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Radio program on the internet
Susan Soltero of Univision has been an ardent supporter of animal welfare in Puerto Rico. She has interviewed Yolanda, Sandra, me, and other rescuers to get our viewpoints concerning animal cruelty on the island. She has a radio program airs at noon on weekdays but you can watch and listen to the show at www.waloradio.com/portal (WALO TV). Her program is called "A Ciencia Cierta".
Tom-Tom needs to fly-fly
 I received this request from Katie at Island Dog. If you can help, please email her at KT4266@aol.com.
Island Dog is trying to get Tom Tom off the island. He has a new home in Baltimore!!! However, he was supposed to fly American with a flyer but he is too big. They only take kennels up to 27 inches in height. Delta or Continental will take him. I will drive to the surrounding states to pick him up from the Airport, ie, Philly, Washington DC, Virginia, New Jersey etc. Spread the word!!
Another little one ready for a home
This young dog (less than a year old) is very friendly and sweet. She was abandoned near a security booth and someone brought her to Dr. Reyes' clinic. He wants to spay her and find a good home for her. If anyone is interested or knows someone who could be, please call 787-850-2342.  
New puppies rescued from the beach
 These pups were rescued today. The first 2 are the products of Natsumi and Kerr. The others are Vanessa's but we don't know who the dad is. They need foster homes for 3-4 weeks before they can leave P. R. for adoption.   
Pinturo rescued!
 Pinturo is safe at Dr. Reyes office! He is a healthy and very sweet boy but unfortunately he is heartworm positive. We are going to start the heartworm treatment immediately but he will need to stay in Puerto Rico for about 6 weeks to complete the treatment so we'll need a foster home for him during that time.
Goodbye Ruby on Tuesday
 I just had to make one of those calls that breaks my heart. We had to have Ruby euthanized because of her broken back. The vet tried steroids overnight and there was no change in her condition. It is ultimately the right thing to do but that doesn't make it hurt any less. Ruby was at the beach for over a year. Last year at a spay/neuter event had to drug her food with a sedative then follow her around for 2 hours before she would allow us to catch her. She was taken in for spay and a general health check and then had to be returned to the beach because she was not adoptable at that point. Ruby never got to be a cuddly, snuggly dog but eventually allowed Sandra and Jessica to get closer to her and pet her and had become a sweet and adoptable dog. And then she was apparently hit by a car (that of course did not stop to help her) which broke her back (at T-4) and she was paralyzed. Her long-term prognosis was not a positive one and the gut-wrenching decision was made. She will be very missed and will be another one of those dogs that we will forever feel that we let down by not rescuing her in time. We are all sorry Ruby. 
Three pups left!
These three pups are still up for adoption - Sophia, Jackson, and Bianca. They arrived Friday with the adopt-a-thon crew and are anxiously awaiting their new families! (well, Bianca doesn't look too stressed about it!)   
Adopt-A-Thon results
The adopt-a-thon was a great success! Three puppies went home on Friday evening and another three yesterday at the event! And we received $220 in donations and a lot of really positive comments from people there. Jasmin, Melissa, Cinnabun, Maya, Pecos, and Condi are all in their new homes and I've already checked in with their families and they're doing great! I forgot my camera (grrrrr) for the event but another woman took photos for us and I'll post them when I get them. In the meantime, here are Melissa, Pecos, and Condi's happy beginnings photos!   
Tucker
 Tucker was picked up in the beach sweeps last week and we just found out about it on Friday. I am going to call tomorrow morning to hopefully be able to get him back.
Ruby
 Sandra was worried because she hadn't seen Ruby in a few days. When she saw the animal control van there the other day, she asked if they had picked her up and described her to them. They hadn't picked her up but said they had seen a little red dog dragging her legs. Sandra looked for a long time but couldn't find her. She finally found her yesterday afternoon. She says Ruby can prop herself up but cannot use her back legs. We don't know what happened but no one is open today so she's taking her in to Dr. Reyes tomorrow. Ruby has been at the beach or about a year and is one that we spayed and returned there. She's always been a bit too fearful for adoption. 
Sherman's march .... to a great home!
Sato needs sponsor for rescue
 This poor guy needs someone to sponsor his vetting for rescue. He has mange and someone even spray painted him! If anyone can help with his rescue costs, please let me know and I will have Michelle take him in.
New rescues
These 3 loves are safe in foster homes or the vet now. Murray is at Dr. Reyes office for a few days to get neutered and all the good stuff. Kaiser, who was originally picked up in the beach sweep 2 weeks ago, is now being fostered by Gina's dad, Kike, in Rio Grande. Janine is in foster care with Dorene in Luquillo. Murray and Janine will come here once they are ready for adoption. We're trying to get Kaiser into a German shepherd rescue but if we can't work that out, he'll come here as well.   
Dennis is NOT a menace!
 Murray was rescued today. At first Sandra thought it was a new dog because she didn't recognize him but then she realized it was Dennis! He had been on the beach for a couple of days and then disappeared the same day as the the others that are still missing. Sandra didn't recognize him because apparently another dog had attacked him and he was dirty, but it's him. We renamed him " Murray"because he has been "adopted" by Murray Middle School in Stuart, Florida. The school asked to sponsor a rescue from the beach and they will be raising funds to pay for his vetting, fostering and transport to Florida for adoption. Once he's all healthy and ready to adopt, I'll take him to the school for the kids to meet him. Murray is young, sweet and playful and is going to be a terrific pet.  
Yo Joey!
Look at our boy Joe! He was rescued from the beach a few months ago and was adopted from the Humane Society of the Treasure Coast in Palm City. I received an email last week from the man who had adopted Joe and he sent pictures and told me how much they love Joe! I'm so excited and I'm going to go visit him soon!   
Factory pups are growing!
Pet food recall info
Here is a link for pet foods that are or have been recalled.....This site keeps an update on food for dog/cat/ferret, etc.... There has not been a lot of info on the news, about the foods since last year..... http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/petfoodrecall/
The puppies are coming! The puppies are coming!
Article in Palm Beach Post
Terrific animal welfare awareness campaign
 Viviana Daubon, a teacher at TASIS Dorado school in Puerto Rico, contacted me about the "Pet Care Awareness" week the school is sponsoring for this week. Between the two of us, we arranged that the kids at the school would collect money to go towards the rescue of a dog from Dead Dog Beach. The kids are working very hard at collecting money and they are learning a lot about responsible pet ownership. Remember, all the grandpa's out there already have their beliefs formed about the treatment of animals - it's the little ones that we need to really reach out to in order to achieve a brighter future for the animals. (Below is the letter Viviana sent out to the parents of the children.) The dog that they rescued is Jasmin. She is at the vet right now getting all spiffed up for foster care. And Viviana will be picking her up today to foster her for the three week period necessary before Jasmin comes to the U.S. for adoption. The kids will get to meet her and hear all about the work it takes to save even one dog. Programs such as this are critical to changing the future for the animals in Puerto Rico. I applaud Viviana and the school and the wonderful children who are working so hard to help Jasmin and other animals. Dear TASIS Dorado Community: Community Service Week is from February 11-15 and the Pre-K class has chosen a “Pet Care Awareness” theme. This year we have decided to take on the spectacular task of helping two organizations since your display of generosity was so unbelievable last year! We have chosen the Humane Society in Guaynabo and Manos Por Patas (Hands for Paws) which are both wonderful non-profit organizations. Beginning on Monday morning, there will be a table set up outside the Pre-K classroom to receive donations for the Humane Society. On the back of this letter you will find a list of supplies that are needed, or you can visit www.hspr.org/wishlist.html to find the list as well as read more about their organization. Representatives from the Humane Society will be visiting our school on Friday, February 15 at 3:30 in the afternoon to hand out information about the services they provide. If you have any questions, they will be here to help. If you are planning to bring a donation, please do so by then so that they may take the donations back with them when they leave Friday afternoon. We are very excited because with the help of the Manos Por Patas (Hands for Paws) organization, we will be rescuing a dog named Jasmin from “Dead Dog Beach” in Yabucoa. This is a beach where people discard their unwanted dogs. Unfortunately, these dogs are in desperate need of medical attention, food, water and loving families. Some of these dogs have been at the beach for more than two years. Many of these dogs are neither spayed nor neutered, so they continue mating and the suffering persists for another generation. At this moment, close to 40 dogs are awaiting transfer to the U.S., but unfortunately another 22 dogs were dropped off at the beach in the last two weeks. In order to raise enough money to rescue Jasmin, Pre-K will be in the front and back of school in the morning with a jar collecting any spare change that you might have. The jars will remain in both offices for the duration of the day where you can drop your donation, or feel free to stop by the Pre-K classroom and drop it off there. This money will be used for vaccinations, spaying and any other medical expenses for Jasmin. We are also looking for a loving family to volunteer to give Jasmin a home for about a week after her rescue and visit to the vet until we find her a permanent loving home. Please let us know if you would be willing to do this. Also, please visit www.manosporpatas.org to read more about this caring organization and their mission. If you can find it in your heart to help, even the smallest amount of change will make a difference to Jasmin. All the “satos” in Puerto Rico will surely appreciate your love, affection and help for their cause. Thank you in advance for all your help and cooperation toward helping the “satos” of Puerto Rico! Thank You, Pre-K Team   
Letter to Yabucoa mayor
February 12, 2008 Honorable Ángel S. García De Jesús
Mayor
P.O. Box 97
Yabucoa, P.R. 00767 Dear Honorable Mayor Garcia, The organization Manos por Patas makes an urgent plea for your office to contact us or any other animal rescue organization working in your area as soon as possible. Manos por Patas is extremely concerned about recent occurrences at Playa Lucia and the adoption of the beach by the Municipality of Yabucoa. Our immediate concern is what will happen with the dogs that currently live around the beach area, once the beach clean-up begins. Fishermen and rescue workers have reported that several dogs have already been picked up and taken away. We have identified at least three Playa Lucia dogs that are currently at the Humacao shelter and Manos por Patas is working with the shelter to adopt the dogs and place them into foster care while they wait for permanent adoption. One of the animals taken had already been spayed and completely vaccinated by our organization, and we were in the process of finalizing her permanent adoption. However, because she was swept off the beach, the process could not be finalized.
Manos por Patas is very surprised by the comments you made on the radio last Friday, February 8th, 2008, in which you stated that you had never heard back from our organization with regards to reaching a collaborative agreement and the organization had lost contact with you over two years ago. We are sure this is simply a misunderstanding since you were present at the March 2007 meeting between Manos por Patas, other rescue organizations, and hotel owners Juan Lopez and Jeannette Pollard. At that meeting you offered $1,000 per month in financial assistance in order to acquire a transitional shelter for animals while in the adoption process. Following this meeting, Manos por Patas spent several months in the process of trying to find an appropriate facility. Unfortunately, none of the property owners we contacted were willing to rent their property for the purpose of establishing an animal shelter. We were working with Gilberto Torres at your office and he was helping us identify a facility that would agree to rent to us.
Manos por Patas is working energetically on raising funds to spay, neuter, and vaccinate Playa Lucia’s dogs so that they can be given for adoption and taken off the beach. Many hours and dollars have been dedicated by members of your constituent in order to rescue Playa Lucia’s dogs. Our accountant calculated over $20,000 spent on the Playa Lucia rescue operations in 2007. This amount only demonstrates funds spent by Manos por Patas and not funds spent by other groups and individuals who are also working diligently and selflessly to the Municipality of Yabucoa with the Playa Lucia animal situation.
Once again, Manos por Patas expresses our commitment to helping your administration resolve this situation but most importantly we would like to help you with the Playa Lucia "clean up" since we already know many of the animals in the area and they trust our rescuers. Additionally, the Municipality will save the money that otherwise would be spent paying an animal removal company and the funds could be used to rescue, rehabilitate, and adoption process for these animals. Our organization has an excellent rescue network and would be able to help you with removing the dogs from the beach. Ultimately, we all have the same goal and we can reach a working agreement which would set Yabucoa as an example of a proactive and humane animal control system for the rest of Puerto Rico. In conversation with Susan Soltero of Univision, she has agreed to run a piece of how the Municipality of Yabucoa is at the forefront of this issue; this will be extremely positive exposure for Yabucoa.
Please contact Manos por Patas as soon as possible in order to draft a work plan to move us forward. Manos por Patas and many other organizations are at your service immediately. We hope to hear from you as soon as possible. Sincerely,
Virginia Cornett Manos por Patas
Desperate need for foster homes
Due to all the hullabaloo at the beach lately, we have a number of dogs that we need to find foster care for. They will need to stay in Puerto Rico for 3 weeks while getting all their vetting done. If you can help with any at all - fostering or helping with expenses - please let me know. And forward this to others who may be able to help. The dogs pictured are Kaiser, Kristy's puppies, Laika, Ted, Bailey, Charlie, Roxanne, Marlon, Vanessa, Vanessa's puppies. We have most of these at vet's offices but there Kristy's puppies and Vanessa and her puppies are still at the beach and are in serious danger of being picked up by animal control.           
New rescues
Jasmin and Jordan are safe at the vet.  
Beach dogs caught in sweeps
We have confirmation that Kaiser, Charlie, and Roxanne were collected in the beach sweeps from last week and are now at the shelter in Humacao. Sandra went this morning to identify any of the Yabucoa dogs she could and found these three. There are still other dogs, such as Bailey, Ted, and Julian, that have been missing since Thursday but were not at the shelter. Dr. Serrano, the director of the facility, is working with us on making sure the dogs are not euthanized and we will remove them from the shelter later in the week after they have been vaccinated and sterilized. We know this will probably become a regular event for Sandra and other rescuers as the City of Yabucoa has contracted with the shelter to remove the dogs from the beach. I am going to be calling Mayor Garcia tomorrow to discuss the possibility of trying to work together on the issue, as we had thought was going to be happening all along.   
Sandra's story
 You know, these things make us really sad, sick to our stomachs, when we read our emails or see the photos. But some of us are lucky enough to be physically removed from the nightmare. But not Sandra. Sandra is an amazing woman and I have so much respect for her. But she's just continually confronted with the nightmare down there. Here's the lastest post from her blog: No, it's not a movie, it's the real thing (Freddy, just crawl away and weep!) I'm sad, frustrated and angry because some of the dogs in our rescue list were taken away by employees of the Municipality of Yabucoa. It's not just the fact that we love them, but we have invested time and money to get them healthy--and suddenly something like this happens. Several rescue groups were working on getting help from the Municipality of Yabucoa, Tourism Company and the Hoteliers Association ( sorry, I forgot the real name), so the process of savings pets would be better for all of us--but they weren't faithful to their own word. They agreed in a meeting last December not just to sweep dogs off the beaches, they compromised themselves to work with rescue groups for the well-being of the abandoned pets and to work on education and surveillance to prevent this cruel practice of pet-dumping. But what they did instead? They took the dogs without counting with any rescue group and all was done in secrecy! That, for me is a total betrayal. You can't trust them--they have no word at all. The only things that matter to them are appearances and money. 
Talk about your small world!
 I try to keep abreast of where Dead Dog Beach is mentioned on the internet so I have a setting for google to send me emails whenever it appears on a page. I got a notice Friday that it had been mentioned and clicked on the link, which took me to a Transformers fan site (sorry, guys, I hope that's what you call it). A woman from the site posted a message that her family had adopted a dog from Dead Dog Beach. I didn't recognize the dog in the photo so replied to her for more info. It turns out she adopted the dog from Rebecca Rogers who lives in North Carolina. Rebecca works for a company that has offices in Puerto Rico and she travels there regularly for work. She contacted me to find out if she could help us with the dogs and we worked it out that she would bring some of our rescues back with her when she returned to the states and she would adopt them out. You tell me THAT ain't a small world!
Dogs at the Humacao shelter
Well, the good news is that we know for sure these 3 dogs, Baily, Ted, and the German shepherd from the hotels area, are safe at the Humacao shelter. There are about 5 other Dead Dog Beach dogs at the shelter. On Monday morning, I am going to talk to Dr. Serrano, the director of the shelter, about us being able to claim the dogs and then we'll get them into foster care and up for adoption. Also, Sandra, Keishya, and Jessica are going on Monday to the beach to pick up as many dogs as they can and take to vets and foster homes. They're going to have to keep doing that so the dogs don't get hauled away to the shelter and eventually euthanized. We have learned that the City of Yabucoa does have a contract with the Humacao shelter to remove dogs from the beach so all dogs there now and in the future are in danger. We are all going to be seriously stretched for time, energy, and money but it has to be done. I'm going to make an attempt to talk with the Mayor's office on Monday as well, to talk about any possibilities that he would be willing to work with us. Go ahead, call me Pollyanna.   
The nightmare continues
The press conference at Yabucoa this morning was relatively uneventful. Per Sandra, there was virtually no press there and the session was short, involving mainly the signing of the "adoption" papers. But the really sad part happened later in the day. Susan Soltero of Univision conducted an interview on the radio with Mayor Garcia and Yolanda Torres. And, to put it honestly and bluntly, the mayor LIED! He actually said that since he hadn't heard from Manos por Patas, or any other rescue groups, in over 2 years, that he decided to go forward with the proposal from the hoteliers with the beach adoption. TWO YEARS?!?! We had a meeting with him in March 2007! At that meeting, he offered us $1,000/month to help cover expenses for a temporary shelter for the dogs. Did I dream this whole thing up? We - Christine, Liz, Yolanda, Sandra, Danielle, and others - 10 months ago. Two years? He lied. Not only that, but he said that after he offered us the monthly financial assistance, we never took him up on the offer. The truth is that we worked very hard trying to find an adequate place to house the dogs. However, calling a person who has a house for rent and saying "Oh, and by the way, is it okay for us to have 20 dogs in your house that we will be renting from you?" never seemed to go over very well. I called the mayor's office, speaking with Gilberto Torres, the mayor's personal consultant, and Eddie Carlos Rivera, the Public Relations manager for the city. I asked for their help to find a property that would be feasible and to help us get the permits to rent or purchase the place. They said they were working on it. I never received return phone calls and my calls rarely were accepted by Gilberto. Then in October 2007, I received notice that the city was sponsoring a spay/neuter clinic for its residents. I recognized this as a great step for the city and sent a letter to the mayor telling him this and thanking him for being proactive on the issue. Two years??!!! I have left a message for Susan as she said she wants to do a follow-up interview. I am so flabbergasted - but not shocked - by what the mayor said that I can barely contain myself. We gave them every opportunity to work with us to help not just the animals, but their city. But the only people they finally decided to work with are the hoteliers who proposed the beach adoption. I want to say that I think it's a great thing to get that beach cleaned up and make it a nice destination for tourists as well as residents. It's a beautiful stretch of land and it's a shame that it has been so misused for so long. But the backlash that will occur for the dogs is unacceptable. Aside from that, just because the dogs are removed from Playa Lucia and restrictions are put in place to fine anyone from dumping more animals there, does not mean the problem is solved! Unless the residents are educated in responsible pet ownership, we will soon have the same problem in a new place! The city is not doing itself any favors by ignoring the issue. The city needs to be actively involved in educating its residents about the laws of animal ownership as well as the critical need for spaying and neutering pets, and also to provide low-cost - or even temporarily free - spaying and neutering for the pets of residents. THIS IS WHAT WE'VE BEEN SAYING ALL ALONG but it has all fallen on deaf ears. In the meantime, we have confirmation from the shelter in Humacao that the city does have a contract with them to pick dogs up from the beach and that they were at the beach yesterday to pick dogs up. We believe Roxanne, Albert, and Julien, along with others, were picked up yesterday. Hopefully they have not been killed yet. I will call the shelter first thing in the morning and find out how to get them back - and we will have to pay for them, I'm sure.   
Little Keri is swinging on a star!
Look at this little girl! This is Star, formerly known as Keri. She was adopted by a great couple in Tampa, Florida. This little girl struck gold and has a really terrific home - that she deserves! Her new mom wrote this: "We renamed Keri "Star" as in one of the pictures you can see a little white star on her chest! She is amazing! She has a great little personality of her own and is crazy about people. She has put on about 7 pounds and is growing fast. The vet says that she has no terrier in her but a Schnauzer mix instead! Shes a great puppy that plays hard and sleeps even harder! She is now all potty trained, and knows what I am saying when I ask her if she "needs to go potty?", we are still working on NO and SIT! Other than that we changed her food to IAMS for puppies and she seems to love it! Thanks again for everything you did for us."  
SHAKE-UP IN YABUCOA
 The good news is that the City and Municipality are involved in a program to clean up Playa Lucia (Dead Dog Beach). This will, hopefully, encourage tourists and residents to treat this area with respect, not as a trash dump for all their refuse - refrigerators, garbage, and DOGS. The bad news - and it is bad news - is that in order for the beach to look pretty and inviting to tourists, there can't be any mangey, scrawny dogs wandering around the place. And the sweeps have begun. Just yesterday, Roxanne was taken away. We are told they are being taken to the Humacao shelter but we all know what that means. There is a press conference being held at the beach today - right next to the Palmas de Lucia, one of the hotels suspected of poisoning dogs. I've sent requests out to members of the press to ask what is going to happen to the dogs that are at the beach now. We need to propose a viable program to the Yabucoa municipality that we will properly remove the dogs from the beach but we need some financial help and time. I am stuck here in Florida and it's killing me. AVISO PARA CALENDARIO Viernes 8 de febrero de 2008 10:00 a.m.
El secretario del Departamento de Recursos Naturales y Ambientales (DRNA), Javier Vélez Arocho, el alcalde de Yabucoa, Angel S. García de Jesús, y la directora ejecutiva de la Compañía de Turismo, Terestella González Denton, se unen para anunciar a | |
