Satos' Stories

The destruction continues

2010-02-08T14:51:00.004-04:00

First off I apologize for the gruesome picture but sometimes you guys need to see what really goes on down there at the beach. Sandra found this dog inside what's left of the puppy room over the weekend. When Sandra told me about it at first I thought maybe she was alive when they dumped her and they were hoping we'd take care of her. But no, they dumped her dead - and Sandra said she was pregnant as well.

As for the construction at the beach, I had no idea how far back the fencing at the beach had been placed. You can see here it's basically almost out to the road. All that area where the dogs had all their territories set up and all the shaded areas are all blocked off now. I have no idea what's going to happen there other than Animal Control being a regular visitor and dogs being dumped elsewhere. I'm going to try to contact some people to find out if there's anything they can do to help but seeing those pictures just floored me - this is real.

Rescue 9-1-1

2010-02-08T14:44:00.003-04:00

These are the 4 puppies we put into foster care last week. It was an emergency because they were in the puppy room and the municipality is moving very quickly on tearing down the boathouse structure at the beach. The photo at the bottom is the puppy room as of last Friday - that's the room these 4 babies were in just a few days prior and that's why we had to get them out of there. Of course I'm sure the men wouldn't have just crashed the walls in with the puppies in there but they would have called Animal Control to pick them up and we all know what happens there. But as of now, the 4 pups - Jillian, Jack, Casey and Stacey - are safe and sound and will hopefully be coming to the States for adoption at the end of the month.

Flagler Park Adopt-A-Thon

2010-02-08T13:45:00.005-04:00

Yesterday we participated in an Adopt-A-Thon sponsored by Caring Fields Animal Sanctuary. We took sweet Mika there and she did really well once she got all the silliness out of her system. She's been in foster care for almost 6 months and she really needs to find her forever home. There were about 8 or 9 different rescues at the event and quite a lot of people showed up to take a look at the merchanside! No good hits on Mika but her day will come! (Make sure to check out the video at the end of the pics!)

Puerto Rican Chicken Dog!!!

2010-02-03T12:29:00.004-04:00

Have you ever seen anything so hilarious in your life???!! This is Oly. His original name was Pinto but Oly seems to fit him just fine. He was adopted almost 2 years ago by a great family that keeps me posted every six months or so and it's such a joy to get a picture like this in my inbox!

Destruction at Dead Dog Beach

2010-02-02T11:15:00.008-04:00

As if it isn't a nightmare every day under normal circumstances, now, things are about to change in a very serious way. I don't know for a fact what the plan is at the beach but it appears the municipality is going to tear down the dilapidated marina building in their "beach beautification" process.

Sandra had noticed construction at the beach in the form of a new sidewalk being laid around the perimeter of the parking lot area and other "beautifications" occurring. But yesterday she called me frantic that they had started putting a fence up around the building and there was even parts of the building that were being torn down already. She said there were 4 puppies in the "puppy room" and that probably by the end of the day, the fence would have them trapped in. That meant we had to get those puppies out IMMEDIATELY and THAT meant we had to scramble to find a foster home for them ASAP.

So we called Nilsa in the metro area and she graciously agreed to take the 4 puppies in for a couple of weeks until they are ready to fly to the States for adoption. Sandra and Nilsa weren't able to meet yesterday for the transfer so Sandra took the puppies to Dr. Reyes office just to keep them overnight and the girls will be meeting at 4 p.m. today so Nilsa can take them home with her.

And the best thing is that thanks to our beach angel, Debbie, who has sent an amazing supply of medications, vaccinations, shampoos, etc... to Sandra, the puppies already have their first vaccination and have been wormed and will be ready for their second vaccinations and their bordetella vaccinations in a few days. Sandra is sending all the vaccinations they need (except for the rabies which needs to be administered by a vet) with the puppies so that Nilsa won't have to take the puppies to the vet at all (unless something unforeseen occurs) until they need their rabies shot and health certificate to fly! Think about the money that is being saved by that! By Debbie purchasing the vaccinations online, the cost is so much cheaper than at the vet and we don't have to pay for the office visit either. This is the best way to go.

Sooooo, now we have 4 little angels in foster care and our cost will just be for their fostering ($5/dog/day for their food and space with Nilsa) plus final vet visit and shipping to the States for their forever homes! That means the cost is greatly reduced by of course not free so please send whatever you can to help. I hadn't planned on taking any rescues because we're still in "debt payment" mode but there was no way to leave these babies there for Animal Control to take them away.

So THOSE puppies are safe but there are 2 others that Sandra is trying to catch - they are a little skittish but they are staying up near the bend in the road which is very dangerous. Plus there are 30-40 dogs scattered around the beach. With this new beach beautification plan going on, there is only one "plan" the municipality has for the dogs and that's straight to Animal Control. They are supposed to keep them for a certain period of time to see if their owner shows up but I doubt they really do. Sandra always notices when Animal Control has been there because she knows who's missing and all the remaining dogs are hiding.

In the past we've just had Sandra go up to the Animal Control building and reclaim "our" dogs. They charge us $50/dog and they have their vaccinations and are sterilized. But in our financial state, we won't be able to do this. Just the fees for reclaiming them alone, for all the dogs that will be taken in, won't be possible - but then the 2-4 weeks of fostering/boarding plus any vetting and then shipping will all make it out of our reach to do much if anything.

But that is the way it is going to go down there and we have no way to stop it. The beach and the marina building are the property of the Municipality of Yabucoa and the Port Authority of Puerto Rico. Sandra and I were talking about it and of course people are not going to stop dumping dogs just because the beach is all pretty now. They will either continue to dump them there and the Municipality will just step up the beach sweeps to keep the beach clear of dogs. Or people will just change where they dump the dogs. They may dump them farther south near the balnerio which is bad because that's closer to the hotels and the hotels solve the problem by poisoning the dogs. Or they may just find a new spot alltogether to dump them which means we (Sandra) won't know where they are going and can't help them.

I don't know what's going to happen but I DO know that the Municipality doesn't care AT ALL about the dogs. The dogs are a nuisance to them and all they care about is getting rid of them in whatever way is easiest and cheapest.

In memory of Roxy

2010-01-29T18:59:00.005-04:00

I received very sad news yesterday. The beautiful Roxy (originally Rosalie) died last week of natural causes though she was only about 1 1/2 years old. Roxy and her sister, Natalie, were rescued from Dead Dog Beach and though undeniably adorable, neither were very healthy puppies.

Roxy's family sent me a letter with the above photo included to let me know of the sad news. They said she just went through sort of a system shut-down and died in their arms at home. They all miss her terribly as does their other dog, Jake, and they said Roxy is absolutely "irreplaceable" and you can see why just looking at those huge ears and that silly smile.

Both girls came to my home for foster care and Roxy was adopted quickly but little Natalie was what's called a "failure to thrive" puppy from the very beginning. She seemed to get sicker and less energetic and the vets couldn't find what the problem was. In the end, she just lost her will to live and I had to make that horrible choice to let her go. She has a special spot in my backyard where I think about her whenever I see her little home-made marker and remember her snuggling with me on the couch.

Natalie and Roxy were apparently not made to be on Earth for long but those who were lucky enough to spend some time with them got lots of wiggles and licks and I can only hope they got all the snuggles and head scratches they desired while they were here. It's a tough part of rescue, losing one of your angels - but it's better to have them go in the arms of love with a full belly and a good life behind them rather than cold, hungry and alone at that horrible beach. And that's why we do what we do. Goodbye, Roxy. You were very loved.

Roxy (Rosalie) at the beach before she was rescued.

Natalie in the back of Yolanda's truck shortly after she and her sister was rescued. Yolanda fostered the girls for a few weeks before they came to the states for adoption.
Natalie's grave and marker in my backyard. I've since planted some Anthurium and society garlic around it so it doesn't look so bleak.

Article on Satos in "Pet News and Views"

2010-01-29T14:20:00.011-04:00

Happy Beginnings for Strays in Puerto Rico

By Twig Mowatt, guest blogger with All Sato Rescue

Valiente, a 28-pound Chihuahua/border collie mix, was found tied to a trash can on a busy street in San Juan. His owner had dumped the dog there after he failed as a watch dog. (Valiente is a bit of a softy, who almost never barks.) It’s the sort of sad scene that happens every day in Puerto Rico, where companion animal abandonment, neglect, and abuse is widespread and largely tolerated.

Estimates place the number of stray dogs (called “Satos” in Puerto Rican slang) at above 150,000. Injured, diseased, and emaciated dogs can be found roaming most streets, beaches, mountainsides, and commercial centers. In fact, some areas, such as Dead Dog Beach, have become notorious dumping grounds for unwanted pups.

While most of these Satos end up dying horrible deaths, Valiente was lucky. He now lives like a king outside Boston, in a home where he is lavished with attention, has a bed in every room, and wears sweaters in the winter. He is one of about 2,000 Satos that are rescued off the streets, nursed back to health, and then rehomed in the mainland every year by a handful of dedicated individuals and a few small animal welfare groups.

While some of these groups focus on the root issues behind the problems of animal overpopulation, abuse, and neglect on the island, others dedicate themselves entirely to rescue and rehoming through a network of no-kill shelters in the Northeast.

Founded in 1996, the Save a Sato organization was probably the first group to send their rescued and rehabilitated dogs on commercial flights to Boston. Since then, other groups have joined the effort, including Amigos de los Animales, Island Dog, All Sato Rescue, and Manos por Patas. The arrangement works beautifully on both ends: Satos that would otherwise die on the streets get great homes, and shelters that would otherwise not have enough adoptable dogs to meet demand get a steady stream of cutie-pies.

The reason it works so well is that the spay/neuter message has been so successfully incorporated in MA, NH, VT, ME, and other Northeast states that there are very few litters of puppies being surrendered to shelters here. Faced with empty kennels and lines of hopeful adopters, most shelters have opted to reach out to rescue organizations in other parts of the country where overpopulation is still a problem. (People often don’t realize that Puerto Rico is part of the United States.)

That means that every week, beagle and hound mixes are being driven to MA from VA, GA, and TN, just as Satos are being flown in from Puerto Rico. After nearly 15 years of Sato importation, New England is surely home to the highest concentration of these former strays of anywhere off the island. And they have a devoted following. Satos tend to be on the small side (under 30 pounds) and they come in many unusual combinations, just like Valiente. Chihuahua genes are pretty common, as are enormous ear spans, stubby legs, and a penchant for sun bathing. Their gratitude at being given a second chance is often palpable.

Each Sato is scrupulously vetted for both health and behavioral issues before it is deemed adoptable, and each one arrives with its medical record, as well as a letter from the rescuer that explains where the dog was found and asks for photos and news from its new family. Rescuers, like the lovely woman who plucked Valiente off the busy street, say it’s these notes and photos that keep her motivated to work so hard.

[PHOTO: Edilia Vazquez, President and Co-founder of All Sato Rescue, with one of her rescues who is now in a great home. (Photo Credit: All Sato Rescue.)]

[See original online article at Pet News and Views]

Recent arrivals

2010-01-28T18:43:00.010-04:00

These guys are all recent arrivals in Florida. Twenty-three of the dogs and the four kittens all went to the Humane Society of the Treasure Coast in Palm City Florida for adoption. The first little guy up there, Diego, was too shy to leave at the shelter and was adopted out individually. The first seven dogs arrived in early December and all have been adopted out. The remaining 16 and the kittens arrived two days ago and are all in holding but should go up for adoption soon. Only one of the total 28 was a Dead Dog Beach rescue, the remaining were rescued by other island rescuers Dellymar, Gina, Mary, and Nilsa. Little Sacha (in the second picture) was rescued from the beach by Will (Inky Blue Sea Animal Rescue) and fostered by Dorene.

Oh, and I forgot to send a big-time "shout out" to my friend Pati from Miami Dalmatian Rescue. She was kind enough to meet me at the airport in Miami to help me with getting the puppies ready for the trip up to Palm City. That entails bringing an extra kennel to take a kennel full of puppies out and giving them food and water while we clean out the old kennel they traveled in - um, can you say "barf and poop"? - we put new newspaper and fresh water in that one then pop the pups back in and on to the next kennel. It takes a lot of time and does some serious damage to me with my herniated disks so having Pati there was a godsend! Pati has also taken in about 10 Puerto Rican dalmatians in the past so she is an angel in many many ways!

Have you ever been to Dead Dog Beach?

2010-01-24T15:34:00.017-04:00

Probably not. So I wanted to give you guys a little better visual of what the beach area looks like when we talk about it. Basically there's a long stretch of sandy unpaved road that leads from the main road down to the beach. As you get closer to the water you see a gigantic abandoned marina building on the left. The building is owned by the Port Authority but all the land around is owned by the Municipality of Yabucoa. The building is in such bad shape that we are all amazed it hasn't collapsed on itself.

People come to the beach area to fish or picnic. During the weekends the beach area is packed and those are the most dangerous times for the dogs, mostly because alcohol is usually involved. Sandra knows that Monday mornings means the beach will be littered with beer cans and trash and that there will be urine feces - yes, human urine and feces - all around the area and even in the puppy room. And there are usually dogs missing, especially puppies - people think "oh what a cute puppy!" and take them home with them - those puppies grow up and get the same poor treatment most of the other dogs on the island receive and are more than likely dumped back at the beach skinny and sick and pregnant, if they are female.

And if the dogs don't disappear because they are taken, they may have wandered off to die after being shot, poisoned, struck by a car or beaten with a bat. I wish I were making it up but I'm not. Sandra chooses not to put many gory pictures on her blog - she just wants people to see the faces that need homes - but sometimes she will post a photo of a poisoned or beaten dog. When that happens, you know it's gotten really bad - when Sandra just can't contain herself anymore that she just has to vent on her blog. I personally don't know how she is able to keep herself in control enough to go to the beach every day and not be in the loony bin. She is a saint and a hero for everything she does.

So, here are some photos from the beach and I'll give you some descriptions along the way.

This is an aerial view of the beach area. The town of Yabucoa is about 4-5 miles west (to the left). The large building is the abandoned marina. The point/spit of land at the top right is the rocky tip of the beach and to the left of that, the big whitish flat part is the large sand parking lot. People fish along the top part of the parking lot - that's a seawall that drops a few feet into the bay.

This is a front view of the marina building. You can see the dirt road in the forefront of the photo - that leads all the way around to the parking lot and tip of the beach.

This is the western side of the marina. Different groups/packs of dogs take different areas/territories of the beach up for themselves. There is a driveway sort of to the left of this picture and farther left is wild tall grass that becomes wetland during the rainy season. Some females birth and raise their puppies in the tall grass to keep them safe.

These two pictures are of the rusty skeleton of the marina. On the interior is the area where boats used to come in and could be loaded and unloaded and/or put in/removed from the water. Kids play in there and I've seen them climbing up in the tall rafters and jumping into the water - it's an accident waiting to happen and I have no idea why the municipality hasn't sealed the whole place up.

Also there are people who bring their horses there for exercise. Even the way this is done is cruel. The guys basically run their horses off the edge of the concrete into the water about 10-15 feet below! They have ropes around their harnesses and the guys have the horses swim back and forth around the basin. I'm not sure how they get them out. There is sand that gets washed up into the basin area and it rises up to a higher level but I don't think it's tall enough for the horses to climb out there. Regardless, I know water exercise is great for horses but the way it's done at the beach is not humane.

This shows the concrete rooms in the front of the marina building. There are 3 or 4 rooms that are just concrete with a window and door facing out and a door going into the marina area. There is nothing else in the rooms, everything has been ripped out, either removed by the Port Authority or stolen and kids come there and spray paint on the walls and other vandalism. The dogs use the building area for shade and shelter from the rain.

We used a couple of the rooms when we did our on-site spay/neuter event in August 2006. It was a "down and dirty" M.A.S.H.-style "clinic" where we rounded up dogs and rescued a bunch and a vet performed chemical sterilizations on 11 males. This photo is of the "recovery room" (the same room pictured above at a different time). It looks gruesome but the dogs are all under anesthesia after the procedure. We blocked off both the doors and window and stayed there until about 8 p.m. until they had each recovered enough to release back to the beach.

Here we have the famous "puppy room". In the first picture, you see it all the way on the right. In the second picture you can see how Sandra puts corrugated metal sheets up against the doorway to keep the puppies inside. She keeps the room as clean as possible and not only feeds and waters the puppies but vaccinates, deworms, and treats them for whatever ailments she can. The problem with keeping them at the beach is obviously that they are not safe. The metal sheets keep the puppies in but not the people out.

Here are some other shots from the beach area.

And here's Sandra at the beach - the dog is Kerr who was a long-time beach resident (he was there for almost a year) that was rescued and placed over a year ago.

Go Diego, Go!

2010-01-16T19:10:00.005-04:00

Look at this sweet little man! This is Diego. He came in a shipment of 7 other puppies rescued by Mary. All 8 were to go to the Humane Society of the Treasure Coast in Palm City but Diego was just too timid so I put him in foster care to give him some time to get acclimated. Then Diana, one of our previous adopters who had adopted Roxanne a couple of years ago, saw his profile on our petfinder page and just had to meet him. Lucky little devil got a fantastic home and has a sweet sato sister. Diana has kept me posted on Diego's progress and so far so good. Two little satos in one household - must be heaven!

Dead Dog Beach is on the map!

2010-01-16T15:12:00.003-04:00

Imagine my surprise when I got a Google alert that Dead Dog Beach is listed on a Puerto Rico tourism website as a "Place of Interest" in Yabucoa for tourists on the Puerto Rico Spots: The Unofficial Guide To Puerto Rico website!!! I'm not sure whether that's a good thing or a bad thing. I guess it's good that the word is out that Dead Dog Beach exists so hopefully people who tour the area - either from inside the island or tourists from other countries - will be able to see the sad status of strays there. But it could be a bad thing that the government will start up their lovely "beach sweeps" again to get rid of the dogs so the tourists don't see the shame of the government's continuing and overt neglect.

Actually, I have a good feeling that once I hit the "publish post" button it will only be a few days before the Dead Dog Beach reference is removed from the Puerto Rico Spots website (I'm sure we will all know at whose "request" that will be made). It's a Catch-22 in speaking out about the situation on the island because the eyes and ears are out there - I just always hope more of the compassionate and kind ones are paying the closest attention.

Good Search rocks!

2010-01-16T15:02:00.002-04:00

I'm not sure if you have heard about Good Search but it's a great tool to help non-profit charities. It's just a search engine like Google or Yahoo but every time you do a search via Good Search, a penny goes to the charity you designate for your searches. Doesn't seem like a big deal but at the end of December I received a check for $241 from Good Search for all the people who had done searches! It's really easy to do. Just go to www.goodsearch.com. You'll see the search bar just like with other search engines.

The first time you search you need to designate us as your charity - click underneath the search bar on the button that says "WHO DO YOU GOODSEARCH FOR?". Type in either Hands For Paws or Manos Por Patas and that will set us as your Good Search charity. Then just remember to set all your search enginges for Good Search rather than Google and search away!

The site plainly states "Please use this site honestly. Fraudulent searches will result in your charity being delisted." - so please use the search engine appropriately, not just to search over and over to get the 0.1 in our pocket, especially when it could result in us getting the boot!

Again, doesn't seem like much but it definitely adds up so Good Search away!!!

Update on Ziggy

2010-01-16T10:31:00.007-04:00

Well, it seems I have a dog. I didn't WANT a dog, but apparently I've got one. Ziggy came here in April to be taken to the Humane Society of the Treasure Coast in Palm City but apparently he wasn't feeling it there and decided to get out of it by biting the shelter manager. So I took him back to my home to get him a little more settled in and try again. We went up to H.A.L.O. shelter in Sebastian a month later where - whadya know - he bit the shelter manager!

Ziggy is a bit of a fear biter but 98% of the time he is a super sweet, playful and hilariously funny little guy. I still have him up for adoption but he needs just the right environment before I would feel comfortable adopting him out. He's fine - even great - with cats but he can be dog aggressive and is very protective of me (and would be with any future owner) so no young children. He's a tough sell but given his beginnings - take a look at him in the third photo - that's how he was found at the beach - his hair was so horribly matted that there was a collar found under it when he was shaved! - given his beginnings I have to give the little guy some slack that he's not just a total psycho evil dog.

If anyone is interested in having a sweet, playful, funny - yet sort of moody - little dog in their home, you know where to find me!

Special thanks to our donors

2010-01-15T22:34:00.006-04:00

We love ALL our donors. Whether you give $5 or $5,000, you are special and needed to us. Every penny adds up. As I always say, if everyone who reads this blog would give just $5 a month, we would be able to pay all our debts off and get back to rescuing again. I am just finishing up the donation receipts and thank you letters for the 2009 donations so if you have donated in 2009 and don't receive anything by the end of this month, please contact me so I can get your receipt right out to you.

I want to reiterate that every one of you is special but I want to recognize one donor in particular who gave a particularly generous donation. Her name is Debbie and she lives in Washington state. She contacted me in early December to ask me some basic questions about our group and what we do. I responded with my answers and she responded with a very generous donation via paypal. She helped us pay down over 1/4 of our current debt which is just phenomenal. And even better, she is now working directly with Sandra to keep her flush with a steady supply of necessary items such as DHLPP and bordetella vaccinations, antibiotics, nutrical, etc... of which Sandra is always in short supply.

I don't want to single her out so those of you without the financial means to make such hefty donations feel you are not as important because YOU ARE - I just wanted to give recognition to Debbie for taking a big chance on us, knowing so little about us and trusting her instincts that we are doing good for the dogs at Dead Dog Beach. With Sandra being able to vaccinate and medicate the dogs at the beach, that will drastically cut down on the costs of vetting for future rescues and in the amount of time that will be necessary to keep the animals in foster/vet care before leaving for the states.

So thank you to all our supporters and donors. NONE of what we do could be done without ALL of you.

Mika is still looking for a home

2010-01-15T18:44:00.008-04:00

Sweet Mika is the sweet pittie girl who was rescued from Dead Dog Beach in April. She's a very loving - VERY PLAYFUL - girl who is ready for her forever home. She's been ready for a long time but now she's REALLY ready! She's in foster care with a woman who's giving her some great training and she's learning how to walk on the leash like a perfect lady rather than to pull so hard she chokes herself out!

Mika needs a home with another dog and either a big fenced yard or a couple of long walks a day - or preferably both! She's a great girl with lots of spunk - basically a 45 pound lap dog. She's obviously good with other dogs and kids but she's also fine with cats, too! She's being fostered in Florida but she's got her little doggie suitcase all packed and is willing to travel!

Updates on some of our little angels

2010-01-15T15:58:00.021-04:00

In the last couple of months, I've received updates on some of our past adoptions and things are going great for so many of our little ones! I've gotten some new pictures of some pups but also have gotten to actually see some of them as well and they all look so beautiful and happy!!! Seeing those wagging tails and slobbery smiles makes everything so worthwhile. Here are pictures for you to enjoy:

I got to meet visit with Tanya, Roxy, Laika, and Molly. Tanya was adopted from Humane Society of the Treasure Coast and her new family contacted me (the shelter always lets adopters know when they adopt one of our satos) and brought her to an event so I could meet her! Roxy (Roxanne) came to visit last weekend when her mom decided that one sato would not be enough and after two years as an only child, Roxy got a new baby brother, Diego! Diego was sent up from Mary with a shipment of 7 other dogs to go to HSTC but Diego was just to timid for the shelter so I kept him in foster care - Roxy's mom saw his posting on petfinder and couldn't resist. I also got to see the beautiful Miss Laika at her home and she is just a joy and delight every time I see her. Her mom SWEARS she only gets excited to see her family and ME, no one else! I had Laika in my home for quite a few months before she was adopted so maybe she really still remembers me. I also saw the beautiful Molly (originally Bianca) who was adopted out over 2 years ago. She is GORGEOUS!!! I don't have a current photo of her but she is big and beautiful and so very happy!

I've also received some updated photos of some of our adopted dogs as well. Here are Jasmin, Tala (originally Beth), Thor (on left in photo), Pumpkin (originally Shakira) and Lannie. Every one of them is doing absolutely fantastic and are as happy as a happy dog could possibly be.

I've also heard recently from the families of Kuko, Miles, Drake and Ellie and they are also doing great. No updated photos but reports of totally doggie happiness and that's what it's all about!

Come Join Hands For Paws at the B & A Flea Market in Stuart on 12/13

2009-12-06T20:43:00.003-04:00

I recognize not all of you live in my neighborhood but for any of you who do, we are having a rummage sale at the B & A Flea Market in Stuart, Florida this Sunday (12/13) from 8 a.m. - 3 p.m. We've set a very lofty goal of $1,000 to take home with us and have rented 3 spaces to hold all of the items our amazing supporters have so generously donated!

We will also have puppies for adoption! I'm picking up 15 dogs in Miami on Thursday, all coming from Puerto Rico. Most will be going to the Humane Society of the Treasure Coast in Palm City, Florida but I'm holding the 4 cutest little 5 pounders to have available for adoption at the event (people won't be able to take them home that day but can have "dibs" on the one they want and fill out the applications and I'll do vet and home checks the day after the event).

We also had one of our adoptive parents donate a $50 gift certificate to Tree Towne which has beautiful live Christmas trees and other holiday decorations - so we're selling raffle tickets for this gift certificate for $1 all this coming week and at the event.

There will be lots of items to purchase, raffle tickets to buy and precious pups to pet so come visit us in Spaces 15-17 in Row E this Sunday!

And if you would like to donate items for the flea market or would like to volunteer at the event, contact Ginny at 561-459-7208 or ginny@handsforpaws.org.

Donations needed for transport

2009-12-06T14:03:00.005-04:00

We are sending this batch of beauties to the Humane Society of the Treasure Coast this week so they can go up for adoption. The mom is Daisy and she had 2 pups of her own but 2 other puppies were dumped at the beach and she graciously took them on as her own. They are precious little 4-5 lb angels that will get snatched up in a heartbeat. And Daisy herself is only 22 lbs and and sweet and demure as they come. The other two are shepherd mixes at 20 lbs each and are very playful and sweet. These 7 were rescued by Will and have been in vet and foster care for over 6 weeks and now it's time for them to spread their wings and fly! It will cost approximately $70 per kennel plus I have to rent a cargo van and pay for the fuel for the nearly 4 hour trip so anything you can send to help with the costs will be put to the best use possible - getting these babies started on their new lives.

Great holiday gift idea!

2009-12-05T13:28:00.005-04:00

The holidays are upon us so why not make a donation to Hands For Paws in the name of a friend, co-worker or loved one? We will send a nicely crafted card either to you or directly to the recipient them telling them that a donation has been made in their name to Hands For Paws and we will explain to them the essentials of what our group does. You can make the donation in any amount you choose and we can design the card as you wish - with or without your name, the donation amount, etc.... This could be a great gift for co-workers for whom you're not sure what to get or a nice little gift for the kids or any other use you want to make of it. There would be, of course, no extra charges for sending it unless you wait 'til the last minute and we have to ship it in an expedited manner. And don't think just a $5 card wouldn't matter! If everyone who read this put a $5 donation card in someone's stocking, we'd be able to rescue a whole lot of dogs in 2010!!!!

To purchase a donation card, go to our Donate page and make a payment via paypal (there isn't enough time to do this "snail mail" - wish I'd thought of it earlier) then send an email to me at ginny@handsforpaws.org with the instructions on how you would like the card to read (to, from, whether you want the donation amount on the card, the address to send the card, and any other instructions) and I will get to work on your requests. Please make sure I have a good email and phone number of where to reach you in case I have any last minute questions because hopefully I'll have lots of these on which to be working!!!!

Beautiful pet portraits

2009-11-05T19:13:00.004-04:00

Aren't these beautiful?!?! They are portraits done by a woman named Twig who helps a lot with rescues and sato causes in Puerto Rico. Her art is a hobby/sideline business for her and I think they are amazing. I didn't even know she painted until she sent me the link for her website which is Portraits by Twig. I just wanted to pass this along in case anyone is interested in capturing their little lovebugs in art forever. I hope one day to have all 6 of my little angels memorialized for display by Twig's beautiful hand.

We need donations to fly Kass to the states

2009-11-04T19:19:00.012-04:00

Meet sweet Kass. She's a Dead Dog Beach rescue and has been in foster care with Barbara since July. Kass was rescued with one eye missing and her front right leg broken and healed badly. We got the infection in her eye healed up and stitched but have decided to leave her leg as it is since it's not causing her pain ans she uses it for stability. As you can imagine it's a bit difficult to find placement for a special needs dog such as Kass.

But now thanks to Adri with Amigos de los Animales, we have the chance to send Kass to the Monmouth County SPCA in New Jersey. The wonderful Giselle has sponsored all of Kass' vet bills but we need to raise $220 to pay for Kass' flight from Puerto Rico to New Jersey. The good news is that the shelter will actually return the money to us because she is all vetted and spayed but we need to have the money up front in order to send her. Please go to our donation page and give whatever you can. If everyone who reads this sends just $5, we can make the money in a day!

Lannie and Christine meet again!

2009-11-02T13:28:00.002-04:00

It's been over 2 years since the beautiful Lannie and her buddy, Riley, were rescued from the beach. The girls had been at the beach for over 4 years - Lannie had an eye missing and both girls had heartworm. The girls were rescued and sent to the Orlando SPCA but were so terrified that the shelter deemed them "unadoptable" and we had to re-rescue them from there. Everyone worked furiously to find temporary and then permanent homes for the two girls and then Christine of Amigos de los Animales popped for the airfares to send them to their new families - Riley went to Maine and Lannie off to sunny California. Both families have kept in touch with us and it's so beautiful to wake up and get an email with a photo of one of these special girls. Christine, the lucky girl, even got the chance to visit with Lannie at her home in San Diego recently. Chris says she's doing great and has a super sweet deal with 3 other canine buddies and a mom and dad that absolutely adore her. Thanks, Chris, for sending this pic and for all you do for the animals!

Rocky's passing

2009-10-25T15:55:00.002-04:00

Last month, poor Rocky got caught in a fight between Pete and one of the new dogs. Rocky had obviously gotten hurt but he ran away and Sandra didn't know how badly. The next day Sandra found Rocky dead and she saw he had a hole in one of his lungs. This is all made even more tragic in that we had been trying to get Rocky rescued - we had people interested in helping with his rescue - but we didn't have the funds to get all his vetting and boarding taken care of.

Cooper is missing

2009-10-25T13:01:00.006-04:00

Cooper, one of our earliest rescues, is missing and everyone is devastated.

Cooper was rescued from the beach with a broken hip from being struck by a car. Amigos de los Animales rescued Cooper and took care of all his medical bills and then Cooper was sent to me for placement.

That poor dog was such a wreck from being so mistreated before being rescued that he stayed on a blanket next to my bed literally for about 3 weeks without moving. I had to pick him up and carry him outside to potty because he was so traumatized. He started getting better sort of in leaps and bounds but was still very shy and skittish when a wonderful woman named Christine came to meet him for possible adoption. She was willing to work with Cooper's trust issues and we felt it would be a good placement.

Good placement, indeed! Cooper opened up like a flower with the help of a wonderful family and his doggie sister, Maddie (who, by the way, looks just like him). Cooper was going out in public within a few months and was even able to handle being petted by strange men which was phenomenal since we are sure he had been abused by a man and was terrified of them at the beginning.

So fast forward 2 1/2 years to today. Cooper has been missing for 6 days. Something happened that spooked him and it just happened that one of the kids was coming in the door and Cooper took off running. The family has done everything they could possibly do. Flyers in every mailbox within a mile radius and on every telephone pole, canvassing the neighborhood calling his name, flyers in shops and vets offices, called animal control and shelters. The family has offered a reward for his safe return. We even contacted local media - here are the stories from TCPalm and WPTV.

The thing is Cooper is, of course, a very special dog in everyone's hearts. But also because he has such fear issues that he is not going to just walk up to someone for them to take him in. We have been stressing to everyone that if they see him NOT to try to catch him but rather to call the numbers on the flyer and we'll come and call for him.

All of our hearts are broken thinking of him hungry and scared and tired, just wanting to be back feeling safe with his family. If anyone is in the area where Cooper is missing - Port St. Lucie, Florida - and wants to help in the search, email me at ginny@handsforpaws.org.

Tanya's beautiful new life

2009-10-25T12:05:00.004-04:00

This beautiful girl was rescued from the beach about a year ago. It took a while to actually get her here to the states but she finally made it to the Humane Society of the Treasure Coast in Palm City, Florida where she was placed for adoption. I specifically sent her to this shelter because Tanya had heartworms and HSTC has a program called "Tracy's Rangers" which provides treatment for heartworm positive dogs.

This shelter has a great group of volunteer dog walkers (those dogs get walked multiple times a day around the beautiful grounds of the facility!) and one of them just fell in love with the precious Tanya. They fostered her through her heartworm treatment and decided they just had to have her as part of their family.

I received an email from Tanya's new mommy. She said Tanya is a lovely, warm and affectionate dog and that they are grateful that she was rescued. Oh, and Tanya's formal name is now "Tanya Ruby Begonia Murphy"! That sweet girl struck GOLD!!!!

(As a note, take a look at the photo of Tanya at the beach, before she was rescued. Isn't it amazing what some good food and a lot of love can do???!!!)