Celebrating 10 Years of The Sato Project

Photo by The Dogist
In the beginning of The Sato Project, Chrissy Beckles
started rescuing one dog at a time as finances would
allow. First, it was one dog a month. Then, it became one
dog a week. Gradually, it became one dog a day. During
the last three years, The Sato Project team has averaged
rescuing over 1,000 dogs a year. The expansion of these
efforts is a direct result of the thousands of donors and
supporters who have joined our mission to stand up for
the abandoned dogs who need us.
Even though Dead Dog Beach is mostly clear of stray dogs,
our rescue efforts are still concentrated in Yabucoa. Our email
inboxes and social media messages are constantly flooded
with people asking for help with stray dogs all over the island.
We help with as many of these requests as we can; however,
we remain dedicated to the community in which we started.
There are still thousands more satos waiting to be rescued
in Yabucoa. Our team knows where packs of stray dogs still
live and we have a waitlist of satos waiting to be rescued as
soon as we have the space in our program.
We rescue satos of all shapes, sizes, ages, and
conditions and all of our dogs complete a very strict
and thorough vetting process.
Very young, pregnant, injured or sick dogs are given
priority. Some dogs are already friendly and easy to rescue.
Others can take months or years to build up enough trust
for them to gradually allow us to rescue them.
RESCUE & REHABILITATION
10 YEARS OF SAVING LIVES AND FIGHTING BACK
No matter what their age or condition, every dog we rescue
goes through the same identical process: our strict vetting
protocols. Rescuing means so much more than just pulling
dogs off of the street and putting them into a home. We are
dedicated to each and every one of our dogs and want to
give them the greatest chance at life. This means setting
them up for success, both physically and emotionally.
Many of the dogs we rescue have been abused, abandoned,
and/or have been trying to survive on their own in the
streets for many years. Many suffer from serious diseases,
sicknesses, or injuries. As soon as a dog is taken into our
care, they are tested for any infectious diseases, complete a
30-day quarantine and a minimum six week vetting protocol.
They are vaccinated, spayed/neutered, microchipped, and
treated individually for any additional health concerns. The
average stay for a ‘healthy’ dog is between eight to ten
weeks. For those suffering from diseases or injuries, that
stay can be much longer.
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