The Sato Project 2022 Program Report

2022
A NEW CHAPTER OF DOG RESCUE
2022 marks five years since Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto
Rico and left behind an ongoing humanitarian and animal
welfare crisis.
Every year that followed this deadly storm has been defined
by at least one additional crisis: earthquakes, political turmoil,
the Covid-19 pandemic, drought, and more. Almost five years
to the day of Hurricane Maria, Puerto Rico was hit with another
catastrophic storm: Hurricane Fiona. This storm catapulted us
into disaster recovery and response mode once again.
However, for The Sato Project, 2022 will also be remembered
as the year we launched ourselves into a new transformative
chapter of our own making: the year we opened ‘Sanctuary by
The Sato Project’. This achievement was accomplished while
still battling all of Puerto Rico’s overlaying crises, maintaining our
rescue and rehabilitation efforts, spay/neuter and vaccination
outreach programs, and accomplishing the biggest Freedom
Flight ever in our 11 year history.
There are still so many lives to save and much work to do, but
thank you for helping us make 2022 a year to remember forever.
1

BY THE NUMBERS
2022
The Sato Project’s first nine months of 2022 in numbers:
800+
DOGS & CATS FLOWN TO NEW LIVES
1200+
DOGS & CATS VACCINATED
400+
DOGS & CATS SPAYED/NEUTERED
25K+ lbs
OF RELIEF SUPPLIES DISTRIBUTED
SANCTUARY BY THE SATO PROJECT
SAFETY. REFUGE. NEW BEGINNINGS.
When The Sato Project was founded in 2011, our Founder, Chrissy
Beckles, began by rescuing one dog at a time. As each dog came in
off the beach or from the streets, they stayed in a small network of
foster homes. In order to escalate our efforts and save more dogs,
we needed more safe spaces for them to stay while they completed
our vetting protocols. Eventually we established partnerships with
two local veterinary clinics, where more dogs could be treated and
live comfortably until they could take their Freedom Flight to a new
life. For the past 11 years, this has been our model: most of our dogs
stay at the veterinary clinic, with only some lucky satos moved to
foster homes when available. We have saved over 6,000 dogs
through this model; however, this situation was never ideal.
We always dreamed of something else: a
place for our dogs to run and play in the
grass, a place for them to remember what
joy feels like and to trust humans again
through the constant care of our incredible
team. A place to call our own.
Then in 2021, one of our partner veterinary clinics experienced
an outbreak of deadly distemper. Our team lost a lot of dogs to
this outbreak. We were left heartbroken by the lives we lost and
heartbroken that we had no control over the circumstances that
allowed the outbreak to occur. As deadly diseases like distemper,
leptospirosis, and rabies continue to spread across Puerto Rico,
how could we prevent such a crisis from ever happening again? We
needed to establish a place that we could control. The realization
of our dream of owning our own home needed to be expedited.
After months of searching for the right property and very hard work
by our small, but mighty team, we were very proud to announce the
opening of ‘Sanctuary by The Sato Project’ in July of 2022.
This property is not a permanent space. It is a place of safety,
refuge, and new beginnings. It serves as a safe place for our dogs
to stay while they complete their vetting protocols, decompress,
and adjust to life off the streets before they fly to a new home.
For The Sato Project as an organization, this property is also
not permanent. We have even bigger dreams for a much larger,
custom-built, first-of-its-kind space in the future. However, for now,
‘Sanctuary by The Sato Project’ is still a dream come true for us. It
is a huge milestone and major stepping stone to establishing that
bigger goal in the future.
“...The love and compassion that [TSP] show[s] is not possible to describe.
I continue to tell everyone about them whenever I can...” -Melanie L., Adopter and Donor
2

Our new home in Puerto Rico is just under
five acres, can comfortably accommodate
up to 60 dogs at a time, and has:
Large runs for dogs to safely run and play
A maternity suite, where new mums can care for their babies in peace
A dedicated isolation area, where new rescues can be quarantined
and kept safely away from others, but still be comfortable themselves
Dog pools, ball pits, tunnels, and more for lots of joyful playtime
24/7 care and love from our team
‘Sanctuary by The Sato Project’ is completely transformative to our
rescue operations and for the dogs themselves in our program. It
means, instead of spending most of their time in a clinic, they get
to be in a much happier environment, with space to play, and a
place to be reminded, no matter how much abuse they have gone
through, that life can be good again.
It also means a lot more time with members of our team. More
time for us to get to know each sato individually - their personality,
characteristics, and specific needs - is invaluable. It helps us better
match them to a perfect forever family and set them up for success
for the rest of their lives. Our first ‘class’ of dogs to stay at our
property took their Freedom Flight on August 27th. As soon as
these dogs stepped out of their crates in New York, our team could
notice the difference. Most of our dogs were less frightened, more
confident, and even more ready to embrace the new life that was
before them.
It has only been open for a few months, but ‘Sanctuary by The Sato
Project’ has already made a life-changing difference to the dogs
who have stayed here. Additionally, the stability of The Sato Project
finally having its own property in Puerto Rico positively affects
nearly every aspect of our work. Ultimately, our new home will help
us save more lives and make an even bigger impact for all the dogs
of Puerto Rico.
3

Transformation Story: Betty
Little Betty was spotted in the streets extremely frightened and hungry.
Her mange was so advanced that her skin was peeling off in chunks and
her body and ears were infested with ticks. Betty was rescued on January
18th, the day after what would have been actress Betty White’s 100th
Birthday. In honor of Betty White’s lifelong advocacy for animals, the
#BettyWhiteChallenge took over social media, which encouraged people to
donate to their favorite animal shelters or rescue organizations. The Sato
Project was honored to receive many donations from this challenge and
named Betty in honor of this generous support - which more than covered
all of her veterinary care and transportation fees. Betty’s mum saw us post
about her on social media and submitted an adoption application that same
day. Betty made a full recovery and flew to her new family in March.
Transformation Story: Alanza
This poor sato was rescued from the streets in such dreadful condition, we
were unsure if she would survive. She was emaciated, had painful mange,
and was dangerously anemic. We named her Alanza, which means ‘ready
for battle’, because we knew she had a long fight ahead of her, in order to
survive. Our community rallied behind her and after lots of love and care
from our team in Puerto Rico, Alanza made a miraculous recovery. She took
her Freedom Flight over the summer to her new family and very quickly
settled into her new life as a princess. She now has multiple dog beds and
her own closet of dog dresses. After experiencing a lot of stress over the
last two years, Alanza’s mom, Mimi, had been thinking about adopting a dog.
When she found out about Alanza’s story, she fell in love. Mimi says: “I felt
like she was being saved, and I needed saving as well. I felt alone, and every
time I looked at her picture and her videos I was like ‘I need her and she
needs me.’ I have been through a lot these past two years and so has she.
So she was the one for me. Her story, her cuteness, and her courage to pull
through all that she had been through made her special to me. That’s why
I also kept the name you guys gave her. I know what her name stands for,
and well, that’s my little fighter.” We are so happy that we could bring Mimi
and Alanza together.
4

RETURNING TO DISASTER AND RECOVERY MODE
FIVE YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF HURRICANE MARIA
BRINGS ANOTHER CATASTROPHIC STORM
On September 20th, 2017 the eye of Hurricane Maria made landfall
right over ‘Dead Dog Beach’, the home of our rescue efforts. The
entire island of three million people was left without power in what
became the longest blackout in U.S. history. Overnight, hundreds
of thousands of people lost their homes and everything they
owned. Thousands more were left without access to basic
necessities like safe drinking water and medical care. Over 3,000
people lost their lives.
Five years later, the humanitarian and animal welfare crisis that
Hurricane Maria left behind has only gotten worse. Thousands
of homes are still yet to be rebuilt. In the immediate aftermath of
the storm, FEMA distributed blue tarps as a temporary solution for
damaged or missing roofs. 80 percent of these roofs are still yet to
be durably repaired. Blue tarps, or remains of them poking out from
slabs of old sheet metal or other makeshift material being used for
temporary fixes, can still be spotted on homes all across the island.
Medical care remains difficult for many to access. Schools,
roads, and public facilities remain in states of deterioration. The
island’s electric grid is yet to be repaired and remains in complete
disarray, with constant outages and blackouts that are also only
getting worse. Over the summer of 2022, our team experienced
a power outage nearly every day and sometimes several times
within 24 hours.
what another major storm could do to Puerto Rico, even a Category 1. Now
we know for sure: even more devastating damage.
The entire population again lost power before the storm even reached
the island. Wind speeds reached as high as 103 mph and the sheer size
of the storm left us with heavy rain and thunderstorms for several days.
Some areas of the island received more rain in 24 hours than they would
normally receive in a year. Infrastructure was even further decimated.
Bridges and roads were either completely under water, covered in debris or
literally washed away. Severe flooding and mudslides destroyed hundreds
of homes. The full toll of Fiona’s damage to the island is still being assessed.
However, by two weeks after the storm over 800,000 residents had applied
for FEMA emergency assistance. As of the printing of this report in mid-
October, several members of our team are still without power and water.
All of this catastrophic destruction from a
Category 1 storm leaves us wondering: what
would happen if we ever faced another Category
5 storm like Hurricane Maria?
The lack of repair across Puerto Rico’s infrastructure leaves the
entire island and the people who live here dangerously vulnerable.
Then on September 18th of this year, almost 5 years to the day
of Hurricane Maria, our worst fears came true. Hurricane Fiona
roared over the island as a Category 1 hurricane. We always worried
5

“The staff is beyond amazing and the time, care and effort they put into saving
the animals and making sure they are taken care of from time of rescue to
adoption day is incredible...” -Sara B., Adopter and Donor
During Hurricane Fiona, our team stayed at ‘Sanctuary by The Sato
Project’, huddled together with all of the dogs currently in our care,
and braced for the worst. We lost power and water, just like the rest
of the island, but fortunately all remained safe and our property only
sustained minor damage. Other areas of the island, including many
of our shelter and rescue partners were not as lucky. Several shelters
on the southwestern side of the island faced catastrophic damage.
Our team immediately sprang to action and started mobilizing. We
reached out to our partner, Wings of Rescue, and coordinated
five airplanes within three weeks of the storm. All planes flew
down to Puerto Rico loaded with emergency relief supplies and
then left with dogs and cats that were evacuated from hurricane
damaged shelters. All of these animals flew to shelter partners on
the mainland, where they were taken in with open arms and offered
the chance of a lifetime to find a loving family.
Helping these shelters free up their kennels and cages not
only helps relieve them while they repair and rebuild from their
flood damage; but it leaves them better equipped to help their
communities with more animals as the crisis continues.
When Hurricane Ian struck Florida at the end of September, our
relief efforts were further complicated by ongoing dangerous
weather conditions and even more animals needing assistance
and placement in alternative shelters in the north. However, our
team continued working night and day to find new trusted shelter
partners, coordinate foster homes, and pool all of our resources to
continue evacuating as many animals as possible.
The Sato Project team is so grateful to our community for helping us
step up and evacuate animals after Hurricane Fiona’s catastrophic
damage. These efforts would not have been possible without all
of the donations we received after the storm or all of the mainland
shelter partners and volunteers who stepped up to help.
We are still battling Hurricane Fiona’s aftermath; however, our
mighty team remains strong and focused on our mission to
continue saving as many lives as we can.
There are still over 500,000 abused and abandoned dogs roaming
the island who need our help.
In the first three weeks of Hurricane Fiona, The Sato Project:
• Completed five emergency evacuation flights
• Evacuated 340 animals from hurricane damaged shelters and
flew them to safety
• Distributed thousands of pounds animal emergency relief
supplies to shelters and animals in need, including:
• 10,000 lbs. of pet food
• $30K worth of veterinary supplies, including preventatives,
4DX tests, FIV leukemia tests, IV fluids, and formula
• 400 pet travel crates
As of October 10th, when our fifth evacuation flight landed safely in
Kansas City our team has evacuated over 340 dogs and cats from
hurricane-damaged shelters in Puerto Rico and flew them to trusted
mainland shelters - including, for the very first time, to new partners
in Illinois, Missouri, and Michigan. Along the way, we even helped
evacuate 38 dogs from Florida, who were affected by Hurricane Ian.
6

Transformation Story: Minnie
When we first met Minnie, she was looking out at us from her kennel at
the municipal shelter in Ponce, Puerto Rico. The island’s only five municipal
shelters maintain a 94-96% euthanasia rate. Sadly, most dogs who enter
these shelters do not come out. Our team does everything we can to pull
dogs from shelters with high euthanasia rates whenever we have space
in our program. Minnie was rescued in July and took her Freedom Flight on
Mission Possible 15 at the end of August. Her new family was right there
at the airport to pick her up as soon as she landed. Minnie (now Roxie) lives
in Pennsylvania with her family who says, “We’re in love with Roxie (aka
Minnie). She is an absolute sweetheart and an amazing addition to our
family. She goes to work with us and chills with the kids. She’s the best and
we’re so thankful to have her.”
No Dog Left Behind: Milo
Seven years ago, when Rosangely was a college student in Puerto Rico, she
saw a stray puppy roaming around campus. She took him home to figure out
what to do next, quickly fell in love, and decided to adopt him herself. Over
this summer, Rosangely got offered a job opportunity on the mainland. She
wanted to take the job, but refused to accept the idea of leaving Milo behind.
She reached out to our team and, thankfully, we were able to fly Milo to New
York through our No Dog Left Behind initiative - our program founded after
Hurricane Maria to help keep dogs (and cats) together with their families
who have to leave Puerto Rico. Since this program has started, we have
reunited over 230 animals with their families.
When Milo arrived on his Freedom Flight, he was understandably very
confused about what was happening. However, he sweetly trusted us as we
walked him outside. As soon as he saw his mum waiting in the parking lot,
it all became clear. His world was right again. He was back with his mum
where he belonged.
7

MAKING THE IMPOSSIBLE POSSIBLE
FLYING 315 ANIMALS TO NEW LIVES IN A SINGLE DAY
ON OUR BIGGEST FREEDOM FLIGHT EVER
On February 12th, 2022, our team completed our first major
transport of the year. 120 animals were flown to new lives just in
time for Valentine’s Day. Six weeks later, we completed another
transport of 40 dogs. During the rest of the spring, while our team
focused on getting ‘Sanctuary by The Sato Project’ ready to open,
we flew as many dogs as we could on in-cabin commercial flights,
thanks to volunteers traveling from Puerto Rico to New York.
Meanwhile, we started scheming a bigger plan with our partner,
Wings of Rescue.
In early June, when we were faced with predictions for yet another
volatile hurricane season, we knew what we had to do: save as
many lives as we could before another deadly storm. On August
27th, 315 dogs and cats spread across two airplanes took off from
San Juan, Puerto Rico and arrived to new lives on the mainland.
This massive undertaking was a collaboration of more than 20
animal welfare organizations who all came together, coordinated
by our incredible team, to save these animals’ lives and help them
find the loving families they deserve. The two airplanes took
animals to Florida, New York, and Maine. Upon arrival, each dog or
cat was welcomed by a trusted shelter partner, a foster family, or,
their new adoptive family. This Freedom Flight - dubbed Mission
Possible 15 - is now the biggest transport ever in our history.
Photo by @adoptabledogsofnyc
Thanks to BarkBox, the airplanes also flew into Puerto Rico
carrying 9,000 lbs of donated pet food. Within 30 minutes
of the planes arriving, this food was distributed to trusted
shelters and independent rescuers so it could immediately
reach dogs in-need across the island.
8
Photo by Animal Refuge League of Greater Portland

Transformation Story: Tommy
Tommy was found abandoned on Dead Dog Beach in February. He was very
scared and hesitant to get too close to our team. It took us several days of
patiently earning his trust with food before we were finally able to rescue
him. However, this poor sato was still very scared and shy after coming into
our care. It took nearly six months of rehabilitation before we finally decided
that Tommy was ready to fly and find the family he deserved. Tommy was
one of the very first dogs to live at ‘Sanctuary by The Sato Project.’ Thanks
to all that time with our team in Puerto Rico, he took his Freedom Flight in
August. Tommy walked out of the airport, surrounded by strangers, with
such confidence that our entire New York team, who knew his story, beamed
with pride. Tommy now lives in Maryland with two parents who adore him.
Transformation Story: Mighty Oscar
It is hard to believe that this tiny sato was found dumped in a trash can as
if he were garbage. Fortunately, a kind stranger heard him crying, took him
out and contacted one of our volunteers. At only 1.25 lbs, he was anemic,
starving, and full of parasites - which could all be a death sentence for a tiny
puppy if left untreated. We named him Mighty Oscar. After being bottle fed
every few hours at the beginning and growing up in a loving foster home in
Puerto Rico, Mighty Oscar flew to his new family in the states in May. Now
he will forever be cherished like the treasure that he is.
9

PREVENTION AND COMMUNITY OUTREACH
SPAY/NEUTER AND VACCINATION
Taking proactive measures to stop the growth of Puerto Rico’s
stray animal crisis has never been more important. As the island
continues to face more natural disasters and socio-economic
conditions fail to improve, affordable veterinary care for many
families is simply out of reach. 57% of families with children and
over 40% of the entire population live in poverty. The median
household income in Puerto Rico is $21,000. Many people in
Puerto Rico love their pets very much and want to do what is best
for them, but they can’t afford to take them to the vet.
Puerto Rico’s stray animal crisis cannot be
solved without access to veterinary care:
for both spay/neuter surgeries to prevent
more animals from being born in unwanted
conditions and vital vaccinations to prevent
the spread of diseases.
Last year, The Sato Project was proud to make our Spay/Neuter
and Vaccination (SNV) Community Voucher program completely
free. Through this initiative, any member of our community can
get their dog or cat spayed/neutered and vaccinated for no cost
at our partner veterinary clinic. This program currently serves
up to 50 animals a month. We are actively looking for more
veterinary partners so we can expand these efforts and reach
even more animals.
Deadly diseases such as leptospirosis (which is transmittable
to humans), ehrlichia, heartworm, distemper, and rabies are all
still spreading in Puerto Rico. After Hurricane Fiona dumped so
much rain on the island, much of the water was left standing. This
standing, contaminated water is literally a breeding ground for
more mosquitos and, therefore, more disease. Vaccine outreach is
essential for both animals and humans across the island. Before
Hurricane Fiona, in partnership with The Banfield Foundation, our
team had already completed two free pop-up community vaccine
clinics for dogs in the Spring of 2022 - one in San Lorenzo and
another in Yabucoa, right on Dead Dead Beach. At both clinics,
demand for these services was so high that dog owners started
lining up several hours before we even opened. The two clinics
together vaccinated 865 dogs for distemper, rabies, leptospirosis,
and parvovirus. After Hurricane Fiona, we immediately planned
another clinic in San Lorenzo for October 15th.
10

Vaccine Clinic Story: Barbara and Lion
Lion came to one of our vaccine clinics with his mom, Barbara. Barbara’s
aunt found Lion dumped in a trashcan all by himself. She couldn’t keep him,
so she asked Barbara to take him in - who is no stranger to helping animals
in need. Barbara lives in a quiet area of Naguabo, Puerto Rico, where, sadly,
many unwanted dogs and cats are abandoned. She does everything she
can to help as many of them as possible, but resources are limited. Before
the pandemic, Barbara attended our free Spayathon clinics three separate
times to get her nine other rescue animals spayed/neutered and vaccinated.
When Barbara found out about our free community vaccine clinic scheduled
for Naguabo, she jumped at the chance to get Lion vaccinated. She was
thrilled to see our team out in the community again after the pandemic
forced Spayathon to shut down. Barbara says that community outreach
events like ours are a ‘miracle’ for people like her who want to help as many
animals as they can but can only afford veterinary care for so many.
Vaccine Clinic Story: Kaliany & Nana
Kaliany and her partner were driving home one night when suddenly they
saw something white in the middle of the road. They almost hit it with their
car, but were thankfully able to swerve just in time to miss it. Thinking it
could be a dog, they decided to turn around to investigate. Sure enough, it
was little Nana. She was still on the road, seemed very frightened, and was
badly in need of care. They tried to catch her, but she was too scared and ran
away from them. They did not give up. Kaliany happened to have some dog
food in the car that she had bought for her own dog. It was not easy, but one
bite at a time, they were able to coax Nana out of the road and safely into
their car. Now Nana is very attached to Kaliany and has made herself right
at home with her new family, who have lovingly nursed her back to health as
much as they could. We served them at one of our free vaccine clinics and
also offered Nana a voucher for our free community spay/neuter program so
she could also get spayed and further examined by a vet. We are so grateful
that we can help satos like Nana receive vital care they would otherwise not
have access to.
Photo by @adoptabledogsofnyc
The Sato Project team would like to extend a heartfelt
“Thank You” to everyone who has supported our rescue and
community outreach efforts over the last year. As Puerto Rico
continues to face disaster after disaster, your donations have
helped us save lives, end suffering, and build permanent
change for the animals and people on the island. Knowing that
we still have your support truly means the world to us and to
the dogs we rescue. Thank you for making this work possible.
In addition to all of our individual donors and supporters, we would
also like to give a special thank you to the dedicated members of
our Board of Directors:
Chrissy Beckles, President
Tracy Warren, Vice President
Devin Shanahan, Secretary
Bobby Beckles
Emily Birge
Annya Ramirez-Jimenez
11

In The Sato Project’s 11 year history, we have flown almost 7,000 dogs rescued from the streets of
Puerto Rico to new lives on the East Coast and spayed/neutered and vaccinated nearly 8,000 dogs and
cats. None of this work would be possible without the support of our generous community.
Photo by @adoptabledogsofnyc
Due to a combination of economic hardship,
infrequent spaying and neutering, the mass
exodus of residents since the devastation of
Hurricane Maria, and continuing natural disasters,
an estimated 500,000 stray dogs are a sad
reality of life in Puerto Rico. Many of these dogs
are suffering and struggling to survive. Founded
in 2011 by Chrissy Beckles, The Sato Project is
dedicated to ending this suffering and helping as
many of these satos (“stray dogs”) as possible,
find the safe, loving homes they deserve.
The Sato Project is working to make permanent
change in Puerto Rico through a threefold
mission: 1. rescuing, rehabilitating and rehoming
abandoned and abused dogs; 2. addressing
the underlying causes of overpopulation,
abandonment, and abuse through community
outreach and low-cost or free spay/neuter and
vaccine services; 3. bringing national attention to
the problem of abandoned and abused dogs in
Puerto Rico.
For more information
about our work visit:
www.thesatoproject.org
Facebook.com/thedeaddogbeachproject
Instagram.com/thesatoproject
Twitter.com/thesatoproject
DONATE
130 Water St.
Brooklyn, NY 11201
thesatoproject.org/donate