Dear Sato Supporter,

Like our lucky adopted satos in the photos above, we hope you and your family are having a good summer. The Sato Project team has been very busy and will soon have some exciting news to share with you. However, for now, please keep reading for news from this month as we look back on the biggest Freedom Flight ever in our history, honor the memory of a very special senior sato named Albert, and more.

In gratitude,

-- Chrissy Beckles, President & Founder
Albert's Senior Dog Fund
Our dear Albert will live on forever in our hearts and in the future senior dogs we will save in his memory. Would you like to help us honor Albert's legacy by rescuing more senior dogs like him? Click here to read about Albert's Senior Dog Fund, a new fund created to help us give more senior satos the second chance they deserve.
If you follow us on social media or read our newsletter last month, then you may remember Albert's story. Albert was a special senior dog we rescued in February from the municipal shelter in Ponce, Puerto Rico. He was severely thin, his body was covered in sores, and he was scheduled for euthanasia. But we knew there was a fighter in his small body and we promised to give him the second chance that all dogs, no matter what their age, deserve.

Albert was only in our care for 125 days before he passed away peacefully in his hospice foster home. However, within those 125 days, Albert changed us and deeply affected our hearts. As he kept fighting multiple health battles, he gave us hope and inspiration during a time our team in Puerto Rico desperately needed it. Albert reminded us to never give up and that it is never too late to fight for your dreams. Click here to read Albert's full story.

To honor Albert's legacy, we want to help more senior dogs like him fight for their dreams too. Whether for a few years, months, or only a few days, all dogs deserve to be cherished no matter how much time they have left. Senior dogs are often overlooked, but, if you've ever had one as a member of your family, then you know that they still have so much love to give. They just need someone to share it with.

Would you like to help us give more senior dogs like Albert the chance to find love in their golden years? Click here or on the button below to donate toward our new fund specifically created to support the rescue of future senior satos in need, just like Albert.
Mission Possible 11 One Year Later
Over July 4th weekend of last year, instead of fireworks, we were filling the sky with 280 dogs and cats flying to new lives of love and freedom on our mission dubbed ‘Mission Possible 11’. All photos except for top right photo by @NYCPetPhotographer.
This month officially marks one year since the biggest Freedom Flight ever in our 10 year history and our first transport since the COVID-19 pandemic began. 

The spring of 2020 changed all of our lives. As the world came grinding to a halt, so did all of our Freedom Flight operations. Suddenly, all of our dogs were trapped in Puerto Rico, with no way of getting off the island to their families. Quite a few of these satos were even critical care cases who had been matched to adopters as early as January 2020.

Like the rest of the world, we didn’t know what would happen. With the future so uncertain, would our families drop out and choose to adopt dogs elsewhere? What would happen to our rescue efforts? However, our amazing #satostrong community never swayed from helping us continue to fight for the dogs of Puerto Rico, and all of our families stayed committed to their sato family members. And finally, over July 4th weekend of 2020, with our partner Wings of Rescue, and supporters like you, we were able achieve our biggest Freedom Flight ever of 280 dogs and cats. 100 of these dogs even went straight into the arms of their forever families at the airport.

The Sato Project team will never forget how much our entire community rallied behind our satos and helped us continue saving lives even amidst a global pandemic that was affecting everyone.

So where are these 280 animals today? We decided to check in on some of them and see what their lives are like now one year since meeting their families. Click here for a recap of our biggest Freedom Flight ever and be sure to scroll to the bottom of the page to read about the lives of some of our Mission Possible 11 satos today.
 
Jax brought his parents much needed warmth and joy during the pandemic. Champ gained a baby brother and has embraced his new role as baby's best friend and guardian. Luke is helping all of the other pets in his household get along. And when Melo's brother Quentin struggled with online kindergarten, he was right by his side to comfort him. Click here to read more about our Mission Possible 11 satos and their first year with their families. All photos by @NYCPetPhotographer
Adoptable Satos Alert!
Clockwise from top left are adoptable satos Mistic, Zeke, Noha, Philip, Kiloa, and Winter. Each one of these satos are still looking for a forever family to make their dreams come true! 
Young, old, big, small, active, calm, spots, no spots - we currently have lots of dogs looking for their forever homes! Are you looking to expand your family? If so, we would be happy to help you find your perfect match. Click here to see all of our listed adoptable dogs.

If you see a face you like, you can learn more about our adoption process and submit an adoption application on our website. If you don’t see a face that feels like ‘the one’ yet, we also have even more dogs who haven’t been listed yet. Potential adopters are always welcome to submit a general application and our team will help match you to a sato who fits what you are looking for, based on size, age, temperament, and more. 

Each one of these dogs has their own unique story. Mistic was found on a pier in Yabucao, limping with a hurt leg. Philip was saved from euthanasia at a municipal shelter. Noha's former family moved away and left him tied up in their yard. Now they are all just waiting for the right family to help them complete their story and find the happy ending they deserve.

Click here to meet our adoptable dogs or feel free to forward this email to anyone you know who might be looking to adopt!

Johnny's Howling Success
with Sato Superhero Karen
Left: Our volunteer Karen offered to hold Johnny at the airport so we could take photos of him for his adoptable profile on Petfinder. Right: Turns out we didn't need need those photos after all. 48 hours later, Karen had Johnny back in her arms as his new mom!
Johnny was rescued as a tiny puppy from the streets of Yabucoa. After completing our veterinary protocols, he was able to hitch a ride on our June Freedom Flight. By the time he arrived, he had not been matched to a family yet, so we arranged for him to go into a foster home. As the other satos went off with their families one by one at the airport, Johnny stayed behind to wait for a ride to his foster home. But little did he, or we, know that he was actually meeting his new mom at the airport after all. 

When satos arrive on their Freedom Flights who are still adoptable, our team often tries to get good photos of them for their future profile on the pet adoption site, Petfinder. However, Johnny was just so excited to be in New Jersey that getting him to sit still for a good photo became extremely challenging. Taking photos of a happy, wiggly, puppy is generally no easy task, and he wasn't very helpful.

Our volunteer Karen kindly offered to sit with Johnny and help him pose for his glamour shots. The longer they sat there, however, the more they both seemed pretty pleased to be together. By the time the mini photo shoot was over, Karen wasn’t sure she wanted to let go. And bouncy, wiggly, Johnny seemed very happy to stay in her arms too.

Johnny went off to his foster family as planned and our Adoption Coordinator proceeded with her plan to post Johnny as adoptable. But then she got a very happy phone call. After Karen got home, she couldn’t stop thinking about him. She discussed it with her family and they all agreed: Johnny was meant to be in Karen’s arms for much longer than a photoshoot. They wanted him to join their family forever. 

After less than 48 hours in his foster home, Johnny got to be reunited with Karen and meet the rest of his new family. It is a very joyous day for them both and one month later, Karen and her family are falling even more in love with him with every day that passes. Congratulations, Johnny! 
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. We have rescued over 5,500 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 a Spay, Neuter, Vaccinate and Microchip Program.
"We fight so the dogs of Puerto Rico don't have to."