Yes. We said ALL. It is within our grasp to save ALL the dogs at Dead Dog Beach and prevent future dogs from dying there. This is absolutely EPIC. A chance we may NEVER have again.
Clearly, we are launching Pets Alive Puerto Rico with a HUGE bang. We have recently merged with Manos Por Patas in an effort to make a huge impact in saving the beaten, abused and abandoned dogs that are dumped on the aptly named Dead Dog Beach. It has been so difficult because we have no site there. We are stuck pulling a few dogs at a time, getting them vetted and then getting them to the States where they are adopted out. The problem is that we make little impact since without spaying and neutering the dogs left at the beach reproduce causing us to always be behind in trying to save them, lack of vets to work with us there and lack of homes or a shelter to house the dogs while we vet them and prepare them. Our plan is to build a Pets Alive Puerto Rico so we have a location to help these dogs.
But recently something HUGE happened. Puerto Rico is getting ready for a giant festival that will last for 45 days and it will take over the beach. With the added security patrols there less dogs are getting dumped. We made the decision to go in and grab every single dog off the beach. In this way we can fix them ALL and with the security in place for a few weeks we can keep on top of dogs that get dumped in the future, when the numbers are not so insurmountable. It isn’t JUST that either. With this festival happening the local animal control planned to go onto the beach, round up the dogs and euthanize them all.
We felt we had no choice. Almost 35 dogs were rounded up by Chrissy and her team and a deal was made for them all. Dr. Serrano at the Humacao shelter will treat and house the dogs for a 21-day period while they are being sterilized, wormed, vaccinated, etc… in preparation for transport. The total cost for each dog will be $230 (of course that’s including the 21 days of boarding as well) and then there will also be the cost of transporting them back to the states. This is a HUGE undertaking and we are desperately appealing to you all to help us with this mission. These little lives are WORTH it. They need us. This is our opportunity to put a STOP to the daily beatings and abuse these dogs suffer every day at that beach. This is a chance from now on to pick them up as they are dropped off, stop them from reproducing and – best of all – ERADICATE Dead Dog Beach. No more will this be a place for people to hurt dogs.
Will you help us?
We are asking you to join us in this mission to save these lives. Please help us pay for just ONE dog’s life, or even PART of that. Even $5 or $10 will help us. We need you. THEY need you. Please don’t look at these faces and let them down.
Just want to thank Pets Alive for the level of disclosure you provide.
I do not live in your region and have not found any rescues or shelters in my state that disclose what you disclose. I would like to support a small local shelter but am not sure it will be possible.
I think you, Winograd, Animal Ark, Reno, and the other famous No Kill shelters should come up with guidelines, what is reasonable for donors to ask. There are so many small rescues which I am sure are doing good work but I don’t know how to confirm it.
Erich,
I don’t have a list of questions for you to ask, but I would suggest volunteering at a shelter to see what they do. It is pretty easy to sugarcoat something over the phone, but if you are there in with the animals you can tell pretty quickly whether they are being treated well or not. Ask for a tour of the facility – see how the animals react to a stranger (overall – some will of course be too shy but most of them shouldn’t be running or hiding). That will tell you a lot about whether this is a place you want to help or not.
good luck – I hope you find a shelter to support.
Daniela
This is heartbreaking I wish I could help. I comprehend the situation fully because I live in Latin America actually in Brazil. Dogs are dying daily on the streets: abused, hungry, run over, sick, mutilated, and fighting over food. I have rescued around 60 or 70 and have 15 in my house. Old ones, mentally traumatized and disabled ones. Nobody wants to adopt even healthy dogs here because there are so many. I take in one and two more appear. I am currently trying to resolve two special cases. see http://www.janeiro-emmy.blogspot.com
Latin America is a very harsh environment for dogs and people too and I imagine Puerto Rica is just about the same. I want to open a no kill centre here in Brazil. Thank you to all the people trying to help those dogs there on the beach.
Good Luck.