We are going to Puerto Rico!
We intend to start 2018 with a bang, so we’re excited to announce that we’re heading to Puerto Rico in just two weeks!
Teaming up with the Puerto Rico Dog Fund, both OTAT Chicago and OTAT Portland will join forces for our first ever joint relief trip, sending nearly 30 volunteers to help in continued recovery efforts from Hurricane Maria.
Checks donations can be mailed to:
One Tail at a Time
2020 N. California, Ste. 7, #152
Chicago, IL 60647
OUR MISSION:
OUR MISSION WILL BE TWOFOLD: A MOBILE STERILIZATION CLINIC AND SHELTER REBUILD. With the stray dog population reaching critical mass, it’s vital to the sustainability of caring for the animals that already exist that no more (or as little as possible) be born. But with resources and infrastructure scarce, spay and neuter programs are difficult to organize, establish and execute with regularity. We intend to use our funds, experience and manpower to help as many dogs as we can while we’re there.
THE BIGGER, MORE ARDUOUS BUT LONGER LASTING PROJECT IS A SHELTER REBUILD OF ST. ASSIS ANIMAL SANCTUARY IN CABO ROJO. Currently home to mostly seniors and other dogs deemed “unadoptable” who rarely make it out of the shelter once they enter, but open to all animals, the sanctuary has been operating out of an abandoned building without electricity or running water. They had over 40 dogs abandoned at the shelter just this month alone.
The day Hurricane Maria touched down, the woman who manages St. Assis drove to the shelter with a mattress strapped to her car and dragged it to the second story where all the animals had been moved due to flooding. She spent the night with them despite the 155mph winds in what turned out to be the 8th strongest storm in Atlantic history. Water levels rose, submerging the entire lower level of (luckily) empty kennels, but the already-struggling shelter was left in even worse shape than it was before.
The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) has implemented a Sister Shelter Program, which pairs local shelters in Puerto Rico with established shelters in the continental U.S. in a mentorship role that benefits the island’s small, local shelters. But in order to be considered for this program, Puerto Rico shelters must meet certain HSUS standards. AND ALTHOUGH ST. ASSIS IS RUN BY HARDWORKING, DEDICATED AND CARING HUMANS, ITS PHYSICAL CONDITION DOES NOT CURRENTLY MEET THOSE STANDARDS, SO OUR GOAL IS TO CHANGE THAT AND HELP EVEN MORE DOGS GET INTO THE GOOD LIFE.
BUT WE CAN’T DO ANY OF IT WITHOUT YOUR HELP. Our goals are ambitious, but we know that the support from our community is comparable to none and that the OTAT family will show up for these dogs in need.
FROM THE TOOLS AND MATERIALS THIS HUGE UNDERTAKING WILL REQUIRE TO THE DOGS BOTH BRANCHES OF OTAT INTEND ON BRINGING BACK TO OUR RESPECTIVE CITIES, THERE IS A LOT OF WORK TO DO AND WE CAN’T WAIT TO GET STARTED.