A new home for dogs in need
Animal rescuers saved 53 dogs from Puerto Rico and several of them went to a Lower Manhattan-based animal shelter on Oct. 22. About 28 of them were sent to Animal Haven in Chinatown. The rescue mission, led by The Sato Project, a Puerto Rican-based animal shelter for abandoned pets, was assisted by The John and Wendy Neu Foundation, which loaded a cargo plane with supplies to carry out the mission and many were happy to receive them, said the executive director of the shelter.
“Animal Haven is incredibly grateful for the care, concern, and support of Wendy Neu and the John and Wendy Neu Family Foundation and their generous offer to help the dogs in Puerto Rico,” said Tiffany A. Lacey.
After hurricanes Maria viciously unleashed on the island a lot of people and their pets were put at risk and out of their homes.
Lacey says The Sato Project’s commitment to animals help save the mostly abandoned dogs, and she wants the rescue to encourage other organizations to follow suit.
“They were able to coordinate a rescue of 53 homeless dogs, reunite many dogs with their owners and take humanitarian supplies as well. We hope others will follow this lead and continue to help both people and animals in Puerto Rico — there is so much more to be done,” she said.
Many of the dogs range from young pups to adults, but all are under the age of three years old. Potential pet owners interested in adopting a furry friend are welcomed to stop by the shelter to take one home, according to Lacey. Since Sunday, dozens of people have already come into the shelter in hopes of taking one home.
“Since they got here we’ve had a lot of people come in to see the dogs,” she said. “Everyone doesn’t fill out the applications but I feel confident that by the end of the week most will be adopted.”
More dogs are set to come to the shelter as more strays are found and other owners decide to give them up, and for Lacy that mission is part of a continuous operation for the safety of animals.
“I’m sure more will come by the end of the week because there’s always a need,” said Lacey. “We work with The Sato Project and other groups and we will continue that work regardless of disasters always and forever because it’s an ongoing problem.”
