Celebrating 10 Years of The Sato Project

LETTER FROM OUR FOUNDER
This has been quite a journey. Not one I ever expected, but uncertainty usually makes for the greatest
adventures. It is over fifteen years since I first visited Puerto Rico. She has now become home. The small
but mighty team that I work side by side with daily are my family. We continue to fight for the dogs of
Puerto Rico every single day. Literally not figuratively. I have stepped into the ring to fight for them and our
team has fought against overwhelming odds: hurricanes, earthquakes, and a worldwide pandemic.
Training is always the hardest part of a fight. When done correctly the fight should be the easy part.
Muhammad Ali said it best: ‘Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion’. The Sato
Project trains every day. 365 days a year for ten years now. The inspiration and the champions in this
journey are the incredible stray and abandoned dogs of Puerto Rico: the satos, the extraordinary street
dogs who have the innate will to survive. They keep moving forward often against insurmountable odds. I
say the same thing to every single sato that we rescue: “Today is the day your life is going to change. Don’t
quit. Please trust me now. And I promise you the greatest life. Whether that life is hours, weeks or years.”
In this work I have witnessed the worst of man and the best of him. There are dogs that still haunt me
– especially those that I met when I first walked onto Dead Dog Beach all those years ago. There were
hundreds of dogs running in packs. It was overwhelming. Standing in front of a sea of imploring faces and
only having the resources to take one. Knowing that the ones I could not rescue would face certain death.
When we adopted our first sato, our darling Boom Boom, I had a face that held me accountable every day. I
had to do more. She was the fuel I needed then and continues to be to this day. I wanted to be able to look
at Boom Boom and know I was doing everything I could to aid the hundreds of thousands of her Puerto
Rican cousins that desperately awaited help. And so, The Sato Project began. With a vision and a promise.
We would vet every dog to the highest possible standards, before they left the island. My biggest fear then
and still now is putting a sick dog on a plane. I consulted with one of the world’s greatest canine infectious
disease specialists, Dr. Cynda Crawford, to write our vetting protocols and we still work together all these
years later.
This organization is my life’s proudest achievement. It is Boom Boom’s legacy, and her memory is honored
with every sato that we save.
None of this would have been possible without you – our supporters, colleagues, friends and family. I am
so incredibly grateful to have all of you in our corner. The next chapter of The Sato Project is already being
planned. I cannot wait to share it with you all and I am unbelievably excited as to what the next ten years
will bring.
Never underestimate the will of a scrappy southpaw from England. I dream big.
Thank you for making my dream, Boom Boom’s dream, and 6,000 other satos’ dreams a reality.
In gratitude,
Chrissy Beckles
Founder and President
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