WE ARE CARIBBEAN SATO RESCUE, P.R.
A 501( C ) 3 NON-PROFIT DOG RESCUE
CSR was founded in the fall of 2015 & the two of us (Erin & Jared) absolutely love the work that we do for these amazing animals! The most rewarding thing is to see where our pups end up & how far they have come after finding their furever homes & leaving the island that gave them no hope; but rescue work is definitely one of the hardest things either of us has ever done! We are a small boyfriend-girlfriend duo but do everything that we can with our amazing little network of fosters, volunteers, friends & fellow rescuers!
We have since moved off the island in October 2018 & currently live in Utah where we are also registered & involved in the local rescue community.
WHY DO YOU RESCUE?
Puerto Rico is home to more than 300,000 homeless dogs & for a 3,500 square-mile island, that’s A LOT & it’s unfortunately only getting worse. The homeless pet epidemic here is horrific & the situations these animals are subjected to are incredibly heartbreaking. If we didn’t rescue, then these dogs would have no chance at a beautiful, normal life that a dog should inside of a loving home with a fluffy bed & full belly.
Since Hurricane Maria in 2017 things have continued to worsen for the stray dog population & although many more groups have formed to help & Spayathons have sterilized over 36,000 pets since 2018, we need as much support & awareness as we can get stateside.
WHAT IS A SATO?
Sato is Puerto Rican slang for ‘stray’ or ‘street dog’. A Sato is usually marked by their large, adorable ears & mixed breed. Many of them are mixed with some sort of terrier which in turn, makes them quite smart & quick to learn.
WHERE ARE YOU LOCATED?
We do not have a facility, yet! We continue to run the rescue out of our home + are foster-based in Utah & Puerto Rico. We are always looking for wonderful fosters to love our rescues until they find their furever homes. Please email us for a foster application/agreement!
WHY/HOW DO YOU SHIP THEM OFF OF THE ISLAND?
The adoption rate in Puerto Rico is less than 3% & 9 times out of 10 when a dog is adopted (or even purchased) in Puerto Rico, they are returned to a shelter or the streets within 2 weeks. The Puerto Rican government has it’s hands full with other issues of the island so to enforce spaying/neutering & otherwise keeping the dogs off of the streets, that’s bottom of the list. We rather these heartbeats leave altogether if they can & have a much better chance of surviving & staying with their furever families FOREVER! We fly them off the island with rescue discounts on United + American Airlines. Since Hurricane Maria, we are also proudly a part of The Coalition For Animal Rescue who is, to date, responsible for sending 6,000+ dogs off the island since the devastating hurricane in September 2017.
DO YOU HAVE AN ADOPTION FEE? WHAT'S THE PROCESS?
Yes, we have an adoption donation fee which is based on age, breed, health, the cost of the flight (which depends on their weight) if applicable + veterinary care provided. Our fee for local Utah adoptions (which includes dogs that are already in Utah from PR) is $180-$500. These fees ensure that our rescues are going to good & invested homes. Your adoption donation is used to further our mission in saving more heartbeats. We will require you to submit an application & if that is approved then we will require that you sign a contract, ensuring that you will care for & love this animal for the entirety of its life.
*All dogs adopted under the age of 5 months are required to be spayed/neutered & vaccine schedule to be completed by owner (if not already done). NO exceptions.