1 Coalition. 28 Organizations. 52,000 animals reached.
** Please note that all future Spayathon clinics have officially been canceled due to the pandemic. However, our spay/neuter community voucher program is still open. Click here to learn more.
What happens when 28 local, national, and international organizations band together in an unprecedented show of support for the people and pets of Puerto Rico? Lasting change and history is made.
The Spayathon for Puerto Rico was a high-quality, high-volume spay/neuter (HQHVSNV) initiative spearheaded by The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS). The initiative was launched in the spring of 2018 with the goal of altering over 30,000 dogs and cats in underserved communities across the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico in a single year. Through a series of four rounds of week-long free clinics throughout the island, every pet was treated to a spay/neuter surgery and given a round of essential vaccinations, such rabies and leptospirosis. All of these services were provided at no cost to the pet owner and every pet also went home with a new leash, collar, bag of food, and other supplies. At the conclusion of Round 4 in May 2019, the Spayathon Coalition treated 34,334 animals, far surpassing its original goal. The community demand for these services was so high that the initiative has was extended for an additional six rounds of free clinics over the next two years. Round 6 was completed in February 2020, bringing the total number of animals reached across the island to 52,171. This historic effort also provided high-quality, high-volume spay/neuter training for Puerto Rico veterinarians to increase the number of veterinarians on the island who can implement the high-quality, high-volume spay/neuter services.
The Sato Project was incredibly proud to be a part of this historic first-of-its-kind coalition that contributed to permanent change for the animals and people of Puerto Rico and set a precedent for how to address a widespread stray animal crisis. The Sato Project was the Ground Team for the Southeast sector of the island. For our section, we were responsible for handling all community outreach and registration, organizing additional vet techs, volunteers, and handling all of the daily logistics for the HQHVSNV services. Through all six rounds of the initiative, our team successfully facilitated the spaying/neutering and vaccinating of 5,816 dogs and cats.
For every animal that was treated, thousands of more animals were prevented from being born in unwanted circumstances and suffering in the streets.
To meet some of the people and pets whose lives we were able to change through this initiative, see the links below for recaps of each Spayathon round:
Round 1: June 3-9, 2018 (5,608 animals treated)
Round 2: November 3-9, 2018 (9,964 animals treated)
Round 3: February 3-9, 2019 (8,513 animals treated)
Round 4: May 3-9, 2019 (8,568 animals treated)
Round 5: November 2-7, 2019 (7,223 animals treated)
Round 6: February 21-26, 2020 (8,276 animals treated)
Spayathon services have officially been canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In the meantime, The Sato Project team is working hard to apply everything we learned to future programs aimed at picking up where Spayathon has left off. Since Spayathon’s cancellation, our team has vaccinated over 1,800 dogs through three completely free community vaccine clinics and is continuing to expand our low-cost or free community spay/neuter voucher program.
None of these programs would be possible without the support of our community. Would you like to join us in creating permanent change for the animals of Puerto Rico? Click on the button below to donate directly toward these efforts.
