Sato Adds

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Merry Christmas from Boston!

Gracey, found her forever home!

   Merry Christmas to Save A Sato. My name is Rich and about a month ago I
adopted Gracey (Sandy) the sweetest one eyed mini dachshund on earth. I
knew when I saw her among all the "perfect puppies" at the shelter that
there was something very special about this little girl. She is the
sweetest, most loving dog I've ever adopted. She now lives here in
Everett, MA with me and her new sister Natasha (a chia-Peeke) and they
are getting along great. Gracie experienced her first snow the other
day and, although she doesn't love it, the tail keeps wagging. Thank
you for all that your organization does and, for bringing this little
munchkin into our family. Attached is Gracey's christmas picture. I
hope you enjoy it it. Merry Christmas.
                                                                       
                                                                       
             Rich, Gracey, and Natasha

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Proyecto Puerto Rico, entrevista a Gloria Marti

El albergue de los milagros
POR: LARISSA VÁZQUEZ ZAPATA
lvazquez1@elnuevodia.com

Gloria Marti, presidenta de SAS
   Siempre fue una cuestión de la más pura decencia. De honra. De dignidad. Desde que veía al vecino que agarraba a su gata por la cola y le daba vueltas hasta que la estrellaba contra los árboles -el mismo animalito que terminó aplastado por los neumáticos de un auto dizque por  accidente- hasta el día en que, luego de muchos años como empleada del Albergue de San Juan, se percató de que las cosas no marchaban como debieran. Fue entonces cuando se miró al espejo y se juró a sí misma: “Gloria Marti, tú sabes que tienes que hacer algo. Aquí las cosas van a cambiar”. Y de hecho, cambiaron; la despidieron fulminantemente. Pero de eso hace ya mucho tiempo, casi lo mismo  que lleva como presidenta y voluntaria, 7 días a la semana, 365 días al año, de Save a Sato.
“Lo que me motivó a empezar a trabajar a favor de los animales fue la vergüenza. Ese sentimiento terrible de impotencia, de ver que no había un sólo puertorriqueño que ayudara. Cuando conocí a la gente de Animal Rescue, allí todas eran extranjeras. Habían españolas, venezolanas, ecuatorianas y hasta una alemana. ¡Imagínate qué bochorno! Ellas trabajando por los animales desprotegidos de mi País. E inmediamente supe que esto era lo que iba a hacer por el resto de mi vida”, confiesa Marti, mientras termina de pasar revista por las jaulas de los más de 220 perros que tiene en su albergue (sin contar los gatos), en la parte trasera de la casa de su mamá, en una parcela. Y es que en el ocaso se corren las cortinas de algodón de las jaulas, se enciende una radio-casetera, de esas enormes, ochentosas, con música clásica para la hora de dormir. Así, en cuestión de minutos, no se escucha ni un ladrido en todo aquel inmaculado planeta canino.  “Normalmente atiendo a los perros que tengo en casa y cuando llego al albergue abro las cortinas y empiezo a repartir comida en una carrera, porque todos quieren que les sirva primero. Entonces, examino a los enfermitos y sigue la limpieza. Ahora, si traen perros, acabados de rescatar, dejo todo y les hago un reconocimiento de carácter y de piel. Quiero saber si es un perrito adoptable, entonces se le ponen las vacunas y les hacemos las pruebas del corazón y otras condiciones”, dice con precisión casi veterinaria.
“Si el perro se queda, hay que buscar dónde acomodarlo. Si hay un viaje planeado (para enviar a los satos que han sido adoptados a su nuevo hogar), hay que ir al médico a buscar los certificados. El día del viaje también cambia la rutina, hay que ponerlos en jaulas y llevarlos dos horas antes al aeropuerto. Mientras que los sábados se bañan todos los perros y se les pone su dip de tratamiento. De vuelta a casa”, prosigue Marti, casi sin tomar aire, “hago paradas para alimentar a unos gatitos y perros que hay por ahí, aunque no saco el kennel del carro, porque casi siempre se presenta un rescate por el camino”.
¿Y cómo se acaba con los animales realengos? “El Gobierno no hace nada, no le interesa crear albergues, pero la responsabilidad debe ser compartida. Al menos con la Ley 54 se ha cobrado un poquito más de conciencia. Sin embargo, la sobrepoblación únicamente se controla con la esterilización. Y que la gente sepa que si tiene una mascota, hay que tratarla como a cualquier otro ser vivo, con empatía y compasión. Violencia es violencia; no importa quién sea la víctima”.
(Publicado por El Nuevo Día y Primera Hora)

Larissa Vázquez Zapata
Editora Revista Magacín
El Nuevo Día
787-641-8000 ext.2556

Sunday, November 28, 2010

A sato has found his forever home!!


Dear Save a Sato,
  Thank you for saving this dog!  I wanted to share with you his story and his new home.
 
I was living in Boston this past June when I knew I wanted a dog companion in my home to join myself and my cat.  I knew that adopting a dog is a big decision, however, I had no idea how difficult it is to pick a dog.  I traveled online across the state looking at organizations that are no kill to adopt an adult dog (I know that adult dogs are harder to adopt).  After about my 9th dog I looked at, I went to Northeast animal shelter to look at their advertised Puerto Rican dogs.  I loved Scooby's profile, built, size, age, but of course I had to meet the dog in order to find out whether it's a good fit.  They had a wonderful room and outside play area where potential adoptee's can spend time the potential owners.  Scooby and I were in this meeting room for about 1 minute before he was sleeping next to my lap with his head over my legs!  He picked me almost instantly, and I took him home that day.  Throughout the next few days, Scooby followed me everywhere, slept on my clothes I would leave on the floor, and never really left my side.  I renamed him my white shadow because how attached he was to me.

 
Since the adoption day (back in June), Shadow has learned so much!  We spent about two months in Boston where he learned how to walk on leash, climb up and down stairs (though he still trips on them regularly), eat dog food, take pills for worms (he had pretty much every parasite a dog can have) learn to take car rides and how to live with a cat.  In August we moved out of Boston to Delaware and into a much larger apartment with a park right outside our door!  He is finishing his beginner training course and his instructor loves him!  Everyone is touched by his story.  Those who don't ask about what kind of dog he is, they notice his Puerto Rican collar he wears.  He is a snuggler, eager to please, gets along well with other dogs, quiet, well mannered, and no one can believe his background.  Please enjoy the pictures I have attached to this email, and let me know what I can do (other than spreading around the organizations name which I do anyway). 
 Sincerely,
Annie and Shadow
Shadow in his forever home

Monday, November 15, 2010

KARICIA’S HAPPY ENDING


Karicia is one of those special dogs that steal your heart as soon as you meet them.  She immediately caught my eye when I first visited the Save a Sato shelter in October of 2009 and it was her imploring brown eyes that convinced me that I had to become a SAS volunteer.

 Karicia arrived at the shelter on 09/14/09 when she was unceremoniously thrown over the fence; she was only a year old.   Although she is one of the most loving dogs that anyone could ever meet, being a pit bull mix made it difficult to send her to the states for adoption.  So for months I would see her once a week when I went to the shelter to help out.  I would always try to give her a little extra “play time” and one (sometimes two) rawhide bones, which she absolutely goes crazy for!

At the beginning of July a new volunteer, Elouise, started helping out at the SAS shelter.  She was in Puerto Rico for a couple of months with her boyfriend and had heard about SAS and wanted to help out.  Karicia caught her eye on the very first day so when she told me that she was interested in fostering a dog Karicia was the first choice.  When Elouise went to the shelter with her boyfriend Todd to pick up Karicia the connection was obvious and we said later that it was Karicia who picked them, not the other way around.  The moment they took her home they fell in love with her and it wasn't long before they decided to adopt her.  On 08/17/10 Karicia traveled to California to start a new life with her adopted family.  Gloria was very sad to see Karicia go, but she was also happy knowing that she had found a good home.  Karicia will always have a special place in her heart.



I recently received an update from Elouise and Todd and they tell me that Karicia (now “Krisa”) is VERY spoiled.  She gets trips to the dog park and doggy day care.  They tell me that Karicia’s favorite place to sleep (besides on the bed) is on a bean bag chair.  Here you can see her enjoying her new life as a pampered dog!



They all went camping recently at a dog friendly park in the mountains; they say that Karicia was very good and loved to go on hikes with them.  She stayed close to them the whole time and the other campers fell in love with her.  At night she snuggled next to them in front of the fire and they all slept in a tent.


 Karicia also got to wear her first Halloween costume!


Karicia’s story is a dream come true for us at Save a Sato.  Even though Karicia came to SAS unwanted and abandoned, she eventually found her happy ending and loving home.  This is what EVERY sato deserves.

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Mecha



In May of this year I asked Gloria if there was a particular dog at the shelter that she wanted me to work with, and she said without hesitation “Mecha!”  At that time Mecha had been at the shelter for 3 years, much longer than any other dog there.  She first arrived at the shelter practically dead; she had been taken away from a situation of animal cruelty and was very skinny and malnourished.  By the time that I meet her, three years later, she looked physically fine but still wore the emotional scars of her past and was too timid to be sent to any of our partner shelters.  She was especially scared of men and reacted so strongly to their presence that it didn’t take long to come to the conclusion that it was a man who had mistreated and starved her. 

I started Mecha’s socialization by teaching her how to walk on a leash.  It did not take her long to learn and through the walks I was able to gain her trust.  We would walk around the neighborhood and nearby park, where she loved to lay in the grass.  She started to really enjoy our walks and would get excited at the sight of a leash.  I walked her once a week when I volunteered at the shelter and even though I would be very tired by the time I was done cleaning cages, seeing her so excited and wagging her tail was impossible to resist and I would always find the extra energy needed for our weekly jaunt.  Whenever I would have a male volunteer working with me I would ask him to walk with Mecha; at first she was leary, but eventually she didn’t even think twice about having a guy holding her leash.  We were making progress!! 




Save a Sato volunteers


I would have loved to have been able to take her home and foster her there, but unfortunately I live in a Condominium that does not allow dogs, so I decided to take her to the office with me once a week (luckily my boss is a dog lover!).  The first day she was a bit nervous about the car ride and at the office she wouldn’t come out from under my desk, but each week she got better and better.  Eventually she came to love the car rides and as soon as she saw my vehicle she would get excited and want to jump in before I had the door open all the way!  I had a big, fluffy dog pillow for her in my office, which we called her “princess pillow”.  She loved to jump onto it when first entering the office in the morning and there she would take naps while I had to work!  

Mecha in her princess pillow!!

 At the office she had the opportunity to experience different people coming and going and was able to see that nobody wanted to hurt her.  Although she was not running up to them and licking their face, she would quietly observe them from a distance, which for her was progress since at first she would just want to run away and hide.  My co-worker, Martina, took a special liking to Mecha, who slowly but surely began to trust Martina more and more.  Eventually Mecha added her to her “circle of trust” (a very select group!).


 
Here is Mecha interacting with Martina


Another coworker liked to give Mecha cheese during her visits (cheese just happens to be Mecha’s kryptonite!), and it wasn’t long before Mecha learned how to look at her with imploring eyes until she got a bite of cheese. Considering Mecha’s history and the time that she has spent in a shelter rather than a home, she had progressed by leaps and bounds. My office is located next to the ocean, so at the end of the day I would take her to the beach so that she could run off leash. She never strayed far away from me and was starting to learn how to fetch (although she didn’t always bring the stick back, but I think she is not far from getting the hang of it!) I always looked forward to taking her to the beach and seeing her so happy and free.
Mecha at the beach!!



                                       

                                             




 Attempting to play fetch!



Quality time at the beach!

It is now early November and I have been working with Mecha for 6 months.  Yesterday Mecha traveled to one of our partner shelters for adoption, and I would be lying if I said that I didn’t miss her.  However I know that I helped her to open her heart again to people and gave her experiences that will help her adapt to a new home.  Mecha was the first “timid” dog that I’ve worked with and she has taught me so much.  Now I can take what I learned from her and apply it to another dog who needs help being socialized.  Mecha has definitely showed me that every dog deserves another chance.



If interested in fostering or helping to socialize one of our satos please contact us at info@saveasato.org!

Monday, November 8, 2010

A Sato needs your help! Manchego

This was an email received by Save A Sato from Yanik:

El 29 de octubre en Hato Rey cerca de la Urb. Baldrich se perdió el perro de mi Primo.  Es un satito rescatado hace 2 años.  Estamos todos desesperados y muy tristes. Lo llevamos buscando diariamente y sin parar desde ese día.  

Te incluyo varias fotos por si lo ves o lo encuentras. Mi número de teléfono es 787-566-7338 o puedes llamar a los números en el flyer.

Agradeceré cualquier ayuda que nos puedas brindar.  ¡Muchas gracias!

Yanik
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On October 29 in Hato Rey near Urb Baldrich my cousin's dog got lost. It is a Sato rescued 2 years ago. We are all desperate and very sad. We' ve been looking for him daily, non-stop, since he got lost.
 
I include several photos, if you see or find him. My phone number is 787-566-7338 or you can call the numbers on the flyer.
 
I would appreciate any help you can provide. Thank you!


Yanik



Friday, November 5, 2010

Meet Bruno!


Bruno

This Miniature Doberman is one of the newest additions to our shelter.  This poor little guy is lucky to be alive; someone found him thrown away in a plastic bag and brought him to us. 


He is extremely skinny and the patches where he has no fur were completely covered in ticks.  Gloria gave him a special bath to remove the ticks when he got to the shelter and when they started to fall off he was left with patches of bare skin. 
Poor little guy is also anemic which is not surprising after being covered in so many ticks.  It's hard to believe that such an innocent life could have been treated so cruelly; however, as you can see in the pictures, he has not lost his faith in people and likes to get affection and be held.  Gloria named him Bruno and is hard at work getting him fattened up and healthy enough so that he can eventually travel to one of our partner shelters.  We will keep our SAS followers up to date on Bruno's progress.


Thursday, November 4, 2010

A Sato from Boston needs to return home!

I lost my dog Dizzy 3 weeks ago. She is a Sato adopted by a friend in the fall of 2003 from one of the shelters on the North Shore, probably the Northeast Animal Shelter. The friend could not take care of her so I took her. Her original name was Evelia.

For the last 6 years she has come to work with me everyday and lived a happy and active life in Boston. She is very popular with the Latino community in my neighborhood of Mission Hill, both children and adults love to tell their friends about her Puerto Rican heritage. On 10/13 while at work one of the doors was left open by mistake and she decided to take herself for a walk. Unfortunately someone spotted her and grabbed her but they did not bring her to one of the area shelters. I have canvassed many parts of Boston with posters and check in regularly with the shelters but she still has not been returned

If there is any way you could spread the word to the Boston Sato community I would really appreciate it.

Thank you.

Best Regards, Dan
 

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Wear a Save A Sato T-Shirt and Support the Cause!

Do you love Save A Sato, do you like to help dogs in need! Now you can donate to our cause, by buying on our online store, CLICK HERE to check our newest additions! buy a shirt, a bumper sticker, and let everybody know, who is Save A Sato! A 100% percent of all the purchases goes directly to help our dogs!





Friday, October 8, 2010

The animal rescue site contest! giving away $10k for your votes!



The biggest contest to help save a sato has begun!! horray! visit http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/clickToGive/shelterchallenge.faces and vote everyday!!! vota todos los dias! ayudanos a ganar los $10k para salvar a todos los satos de Puerto Rico! Remember to write Save a Sato in the search for shelter box, also in the state box be sure to choose PR, this contest ends on December 10, 2010. Lets give the biggest christmas gift to our satos!

Thursday, September 30, 2010

A happy ending for one of our satos! Mancha!

Thought we would send you an update on one of your rescued Sato’s (Mancha – rescued from a rooftop in San Juan in May 2010). Mancha; now Bella, is living with my wife Jayne and I in Foxboro, MA. We adopted her from Northeast Animal Shelter in Salem, MA on 9/23/10. She is a wonderful and loving dog and is doing very well. She has gotten over any shyness very quickly, and loves to curl-up in Jayne’s lap and have her belly rubbed. She is a perfect dog for us, we couldn’t be happier.

Thank you for your efforts in saving the Sato’s of Puerto Rico.
Bob & Jayne Siteman 

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Sasha and Betty, in need of a new home

This is Sasha. Her owner died and she and her sister got left alone in a house for who knows how long. When they found her, their hair was extremely long, you couldn't even see their faces. When Gloria, Save a Sato's president, took them into the shelter, she spent hours cutting and detangling all their hair. She was in very bad condition, but she's getting better now. She is a senior dog, extremely sweet, calm, and loving. She needs someone to take very good care of her for her last years in this world. We don't know how was her life before arriving to the shelter, but she deserves someone that will love her for the rest of her life and give her lots of attention and affection. She probably doesn't see too well, so she needs someone that will treat her gently. She would be a great dog for an older person or a calm home without young children.



She will be your best company if you give her the chance. Look at those eyes, you can see her old soul waiting for her new life.

Friday, September 24, 2010

Save a Sato group on facebook has reached 4,000 members!




Thanks to all our 4,000 Facebook followers for making Save a Sato one of their favorites! We will continue working hard on updating our pages and keep you informed of everything happening on our cause! Recommend us to all of your friends maybe with your help we can reach the 10,000! do you imagine that!

Thursday, September 23, 2010

A happy ending for one of our satos!

Here is a story we want to share! thanks to Mary Ebbott &
Mark Tomasko for giving a good life to this sato! here is what they wrote...
We wanted to send you an overdue update. Just over a year ago (August  
2009), my wife and I adopted Pedro (then called Pepe), who was  
originally rescued by the Save A Sato program in Puerto Rico. We got  
him from the Worcester Animal Rescue League in Massachusetts, and  
we’re both so glad that we did – he’s  a big part of our lives, and we  
love him very much.
 
Pedro was shy and timid at first, so much so that he didn’t play like  
the young boy that he was. But he has settled into his home with us  
quite well, and now he’s a very happy and comfortable little guy. He  
loves to play fetch and tug and nibble on his toys, and to lie in the  
sun in his yard – and on the couch. Pedro is sweet, gentle, well  
behaved, and smart. He’s learned to sit, stay, and come, and he’ll  
give you his paw. Pedro also loves going on his long walks with my  
wife Mary every morning (rain or shine). People often stop to tell her  
what a nice looking dog he is, and to comment on his jaunty stride.  
We’re very grateful to the kind people at Save A Sato and the WARL,  
thanks for the wonderful work you do.
 






 

Thursday, September 16, 2010

First man in P.R. Convicted for violating the animal protection law

A man accused of dragging a horse next to his truck became the first Puerto Rican convicted by a jury for violating the animal protection law.
Georgenan Lopez, 24, will face his sentence in November and could carry up to 15 years in prison, the prosecutor
Andres Fernandez said today .
The horse could recover from all injuries in February, but still lame and no one can ride it, said Lisa Embree, director of a horse rescue center located in the town of Rincon.
Activists in favor of animal rights hailed the court's decision and believes there is evidence that is beginning to recognize the rights of animals.

Milagritos and rescuer Lisa Embree

Saturday, September 11, 2010

100,000 tonight at 10:00 pm on channel 6 Puerto Rico

The documentary is about the  overpopulation of stray dogs in Puerto Rico. “100,000” explores the different alternatives available so that Puerto Rico can take action to eliminate this problem. The different topics that will be discussed are: myths about sterilization, the law against animal abuse, the cultural problem of abandonment of animals, adoption of animals, education of how to take care of a pet, and many others. The documentary will be aired on Puerto Rico TV (channel 6) and the public television of the other 13 participating countries of DocTV Latinoamérica II, including Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, México, Panama, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela. You can watch it online on Sept 11 at 10:00 pm following this link TuTV Canal 6
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