Every year, tourists flock to Puerto Rico for its beautiful beaches, gorgeous natural scenery, and vibrant culture. Yet, despite the island being a paradise for many, it has its issues. Currently, Puerto Rico – like many places throughout the world – is struggling with an abundance of stray animals. The Humane Society of Puerto Rico estimates that there are more than 500,000 stray dogs and over a million stray cats on the island, according to The Animal Rescue Site.
As the people of Puerto Rico face continued economic hardships and natural disasters, this issue is likely to continue without intervention. Fortunately, there are many ways that you can help support these animals in need and give back to Puerto Rico.
Support Spaying and Neutering Initiatives in Puerto Rico
Because the number of stray cats and dogs has grown significantly, simply rescuing feral animals and adopting them out – while crucial – is no longer enough to curb the issue. To significantly improve this problem in the long term, the spaying and neutering of cats and dogs (both feral and in homes) is necessary. Fortunately, several organizations in Puerto Rico provide these important services at low to no cost.
The Sato Project – “sato” is the Puerto Rican term for “street dog” – provides vouchers for spaying and neutering dogs, as well as vaccination and microchipping. You can directly support The Sato Project’s spay/neuter, vaccination, and microchip initiatives here: thesatoproject.org/snvm-donate.
Save A Gato is an organization that cares for feral cats in Old San Juan by adopting out friendly cats and kittens and through Trap-Neuter-Return programs for cats that are not suitable for adoption. Old San Juan’s cat colonies are beneficial for rodent control, and sterilizing these feral cats helps ensure that they can continue to play this useful role without becoming an issue themselves. You can support Save A Gato’s initiatives here: www.saveagato.com/donate.
The Humane Society of Puerto Rico provides affordable spay/neuter services for pet cats and dogs, as well as Trap-Neuter-Return services for feral cats. You can support the Humane Society of Puerto Rico by donating here: www.hspr.org/donacion-en-linea.
Give Financial Support to Puerto Rican Shelters
In addition to the organizations previously mentioned, there are numerous animal shelters throughout the island working to support Puerto Rico’s stray and surrendered cats, dogs, and other animals. Below are some organizations in and around Rincon, Puerto Rico that support stray animals.
Defensa Animal de Puerto Rico: Located in Rincon, Puerto Rico, Defensa Animal de Puerto Rico assists in finding homes for cats, dogs, and horses, and the organization also helps with sterilization and veterinary care. You can learn more about Defensa Animal de Puerto Rico and how you can help here: defensaanimaldepuertorico.org/.
Villa Michelle: An animal shelter in Mayaguez, Villa Michelle is one of the few shelters on the west side of the island. Unfortunately, due to the abundance of stray cats and dogs in Puerto Rico, Villa Michelle humanely euthanizes animals that are not adopted within a certain amount of time. Learn more about Villa Michelle and how you can support this shelter here: www.villamichelle.net/donate.
Santuario de Animales San Francisco de Asís: The Santuario de Animales San Francisco de Asís is an animal shelter located in Cabo Rojo, and it is one of the few shelters on the island that does not euthanize animals due to lack of space or length of time awaiting adoption. The shelter also has community programs to educate people on responsible pet ownership and, through the Alas de Amor program, helps animals that are not promptly adopted in Puerto Rico find homes in the United States. To support the Santuario de Animales San Francisco de Asís, donate here: sasfapr.org/donate/.
Consider Adopting a Pet from Puerto Rico
If you have the capacity to adopt a cat or dog, consider adopting a rescued animal from Puerto Rico. Numerous organizations have cats and dogs available for adoption from the island that can either be adopted in Puerto Rico and brought back with you to the United States or sent to shelters in the United States for adoption. Save A Gato allows individuals to adopt a cat while in Puerto Rico and provides resources and information on bringing cats to the United States. The Sato Project sends rescued dogs to New York and New Jersey where they either meet with a family that has already adopted them or are sent to shelter partners or foster homes. While adoption is only a small part of solving Puerto Rico’s stray animal crisis, it is still a crucial component in helping these animals in need.
While you enjoy all that Puerto Rico has to offer, consider supporting the island’s stray animals as a way of giving back. When you visit Rincon, you can connect with many of these organizations and learn more about all of the work they do.
For a great, unforgettable vacation in Puerto Rico, book your stay with Maria’s. When you’re ready to stay with us, booking is done through Twin Palms, Maria’s rental, and onsite management. Please visit our booking page on this website to view the availability of Maria’s and fill out our convenient contact form. If you have any additional questions regarding Maria’s, you may call Elizabeth at 787-685-6648 (español: Cristina at 787-449-3673).
My husband and I had our wedding and reception at Maria’s. We rented the property for three days/nights. We wanted to make our destination wedding as accessible as possible for our family and friends. Maria’s was the perfect place. Twelve of our closest friends and family shared the house. I was so impressed that Maria’s had everything we needed, even little things like laundry detergent.