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#WeCantRescueOurWayOutOfThis

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It’s difficult to say it, but dwindling adoptions and lack of access to affordable spay/neuter/vaccine services have resulted in an explosion of the number of stray dogs, which we now estimate has climbed to over 650,000 roaming the streets and beaches of an island roughly the size of the state of Connecticut. Make no mistake, the crisis of sato overpopulation facing Puerto Rico is a man-made emergency and we cannot rescue our way out of it. In Puerto Rico, the cost of vital medical procedures like spaying, neutering, and vaccinating can be a significant burden for pet owners. Coupled with the economic challenges in recent years, the pandemic, and several natural disasters, the population explosion has reached an unprecedented inflection point.

In typical fashion, The Sato Project has identified the evolution of this crisis, and has come out swinging with a pivoted, one-two punch approach: recognizing that mass spay/neuter/vaccine events and TNR services run alongside adoptions is the most impactful way to diminish the number of satos who must suffer. It attacks the crux of the problem—the birth of unwanted litters and the spread of disease. While we will never waver in our mission to connect satos with loving families, we must go forward with our expanded definition of responsible rescue and prioritize both. In 2023, The BISSELL Pet Foundation and Cathy Bissell donated crucial medical supplies and surgical equipment to help us launch #OperationSato, where we successfully examined, spayed, neutered, vaccinated, microchipped over 1,200 dogs; that equipment has remained on-island and has already been put to use in other #OperationSato events. This was only possible via the relentless efforts of our team, volunteers, sponsors, and the greater #SatoStrong community.

Building off the success of our collaboration with BISSELL, in 2024 we partnered with Dra. Adriana Luna, a local veterinarian in Puerto Rico who runs the LunaVetHelp clinic. Since joining forces, #OperationSato and LunaVetHelp have continued to organize local OS events in different municipalities around PR.