Celebrating 10 Years of The Sato Project

ONE PAIR OF UNSTERILIZED DOGS AND THEIR
OFFSPRING CAN PRODUCE AS MANY AS 67,000
PUPPIES IN JUST SIX YEARS.
Spayathon for Puerto Rico was a wake up call for all of us.
From the very first clinic, to every clinic afterwards, pet
owners lined up long before dawn. The lucky ones who
got in stayed all day waiting for their pets’ surgeries to be
completed. Nearly every day of every clinic, we reached
our maximum amount of animals that could be taken
in, to the point where we sadly had to turn people away.
Spayathon was proof of how many Puerto Ricans truly love
their animals and want to do what is best for them. It also
made us realize how many people do want to be a part of
addressing Puerto Rico’s stray animal crisis. However, on
an island where nearly half of the population lives below
the poverty line, they need help accessing affordable
veterinary care.
POPULATION
EXPLOSION
1 YEAR: 16
2 YEARS: 128
3 YEARS: 512
4 YEARS: 12,288
6 YEARS: 67,000
As an organization that has had to face horrific cases
of animal abuse and neglect in Puerto Rico over and
over again, our first spay/neuter clinics were incredibly
meaningful. It was an honor for us to meet so many people
who would go to such lengths to care for their pets, even
amid such challenging personal circumstances. Sadly, due
to the COVID-19 pandemic, Spayathon officially ended.
However, across the six completed rounds, the Spaython
Coalition spayed/neutered and vaccinated 56,294 dogs
and cats in total.
The Sato Project team is directly
responsible for facilitating 5,896
Spayathon surgeries.
Spayathon for Puerto Rico made a huge impact on the people
and pets of this island. While our team is disappointed to see
this initiative come to an end, it was only the beginning for
us. We are already applying everything we’ve learned and
pouring it into developing new programs aimed at picking up
where Spayathon left off.
VACCINE CLINIC
NINA - 2021
Sato Nina was once living in the streets, scared of humans,
struggling to survive, and pregnant. Her mom had to work very
hard to gain her trust and rescue her. Now Nina is a beloved
family member and all of her puppies have gone to happy
homes. Nina’s mom told us that many people like her want
to help Puerto Rico’s stray dogs, but cannot afford veterinary
care even for their own pets. When she first found out about
our free drive-up vaccine clinic from friends, she thought it
was too good to be true. She came to the clinic early without
her dogs to confirm that it was real. As soon as she saw that it
was, she ran home to grab her two dogs and returned. She was
very grateful for the opportunity to get Nina and her other dog
vaccinated for no cost.
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