Happy New Year from all of us at Save a Sato Foundation. 2009 was a difficult year for us as well as animal rescue organizations across the world, but we were able to continue our mission with the support of our volunteers and donors. We have many plans to further develop our programs this year and count on all of your support and love.
Last year on January 1st we received an E-mail from a family wanting to make a difference in the life of one little stray dog in Puerto Rico. I have recently heard from his family and one year later he is doing great! I thought today would be a great day to revisit the story of Diego - one dog of 100,000 strays - he was lucky enough to find a family to love him, which is our hope for each of the dogs we rescue.
Diego in January of 2009, shortly after his rescue -
Diego "Before"
Diego one year later -
Diego "After" - living a comfortable life with his family and his pal Gypsy
Here is the story we wrote about Diego -
On January 1st, 2009 we received and E-mail from a family vacationing in Rincon, PR about a puppy they found on the beach that needed help. We did not have a lot of options for this puppy as our shelter and foster homes are completely full, but offered to work with the family in helping this puppy. He is only about 4 months old, but was in sad condition. He had a skin problem, a sore on one of his ears and a scar and a swollen toe that suggests he had been hit by something and yet was outgoing and friendly to the family. After several E-mails and a visit to the locally veterinarian, Sue and Lesly decided that they would like to bring the puppy, now named Diego, home with them to Philadelphia! Only problem was they were leaving in two days!
Our wonderful volunteer in Puerto Rico accepted the challenge and worked with Sue and Lesly on a health certificate and travel plans for Diego. A kennel was prepared and he was taken to the airport and was ready to fly to his new home when Mother Nature intervened – the weather in Philadelphia was too cold for him to fly! The family called our volunteer from the airport with the sad news that Diego was not going to be able to fly, and she rushed over to pick him up and foster him until another flight could be arranged. Sue and Lesly had to leave without him, but he was in good hands for sure. Everyone was determined to get him to his new home!
On January 7th a flight left San Juan on its way to Baltimore with a very special passenger on board. Diego and our volunteer arrived early in the morning to ensure everything was just right for Diego to fly. A few hours later, Diego arrived safely and was greeted by Sue in Baltimore, then he was wisked home to Philadelphia. Sue has reported that he is settling in nicely. Diego has two new fur siblings - Gypsy, a 1 ½ year old stray from Washington D.C. that he loves to play with and Slugger, a 3 year old who is not quite sure what to make of the situation yet, but is happy that the youngsters have each other to play with!
This is what Save a Sato is all about. We are a few volunteers working with very little to make big changes in the lives of the satos. We do not have paid employees, we do not receive any government funding or large grants, and we work with very limited resources. We try our best for each dog we come in contact with, and will continue to do so in 2010. We look forward to continuing to save the stray dogs of Puerto Rico...one sato at a time.
