BY HANNAH MALLARD
The Sato Project and Wings of Rescue are collaborating in an effort to airlift 190 rescue dogs and cats from San Juan, Puerto Rico to the East Coast this Saturday, Feb. 13.
The flight, made possible by Tito’s Handmade Vodka and the spirits company’s Vodka for Dog People program, is a part of the “Love is in the Air” mission to save more than 500 at-risk shelter animals during Valentine’s Day week.
The plane, full of animals rescued from the streets of Puerto Rico and saved from severe hoarding situations, abandoned or taken from overburdened animal shelters, will make three stops along the East Coast including two in New York: Fort Lauderdale, FL, White Plains, NY and Farmingdale, NY.
Each pet traveling onboard has been under supervised care for at least eight weeks to ensure they are healthy and ready to meet their forever families. Every animal has also completed a mandatory 30-day quarantine period, are certified free of infectious and contagious diseases, are up to date on all of their vaccinations and have been spayed or neutered.
70 dogs on the plane have been pre-adopted and will be meeting their new families upon arrival at the Westchester County Airport. Several other pets are traveling to reunite with their families through The Sato Project’s No Dog Left Behind program which has brought more than 200 pets back to their families who were displaced by Puerto Rico’s recent natural disasters.
The remaining furry friends are candidates for immediate adoption and hope you will consider adding them to your family!
If you aren’t quite ready for a new family member, you can still show some love to these adorable animals and your special someone on this upcoming Valentine’s Day. The Sato Project is asking for donations to help cover the transportation and veterinary fees for this group of lucky pets. Consider donating in your Valentine’s honor for an out-of-the-box gift idea.
The Sato Project is welcoming donations of every size, from $10 to $10,000. With each gift you give, you will receive a little too! When you donate any amount, The Sato Project will instantly send you a link to several adorable printable and customizable Valentine Cards. A gift of $75 covers the costs of vaccines and a microchip for one furry friend. With a donation of $250, you or your loved one’s name will appear on the outside of a crate one of the sweet pets will travel in this weekend.
Visit thesatoproject.org/loveisintheair to learn more about this Valentine’s Day week program, make a life-saving donation or adopt one of these adorable pets.
