Satos=the term used in Puerto Rico for stray dogs...
For those of you that aren't familiar with the island of Puerto Rico, we have a huge stray dog problem here. It is very sad! I am a very lucky house dog that gets all the comforts of a wonderful life. I get really good food everyday, I have all the fresh water I can drink, I have comfy beds to sleep on, a family that loves me, toys to play with, healthy treats, even air-conditioning for this hot climate. Many of my kind, however, aren't that lucky. There is a pack of about 10 dogs that live at the beach close to my house. They sleep in the hot sun and have to search around for food. I have watched them drink from muddy puddles and pick through trash. Luckily many people go to that beach and feed them, but it still isn't the best life for them. Lately there have been two doggies hanging around our condo and they both are so cute. The humans have been feeding them and giving them water, but they still need a home. I don't know where they came from, but aren't they cute?
One of the problems here is a shortage of no-kill shelters. If a dog catcher takes a dog, chances are they will be put down. There is also a huge population of strays and although there are organizations that try to help, there are just so many dogs. I feel that I am so lucky and I just wished all dogs could have a happy home and a good life.
To read more about Puerto Rico's stray dog population, please see the links below.
Save a Sato A non-profit organization that works with stray and abused animals on the island
All Sato Rescue A non-profit working to reduce the number of strays and tackle the root problem
A.R.F A non-profit in Rincon, PR, close to my home, that fosters dogs and has a really cool program that educates kids on how to treat animals!
NAIA An interesting article that examines the global stray dog population problem and argues against shipping dogs from Puerto Rico to the U.S.
This is just a few of the sites you can find to learn more about the problem here. I wished I had an easy answer, but hopefully the problems with homeless dogs here will continue to improve. If you or anyone you know is interested in adopting the dogs above that live in my neighborhood, please contact me!
Love,
Branson the Great Dane