Thanks to YOU - our donors, supporters, and friends - 160 dogs and cats have officially flown from Puerto Rico to new lives on the mainland. In lieu of a traditional newsletter this month, we wanted to send a recap of our most significant August highlight that you made a reality: the success of Mission Possible 14! Please keep reading to see some of this life-changing magic for yourself. Each one of the happy sato smiles you see featured in this email, like smiling Kimmy above, are a direct result of your donations hard at work. Now Kimmy, who was found dumped on Dead Dead Beach, and 159 others, are sleeping safely and soundly in warm beds, surrounded by love. You made these dreams come true and we hope you will take a moment to celebrate this incredible achievement with us.

Photo of Kimmy by @NYCPetPhotographer/Stacey Axelrod

On Wednesday, August 25th, Airplane #1 took off from San Juan carrying a load of 35 dogs and cats. It made a short stop in Ft. Lauderdale, where it dropped off five cats to our friends at Humane Society of Broward County. The plane then continued its journey north, destined for Morristown, New Jersey. Upon arrival, the plane was greeted by a small team of volunteers who handed them off to awaiting shelter partners in New York who couldn’t wait to receive them. If you are in the New York area, this means there are now adoptable satos available at Animal Haven (NYC), Kent Animal Shelter (Long Island), and Paws Crossed Animal Rescue (Elmsford)! We are so grateful to each one of our shelter partners for welcoming our sato treasures with open arms and helping them find the homes they deserve. 

As soon as our first round of satos landed safely, our team in Puerto Rico immediately turned around and prepared to do it all over again in three days -- only even bigger! In the very early morning hours of August 28th, the second, much larger plane, was packed with 125 dogs and cats. This plane was also destined for Morristown; however, most of these dogs had something extra special in store. They were meeting their new forever families directly at the airport. As soon as the plane touched down, our team of volunteers in New York unloaded each sato one by one, and carefully passed them off to their next pair of loving arms.

Our amazing team in New York unloaded 125 dogs and cats from the airplane and then carefully and lovingly prepared each sato traveller for their next step: either to a new family who was already waiting for them outside or to a temporary foster home. All photos by @NYCPetPhotographer/Stacey Axelrod

Each one of the dogs on board these planes has a story of their own. Many, like Dali or Hannah (pictured below) were rescued directly from the streets or beaches of Puerto Rico. Others, like Dara and Helga (also shown below), were saved from euthanasia at an overcrowded municipal shelter. Many of them had extensive medical issues due to years of neglect, including mange, heartworm, erlichia, serious injuries from being hit by cars, and more. But no matter where they came from, now each one these special satos has the same next step in their story: a loving family to call their own and cherish forever. 

Left: Dali's parents came to meet him at the airport not only carrying a welcome sign, but his dad was also wearing a t-shirt that said, "I''m a Proud Pawpa." Dali was found abandoned on Dead Dog Beach, hungry and covered in mange. But now he is healthy, safe, and has two loving parents who can't wait to dote on his every need. Top right: Hannah gave birth to a litter of puppies while still living in the streets, but they all died because they were too weak to survive. Now Hannah is finally on her way to being loved and treated like a cherished puppy herself. Bottom right: Noha's first family moved away from their house and left poor Noha tied up in their back yard. Now he has a new family who promises he will never be left behind again. These are just three of the 160 dream-come-true stories that you helped make possible on Mission Possible 14.

We are so grateful to every person and partner who helped make this life-saving mission a success. We would like to say a big THANK YOU to everyone who donated toward this mission and helped cheer us on. We officially reached our fundraising goal and were able to unlock all of our matching funds just a few hours before the second plane left the ground in Puerto Rico.

This mission also would not have been possible without our amazing Freedom Flight partner Wings of Rescue and our generous match donors and sponsors Tito’s Handmade Vodka’s Vodka for Dog People program, The RTA Store, and a group of donors who wish to remain anonymous.

The Sato Project is constantly grateful for our incredible community of supporters who make our work possible. These 160 dreams that came true all happened thanks to you.

Top Row: Dara and Helga were both saved from euthanasia at the municipal shelter in Ponce, Puerto Rico, where the euthanasia rates have been as high as 99%. Last Saturday, both satos were passed into the arms of families who couldn't wait to hold them close and surround them with love. Bottom Row: Gal and Andrew are two siblings who were rescued with their mom when they were only a few days old. She had just given birth and was trying to raise her family while living in a muddy hole. Now both pups will get to grow up with loving parents and a home to call their own.

All photos by @NYCPetPhotographer/Stacey Axelrod

Left:  On its journey to Puerto Rico from Florida, the second plane of our Freedom Flight stopped over in Haiti to deliver a load of humanitarian supplies before continuing on to Puerto Rico. Photo courtesy of Georgina Bloomberg. Right: this leg of our second airplane's trip also included a special reunion from our 'No Dog Left Behind' program (keep reading below) in Puerto Rico.

On August 14, nearby Haiti was rocked by a deadly 7.2 earthquake. As you might have seen in the news, the effects have been severely devastating. Since Hurricane Maria, it has become a regular part of our practice, with our partner Wings of Rescue, to fly disaster relief supplies down to Puerto Rico every time time we have a large Freedom Flight. This time, thanks to a partnership between Wings of Rescue, Georgina Bloomberg, and Project Medishare in Haiti, we were able to coordinate supplies going to Haiti instead. When our plane took off from Florida, it made a brief stopover in Haiti to drop off 4,000 lbs of medical and other humanitarian aid. We are honored that we could play a small part in lending a hand to their relief efforts.

Our 'No Dog Left Behind' program also had an unusual element on this mission. This program was started after Hurricane Maria to help families in crisis who were leaving the island after a natural disaster stay with their beloved pets. Since its start in 2017, we have reunited over 200 dogs with their families on the mainland.

For the first time in our history, our 'No Dog Left Behind' program flew two dogs to Puerto Rico. Nübé (white) and Busa (black) were living with their mom in Arkansas, when suddenly, combined with fleeing an unsafe living situation and a city No Pit Bull ordinance, they all found themselves homeless with nowhere to go. Their mum stayed by their side and risked her own safety to keep them safe.

Nübé and Busa are two senior pit bulls who were living with their parents in Conway, Arkansas. However, their parents' relationship fell apart and their mum, Blanca, found herself in an emergency situation where she needed to get out of the house for her own safety. After she left, she was concerned about their two dogs being left behind and facing possible abuse. So, she went back for them and took them with her. However, from there, their stressful journey only continued.

Due to a No Pit Bull Ordinance in the city, Blanca couldn’t find any apartment to rent that would allow her pit bulls to stay with her. She reached out to women’s shelters, but none of them would accept her with her dogs either. She reached out to pit bull rescue groups, but all of their foster homes were already full. She knew that if she took them to a shelter, two senior pit bulls would face nearly certain euthanasia -- which was not an option. With nowhere to turn, she became homeless, all because she refused to abandon her beloved dogs. Then a solution was discovered: she could possibly move back to Puerto Rico, where she still had a support network of friends and family. But in order to do so, she would need to find a way to transport her dogs. She’d already been following The Sato Project’s rescue efforts on social media for over a year. Suddenly, she realized that maybe we could help. Blanca then reached out to us, and we are so glad she did. 

From there, all the pieces gradually came together. Blanca was able to arrange for Nübé and Busa to travel to Florida with a trusted pet transport company, where they met up with Ric, the founder of Wings of Rescue. Then the two dogs hitched a ride and landed safely in San Juan last Friday.

Blanca, who flew down one day prior, was right there to meet them and couldn't wait to take them to their new home. Now all three of them have a new house all to themselves, where they can live together safely, surrounded by friends and family.

As you know, The Sato Project usually flies dogs out of Puerto Rico, not back to Puerto Rico. However, our 'No Dog Left Behind' program was created to keep families together, no matter where those families live. And in this case, it just happens to be right here in Puerto Rico. We are so glad that we were able to help Blanca, Nübé, and Busa all find their way to safety.