts would not have been possible without your support through donations.
Thank you for always being in our corner and allowing us to continue providing these lifesaving Freedom Flights.
|
|
Scotty with his adopter meeting at the airport in Morristown, NJ |
|
Adopting a sato not only helps give a dog that was abused or abandoned the life of their dreams, but it also makes the adopters feel good knowing that they are the happy ending of their satos' story.
All animals that fly on our Freedom Flights have been quarantined, vaccinated, and have health certificates from licensed veterinarians that certify them as healthy to fly. To help support our rescue efforts, please click here to donate, sign up to foster, or adopt a dog in need.
Another big way to help is to keep the conversation going about Puerto Rico and the situation that the Puerto Rican people and animals are facing. You can start by forwarding this newsletter to your friends and colleagues. We need every voice we can to speak up for Puerto Rico right and you can be a big help.
|
|
We have a few flights scheduled for February, which means we have lots of adorable satos looking for forever homes. For example, there is sweet Felix who has beautiful eyes and has excellent leash-walking skills. Want to adopt him? Click here.
|
|
Do you know someone who is interested in adopting? Forward this newsletter to them. If they find their soulmate in our program, they will always be grateful that you did.
|
|
Vaccine Clinic JANUARY 28TH |
|
We are having another FREE vaccine clinic in Ponce, Puerto Rico this Saturday, January 28th. Our goal is to vaccinate 500 dogs. We serviced over 500 dogs last November, and because the demand for affordable veterinary services was so high, we decided to have another clinic at the same location.
|
|
An attendee at our vaccine clinic in Ponce, Puerto Rico in November 2022 with his two rescued satos, Capitan and Apollo. |
|
Camion brought his two rescued dogs to our vaccine clinic last November in Ponce. He has a big heart. Even though he doesn’t have very much money, he has a house full of rescue animals.
He found Apollo, the smaller dog pictured on the right in the background, near his house. He was curled up under a car hiding from the heat of the sun. When Camion approached him, he was scared but eventually came out when he realized there was food and fresh water waiting for him. Apollo was very lucky to be brought into a house full of love and warmth.
The German shepherd, Capitan, was also rescued from the street. Camion can’t afford to take these adopted animals to the vet, but he knows that the life they have with him and his family is far better than living on the streets. Knowing this, he told us, is why it’s hard not to take them in. His love for animals doesn’t stop at dogs. His family also has four cats that he rescued from the streets. If it wasn’t for these free clinics, the satos wouldn’t receive vaccines that would protect them from communicable diseases. Camion shared his gratitude with a gracious, warm smile and was thankful for the opportunity to help his dogs. Waiting in line for almost seven hours is absolutely worth it for him to know he is protecting his dogs.
YOUR donations will help go towards providing vaccines for family-owned dogs, like Apollo and Capitan, who would not have access to affordable vaccines otherwise. Please consider making a donation to help families who need help protecting the pets they love.
|
|
Please help us spread this news far and wide so we can reach as many dogs as possible! On Saturday, January 28th, our team, along with the help of Dr. Brito of Candelero Animal Hospital, will vaccinate up to 500 dogs for FREE. There is no cost for any dog owner to participate in this clinic.
Each dog in attendance will be vaccinated for (and therefore protected against) distemper, leptospirosis, rabies, and parvovirus. All four of these deadly viruses continue to have outbreaks in Puerto Rico.
The only way to fight back is to vaccinate as many dogs as possible. Please go to thesatoproject.org/vaccineclinic for more information in Spanish and English about the event.
|
|
Can you believe that we are almost done with the first month of 2023? Speaking of, we have great images of sato smiles in our 2023 calendar. Have you checked it out yet? You can click here to get a preview of each month that our amazing volunteer, Meagan Shepherd, put together. It’s not too late to enjoy marking adoption anniversaries and vet appointments on your very own 2023 The Sato Project calendar.
All proceeds from the sale of this calendar support our continued rescue efforts. Each one of the satos featured in this calendar had their lives transformed thanks to the support of our #satostrong community. Thank you for helping us rescue more dogs from the streets of Puerto Rico in 2023 and fly them home to the loving families of their dreams.
|
|
by signing up for a monthly gift today.
|
|
Gracie (now Tater) and Kelly on the side of the road in Puerto Rico |
|
Gracie (now Tater) was found by the side of the road. She was spotted by our rescue team members, Samuel and Natalia, as they were doing daily beach patrol. Tater wasn't alone—she had her sibling, Kelly, and their mom Raya.
Only a few months old, Tater was trying to cross the road with her family in a busy area where cars were driving fast. Sadly, so many satos are hit by cars when looking for food and water. They are desperate on the streets and are often put in threatening situations just to survive.
Our team was trying to build trust with them—by offering food and giving them space to feel comfortable. Tater was scared as she didn't have many positive interactions with people. After patience for over an hour in the sun, our team was finally able to crate Tater and her family members and bring them all to our clinic for testing and vetting.
Once Tater arrived at our property, we saw her quick transformation unfold. She began to associate people with food, water, and walks. Once that trust was built, she learned that people can be a source of love and protection.
|
|
Tater meeting his foster, Mike, for the first time at the airport. Photo by Deb D'Anne |
|
After she was done with her vetting protocols, she boarded a plane for her Freedom Flight a few days after Christmas. She had no idea that her life was about to completely change and that 2023 was going to be the start of a whole new life for her.
Mike went to the airport in Morristown, NJ to pick up Tater. He volunteered to foster her while we waited for an application for her adoption. However, after fostering for a couple of weeks, it became clear that Tater was a perfect fit for Mike's home. She bonded well with Mike and absolutely loved his girlfriend. Tater even enjoyed playing in the backyard with his tenant's dog. It felt right. Tater was where she was meant to be.
|
|
What does Tater's future look like with her new forever family? She has lots of fun adventures ahead. She is going with Mike to Upstate NY for a week and his sister’s dog Marco (who also happens to be a sato) will join them. Mike is certain they are going to get along well. Why? Because Mike could tell right away that Tater is special. We couldn't agree more.
|
|
Were you forwarded this newsletter? Click here to join our list. |
|
|
|
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 6,500 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. |
|
"We fight so the dogs of Puerto Rico don't have to." |
|
|
|
|
|
|
