About S.O.S.

On May 14, 1999 the Animal Shelter Inc. of Sterling, MA started a joint venture with the animal rescue volunteers of Puerto Rico to save hundreds of homeless, starved, poisoned and tortured animals. These volunteers in Puerto Rico (at their own cost) take these animals known as "Satos" (mixed breed street dogs) off the cruel streets and care for them, love them, rehabilitate them, vaccinate them, medicate them, and finally say goodbye to them. The dogs are then flown to Boston or Hartford. At the airport, they are picked up by the shelters' staff and volunteers and brought back to the shelter. Here at the shelter, they are bathed, re-vaccinated, spayed or neutered, vet checked and found loving homes!

Read the SATO Story
The sad reality of what these animals suffer on a daily basis is documented on their website: www.saveasato.org

Why do we rescue these orphans?
Many people ask us why we take animals from Puerto Rico when there are so many animals here in our community that need help. The answer is simple:

* A large majority of people calling the shelter are looking to adopt small dogs, or puppies that will grow to be a small dog.

* 99% of all litters of puppies we receive at the shelter are medium to large to extra large dogs. Though there are a huge amount of adopters looking for THESE pups, it is also a losing situation for the customers desperately looking for a small/toy sized pup.

* This practically forces the adopting family into a petstore to buy a puppy. The family do not want to support puppymills NOR do they wish to buy pets from backyard breeders. Adopters are more educated about adoption versus purchasing.

* The sato dogs make great family pets and most of the time adapt well to other pets and generally quick to bond with the family.

* By rescuing the small dogs from Puerto Rico, we are helping to find a home for these wonderful dogs and helping to keep the customers out of the petstores (and that's one less dog being PURCHASED from a puppy mill or backyard breeder).

* This is a win/win situation for the dogs of Puerto Rico. The animal is already spayed or neutered, vaccinated and vet checked.

* In addition to the above: your pet gets a free physical, leash and collar and an ID tag!

If you can find it in your heart to adopt one of our Satos, please come down and visit our critters! If you have any other questions, visit their website or call our shelter.

Our policy for placing Satos with families who have children:

The age of the dog when it arrives at our shelter helps us to determine the age of the children to adopt to. The older the dog, the less tolerant the dog may be with small children who are not respectful of the dog's need for space and privacy. Because the dogs arriving have limited/no personal background, we recommend adopting older dogs out to families with older children.

Unless otherwise determined:

* Puppies up to 4-5 months will be allowed to go to families with smaller children
* Puppies 4-5 months up to 9 months: Families with children over 6-7 years old are better suited for this age group
* 9 months to 1 year: Families with children over 9-10 years old are better suited for this age group
* Dogs over 1 year must be adopted to families with kids who are pre-teen and up.

PLEASE NOTE: This is a guideline that is set for the protection and safety of the dogs here for adoption. The guidelines are based on our experiences with these dogs. Each dog can be evaluated on an individual basis to make the best possible match.

IMPORTANT MESSAGE REGARDING OUR S.O.S. PROGRAM

Do you have a Sato in your family?
Maybe two, or even three? How would you like to be able to communicate with other Sato families about all of their Sato experiences?

Save A Sato is proud to announce the Sato Families Forum. This forum is a way for Sato families to come together and compare notes as well as ask each other questions about every aspect of being a Sato family. Can your Sato leap tall buildings in a single bound? Does your Sato run for cover when you start the vacuum sweeper? How do you train a frightened Sato?

Membership for Sato families is free of charge and joining takes only seconds. As a member, you will be able to send emails through the forum which will be automatically distributed by email to all members. You can send an email, reply to an email, or start a whole new subject. Thanks to the efforts of Dave Mainwaring, who has a Sato named "Samba", we are able to have this forum.

To become a member or access the forum go to http://www.nixesmate.com (Dave's web site). Scroll down the page to where you see the pictures of Dave's Sato "Samba". Just follow the instructions from there. You will then receive a confirmation email. You may also access the forum from the main page of the Save A Sato website. Are you ready to sign up and have some fun? Then go to http://www.nixesmate.com.

Please use our automated phone system to answer your questions as staff is extremely limited and we don't always have time to answer the phones. Email us at: staff@sterlingshelter.org.

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