Save Toby! Sato Realengo Society
Donation protected
Help us save Toby! Toby was hit by a car in Puerto Rico and ran into the bushes at a nearby condo devlopment. Aidita, who is a well known animal officer was called to the scene. Aidita brought the animal to the vet and due to the injuries sustained by the impact of the vehicle, Toby's leg needed to be amputated. The folks at the condo have done the best they can and have paid almost $2000 in vet bills. They are unable to pay any more to help.
Toby will be sent to a shelter to be put down unless we can raise the funds to fly him up to New England and arrange an adoption.
"Sato Jack" has been rescuing homeless and abused dogs for 50 years. In 1968, he visited the US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico and saw firsthand the street wandering dogs called "sato realengos" (slang for "street wandering dogs" or "mutts"). The US Virgin Islands (commonly called USVI) are a group of islands in the Caribbean (St. Croix, St John, and St Thomas). The image of these homeless dogs roaming endlessly stuck with him.
In 2008, while driving in the Toro Negro State Forest in Puerto Rico, Jack saw what he thought was a dead puppy on the roadside until it lifted its head. He immediately hit his brakes, got out of the car and to his surprise the puppy stood up and walked right to him. This dog, now named "Sato" is Jack's faithful companion at their home in Maine.
Two years later Jack found another puppy at the ferry terminal in Fajardo. As a result of the process of figuring out how to get these dogs home to the mainland, it became apparent that the "carry on " capacity for getting satos off the islands was limited because of a change in flight patterns by the airlines that now includes Florida layovers. Our ultimate goal is to increase "carry on" capacity so that more individuals and groups can volunteer to bring prepaid satos off the islands to shelters for adoption.
USVI and Puerto Rico are amazing places, filled with beautiful sights, wonderful people, and an unfortunate chronic problem: an overpopulation of feral dogs. Estimates on the number of satos roaming the island of Puerto Rico range from 100,000 to 200,000 and 500 dogs are euthanized every day. There are many reasons for the incredible overpopulation including limited spay-and-neuter programs and shelters and few animal control officials.
For example, Puerto Rico is 3,500 square miles in area, that's an average of three to six homeless dogs for every square mile. If you are in Kittery, Maine and travel north 100 miles to Augusta, Maine you have traveled the length of Puerto Rico which is about 2/3 the size of the state of Connecticut.
The USVI and Puerto Rico are part of the United States and we need to work together to implement creative solutions and secure the much needed funding to help these animals.
What will the Sato Realengo Society (SRS) actually do? SRS will directly help these satos in need by:
1) Arranging for visitors to US VI and Puerto Rico to travel back to New England with a sato. SRS will work collaboratively with the volunteer organizations in US VI and Puerto Rico dedicated to saving satos. Our goal is one dog per person.
2) Support the work of local animal shelters by creating awareness around this tragic issue and promoting the adoption of these dogs.
3) Increase the capacity, create and/or strengthen the connections among like minded organizations and individuals
4) Help the Sato Realengo Society gain 501c3 non-profit status which will enable SRS to leverage additional funding to help even more satos ensure the sustainability of this important work.
By donating to the Sato Realengo Society, you can be confident that your donation will go directly to satos and this life-saving proje
Toby will be sent to a shelter to be put down unless we can raise the funds to fly him up to New England and arrange an adoption.
"Sato Jack" has been rescuing homeless and abused dogs for 50 years. In 1968, he visited the US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico and saw firsthand the street wandering dogs called "sato realengos" (slang for "street wandering dogs" or "mutts"). The US Virgin Islands (commonly called USVI) are a group of islands in the Caribbean (St. Croix, St John, and St Thomas). The image of these homeless dogs roaming endlessly stuck with him.
In 2008, while driving in the Toro Negro State Forest in Puerto Rico, Jack saw what he thought was a dead puppy on the roadside until it lifted its head. He immediately hit his brakes, got out of the car and to his surprise the puppy stood up and walked right to him. This dog, now named "Sato" is Jack's faithful companion at their home in Maine.
Two years later Jack found another puppy at the ferry terminal in Fajardo. As a result of the process of figuring out how to get these dogs home to the mainland, it became apparent that the "carry on " capacity for getting satos off the islands was limited because of a change in flight patterns by the airlines that now includes Florida layovers. Our ultimate goal is to increase "carry on" capacity so that more individuals and groups can volunteer to bring prepaid satos off the islands to shelters for adoption.
USVI and Puerto Rico are amazing places, filled with beautiful sights, wonderful people, and an unfortunate chronic problem: an overpopulation of feral dogs. Estimates on the number of satos roaming the island of Puerto Rico range from 100,000 to 200,000 and 500 dogs are euthanized every day. There are many reasons for the incredible overpopulation including limited spay-and-neuter programs and shelters and few animal control officials.
For example, Puerto Rico is 3,500 square miles in area, that's an average of three to six homeless dogs for every square mile. If you are in Kittery, Maine and travel north 100 miles to Augusta, Maine you have traveled the length of Puerto Rico which is about 2/3 the size of the state of Connecticut.
The USVI and Puerto Rico are part of the United States and we need to work together to implement creative solutions and secure the much needed funding to help these animals.
What will the Sato Realengo Society (SRS) actually do? SRS will directly help these satos in need by:
1) Arranging for visitors to US VI and Puerto Rico to travel back to New England with a sato. SRS will work collaboratively with the volunteer organizations in US VI and Puerto Rico dedicated to saving satos. Our goal is one dog per person.
2) Support the work of local animal shelters by creating awareness around this tragic issue and promoting the adoption of these dogs.
3) Increase the capacity, create and/or strengthen the connections among like minded organizations and individuals
4) Help the Sato Realengo Society gain 501c3 non-profit status which will enable SRS to leverage additional funding to help even more satos ensure the sustainability of this important work.
By donating to the Sato Realengo Society, you can be confident that your donation will go directly to satos and this life-saving proje
Organizer
Sato Jack
Organizer
Portland, ME