As a result of the economy, countless dogs and cats in Puerto Rico are suffering. Amigos de los Animales is in dire need of donations to keep up its great work in Puerto Rico. Please donate today, in any amount, to help keep us on our feet. We are a 501(c)3 organization dedicated to animal welfare in Puerto Rico. Visit our main website at: www.amigosdelosanimalespr.org for more information about us and what we do. For your convenience we have a PayPal button link above and below, and a snail mail address below. Mil gracias!
Amigos de los Animales was fortunate to be able to act as an assistant to investigative journalist and author Jane Velez-Mitchell when she came to Puerto Rico to see how she could be of help with the pet-overpopulation crisis Puerto Rico has been suffering. Taking her to all the island hotspots of animal abuse and abandonment, Jane put together this documentary of her time spent here, hoping to encourage the island government to adopt a spay/neuter policy. We hope you enjoy Part 1 and Part 2:
When Amigos de los Animales heard that in President Obama's first public address he said he and his family wanted to adopt a mixed-breed rescued dog, we went right out and picked up Beba and her two siblings from a shelter parking lot. After Jane Velez-Mitchell aired a photo of Beba's on her show "Issues with Jane Velez-Mitchell," Beba catapulted to stardome in Puerto Rico. She was on several TV shows locally and featured in several newspapers.
But alas, Beba's White House lawn dreams are dashed as the First Family has their heart set on a Portuguese Water Dog (Hey, what kind of mixed-breed dog is that?). The good news is, though, that a very special family in New York City wants Beba! Soon Beba will be strutting her stuff in New York's upper west side where her new guardians have a boutique clothing store--and where dogs are most welcome!
Ahhhh. The good life.
Mika was living on Puerto Rico's notorious Dead Dog Beach. Amigos de los Animales planned to rescue Mika and Daly (the Dalmatian), but before we could, animal control swooped in and picked them up. Luckily, rescuers have a relationship with the nearby shelter where the dogs were taken and we were able to adopt back both Mika and Daly.
Mika is a Chow Chow mix and is very, very friendly. She was just treated for heartworm. Unfortunately, some of our pet-partnerships will not take Chow Chows, so we need to find an individual home or foster situation for her. Mika will be ready for her home in about three more weeks. For the time being she needs to rest from her injections.
Please email elizabeth_kracht@yahoo.com if you would like to adopt Mika. She will be up-to-date on all shots and will be spayed before she is adopted out. Mika is sure to warm the heart of any family or person willing to give her a forever home far away from Dead Dog Beach.
Amigos de los Animales' Elizabeth Kracht had one of the first weblogs in Puerto Rico that detailed the suffering of the animals in Puerto Rico. Her weblog, and now Adri's, has been a source of donations for the organization as well as a vehicle for spreading awareness of some of the animal welfare problems local rescuers face in Puerto Rico.
Amigos de los Animales encourages all rescue organizations local, stateside and around the world to embrace weblogs as a way to fundraise and raise awareness.
Adri's blog is always rescue related and will give you an idea of what is involved in animal rescue on a day to day basis. Take a look at Adri's webblog for rescue photos and to read what's happening in animal welfare in Puerto Rico:
http://pinonesbeachproject.blogspot.com
And don't forget Shanti's. She is no longer living in Puerto Rico but remains an active member of Amigos de los Animales and can answer some of your questions.
http://losmachossatos.blogspot.com
If you are a tourist visiting Puerto Rico (or have been), and would like to write to the local government where you witnessed abandoned or abused animals, click on this link and use the drop down menu for that municipality, and write directly to the Mayor governing there.
Alternatively, please write to one of the following agencies and ask them to shift some focus toward bringing about a humane Puerto Rico by working together with the many talented and creative rescue organizations and municipal shelters working toward that goal on the island:Amigos de los Animales is "shocked, but not surprised" by the tragic events that took place in the municipality of Barceloneta. This incident was not an isolated incident, contrary to what government and tourism officials would like us to believe. As an animal rescue organization with its hands in many pots, we have firsthand knowledge of how Puerto Rico operates in respect to animal welfare issues. Puerto Rico does not yet have a foundation with respect to animal welfare, sadly. And we hope the spotlight will continue to shine on this tragic event long enough for people to see that animals are being butchered and killed all over the island in much the same fashion as those tossed off the bridge in Barceloneta.
What really sets this tragic event apart from other horrible situations - like that of Dead Dog Beach in Yabucoa or Los Machos Beach in Ceiba - is that people's civil rights were violated. The Mayor of the municipality himself was knocking on doors and taking animals with one hand as he threatened eviction with the other. Children, whose parents weren't home, were told to hand over all animals or they and their parents would be tossed out on the street. While folks were sleeping "animal control officers" came into their yards and took their animals, some being injected on the spot. These are just a few of the things the people in Barceloneta experienced, not to mention the horror the dogs experienced (a few of which survived the fall and literally wear their sadness in their face).
Amigos de los Animales is committed to acting as a voice for the tragedy in Barceloneta, and for all animal welfare issues on the island in general. We are working closely with attorneys acting on behalf of the people and animals that have suffered, and are at the disposal of larger organizations looking to assist in the tragedy. For those looking to get involved in some way, we can accept PayPal donations and will distribute your contribution as you wish. You can also scroll down to the bottom of the page and write our Governor and the Tourism Company. Urge them to finally create a roundtable allowing rescue organizations to help them address animal welfare issues once and for all, so that Puerto Rico can have the image that they so desire, but won't ever have if they don't realize there is a problem. And please, specifically, make sure to mention that you won't visit Puerto Rico unless you see they are making an effort. We think these agencies don't understand that making an effort is a redeeming quality in the eyes of most people, and even the smallest effort on their part, would go a long way in the eyes of those whose vacations have been ruined because of animals they've come across, and those whose hearts have been broken because of what they've read or seen on TV.
Thank you so much for any support you can offer. We truly appreciate all help in any way it comes.
Hon. Luis Fortuno, GovernorNote: Unfortunately, this shelter and the municipal government of Arecibo could not get its act together and now refuses to work with rescuers. It has now become a 100% kill facility despite a combined best effort of local rescue groups, and animals are still being mistreated according to some. The shelter, its animals and some of its staff can be viewed in Jane Velez-Mitchell's two-part documentary above.
When Amigos heard that the soon-to-open municipal shelter in Arecibo didn't have money to feed the 80 dogs under its roof and had no vet in attendance of the dogs, we raised money for vaccinations, medication and supplies, and organized a vaccination day to vaccinate the dogs and catalog the dogs under the shelter's care. We also rescued 20 dogs from the shelter, some of which had serious health conditions. We also rescued two kittens from the shelter, the only two they had, who have since gone to St. Hubert's animal welfare for adoption. All of the dogs rescued from the shelter are in various stages of rehab, with one already adopted to Amigos diehard supporter Golden Glove champ Chrissy Beckles.
Things are cooking in Ceiba at Los Machos Beach. Star Amigos member Shanti Santulli has been going full force at Los Machos. In her short time with Amigos, she's rescued a number of dogs at the beach, which was not possible previously. Her dedication and capacity for organization has made her a true asset to the Amigos team.
Shanti has created this YouTube video with some of our rescues, and some of those needing a rescue, and is also keeping a weblog of the Los Machos Beach project:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21KaIGyf3oc
http:www.amigosdelosanimalespr.orghttp://losmachossatos.blogspot.com
Amigos de los Animales, Inc., is a licensed, nonprofit 501(c)3 corporation acting as a voice for the abandoned and abused animals on the island of Puerto Rico. Amigos de los Animales is dedicated to bringing about a humane Puerto Rico and we are not limited in our activities to further this cause. Amigos de los Animales rescues, rehabilitates and rehomes both companion and farm animals, and works with government and community alike to educate Puerto Rico on animal welfare issues. Amigos de los Animales is run 100% by volunteers, and we rely on the generous donations of people like you in order to be able to carry out our activities and continue our work.
Amigos de los Animales always has an array of dogs and cats for adoption. If you are interested in adopting an animal from Amigos de los Animales, please visit our pet page and see if there is a special companion there that might be just right for you or your family. If you do see your forever friend on our pet page, please contact us for an adoption application.
Click here for a list of pets at this shelter
