Celebrating 10 Years of The Sato Project
When The Sato Project was founded in 2011, our work began by rescuing one dog at a time from Dead Dog Beach. 10 Years later we have flown and vetted over 6,000 dogs from the streets and beaches of Puerto Rico to loving homes on the mainland. We have also spay/neutered and vaccinated over 7,500 animals and distributed 136K lbs of disaster relief supplies across the island in the wake of Puerto Rico's multiple natural disasters. None of these accomplishments would have been possible without the support of our #satostrong community. Read this special edition 10th Anniversary Program Report for The Sato Project's full story.
When The Sato Project was founded in 2011, our work began by rescuing one dog at a time from Dead Dog Beach. 10 Years later we have flown and vetted over 6,000 dogs from the streets and beaches of Puerto Rico to loving homes on the mainland. We have also spay/neutered and vaccinated over 7,500 animals and distributed 136K lbs of disaster relief supplies across the island in the wake of Puerto Rico's multiple natural disasters. None of these accomplishments would have been possible without the support of our #satostrong community. Read this special edition 10th Anniversary Program Report for The Sato Project's full story.
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2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
10 YEARS
6,000 +
DOGS & CATS RESCUED & FLOWN TO NEW HOMES
7,500 +
ANIMALS SPAYED/NEUTERED & VACCINATED
136K LBS
DISASTER RELIEF SUPPLIES DISTRIBUTED
ACROSS THE ISLAND
BACK TO THE BEGINNING: DEAD DOG BEACH
The story of The Sato Project begins several years before it was founded in 2011.
Our Founder and President, Chrissy Beckles, visited
Puerto Rico for the first time in 2007. She was visiting her
husband, Bobby Beckles, who was there for work. They
were both shocked to see so many stray dogs everywhere:
in the streets, on the beaches, begging for food outside
of restaurants and hotels. She learned that these dogs
were referred to as ‘satos’ - a local term for a mixed-breed,
unwanted, stray dog. It was not a term of endearment.
To many, a ‘sato’ was no different than a street rat or an
annoying pest. She saw puppies, adults, and many dogs
who were suffering, hungry, and in dire need of medical
care. Bobby even witnessed a car purposefully hit a
stray dog that was peacefully standing on the side of the
road, and then keep driving. Chrissy was overwhelmed,
horrified, and knew that she could not turn a blind eye.
That single trip changed her life forever.
all 78 of its municipalities; however, that law has never been
enacted. Instead, only five of 78 municipalities actually
have one. As a result, these five municipal shelters are all
constantly overwhelmed, underfunded, and have sustained
a combined euthanasia rate of 94%.
Photo by Myritza Castillo
When Chrissy returned home to New York, she poured
herself into doing research. She quickly learned that what
she had witnessed was just a window into a much larger
stray dog crisis. The entire island of Puerto Rico, which is
roughly the size of Connecticut, had an estimated 300,000
stray dogs roaming its streets at the time. Rescuing them
and taking them to shelters was only a death sentence. By
law, Puerto Rico is mandated to have an animal shelter in
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