Throughout the month, we have also been battling with an increase in abandoned dogs showing up on Dead Dog Beach. My team and I can sometimes feel overwhelmed by how many dogs there are who need our help. It breaks our hearts that we cannot help everyone. However, celebrating our successes like Willy Wonka and little Ben, mentioned below, help remind us that there is hope. One sato at a time, we are making dreams come true and making an impact.

The day was long and the sun was hot; but by the end, 450 dogs were vaccinated! On Saturday, May 7th our team held a completely free, drive-up vaccine clinic for dogs in Yabucoa. This clinic was particularly special for our team because it took place right on Dead Dog Beach - the headquarters of our rescue efforts. And our community definitely showed up for us. When our team arrived to start setting up, there was a long line of cars already waiting. The first dog owner in line had been waiting there since 5am even though we didn’t open until 9am. Yabucoa is the poorest municipality of Puerto Rico and doesn’t have a single vet. Thanks to our partnership with Dr. Brito of Candelero Animal Hospital, we were able to bring a vet into Yabucoa for a single day and serve 450 dogs in the process. 

Our next vaccine clinic has already been scheduled! Are you in Puerto Rico and would like to get your dog protected against deadly diseases like parvovirus, distemper, rabies, and leptospirosis? Your next chance is Saturday, June 11 in San Lorenzo. Click here for all information on attending.

Both of our May and June clinics would not be possible without the generous grant support of Banfield Foundation. 

We are so grateful for all of our incredible volunteers who were on the ground with us and kept our clinic running smoothly. After the date for this vaccine clinic was changed due to weather, many of our original volunteers could no longer attend, so our small team was exceptionally tiny. However, this mighty team got it done. We are always looking for more volunteers to join our team on the ground in Puerto Rico! Do you live on the island and want to help us make a difference for the dogs of Puerto Rico? Email us at volunteer@thesatoproject.org.

Sadly, we are continuing to see more dogs getting dumped on the beach in Yabucoa and still getting inundated with requests for help all over the island. This week we found two box of puppies dumped on the beach in the same day. Our team is doing our best to stay focused and remain #satostrong. Thank you so much to everyone who has donated toward our newest rescues and sent us supportive messages in response to our email last week. Your support truly means the world to us and we could not do this work without you. 

The stray dog crisis in Puerto Rico is far, wide, and complicated. It is a result of many years of infrequent spaying/neutering, lack of access to affordable veterinary care, and multiple natural disasters (hurricanes and earthquakes) that have destroyed thousands of lives, both human and animal. Puerto Rico is also dealing with so many other problems, that there is a lack of political will and funding in helping the island's animals. As a result, the island's only five municipal shelters are horrifically overburdened and have a combined euthanasia rate of 94-96%. Our team is doing everything we can to combat this heartbreaking increase of dogs being abandoned. We organized a second vaccine clinic to take place in a few weeks, recently made our spay/neuter voucher program completely no-cost, and are actively engaging with our community.

The good news is that most of our recent rescues are doing very well now that they have access to vetting care and love. Willy, who was featured in our prior email, has especially been thriving under our care. When we first encountered Willy, now ‘Willy Wonka', on the beach he was shaking with fear and too scared to let us get close. Less than two weeks later, he now runs toward us with a wagging tail and even asks for belly rubs. Click here to see Willy Wonka’s quick emotional transformation for yourself in our recent Instagram post. 

The Sato Project's Vice President, Tracy Warren, was recently featured on the podcast 'Hound Opinions' and shared her story of getting involved with our rescue efforts. Listen here.

Want an inside look at our rescue efforts through the eyes of one of our passionate board members? Tracy Warren, Vice President of our Board of Directors, was recently featured on ‘Hound Opinions’ - a podcast hosted by Bill Mayeroff. Click here to listen to their insightful conversation and hear Tracy share her personal story and experience with our work - from first discovering satos in Puerto Rico, rescuing her own sato from a municipal shelter, to eventually becoming a vital leader in our organization.

If you are part of our New York community, please save the date! On Wednesday, June 22nd, The Sato Project will be taking part in a ‘Bark in the Park’ event at a Brooklyn Cyclones baseball game. All dogs, kids, and families are welcome to come enjoy a fun evening of baseball and dogs. Members of our team will be there to talk about our rescue efforts and a percentage of every ‘Bark in the Park’ ticket purchase will be donated to our rescue efforts. 

Left: After volunteers found Ben inside of a feed bag on the side of the road, they rushed him home and immediately gave him a bath. Right: Ben has the best seat on the plane during his Freedom Flight - his new dad's lap.

Ben’s parents were so excited about adding him to their family that they didn’t want to wait a moment longer than necessary to bring him home. As soon as Ben finished his vetting protocols and was cleared to fly, Ben’s dad flew down to Puerto Rico himself to personally pick him up and fly him home in-cabin. In the process, he even got to meet Mayra and José directly and thank them for everything they did to save his life.