Month: October 2013

I am, as you can see, a small (and short) front-leg tripawd.I’ve never had a harness, but I have sprained a back leg twice in the past year, once after falling on the stairs, once after slipping on the ice.
As winter approaches New England and I have months of slippery going to look forward to, I’m wondering if a harness would help and offer some support from above in tricky situations, including stairs, some of which I just won’t try.
All thoughts and suggestions are welcome and appreciated.
Thanks in advance, Chuck (I’m feeling more like Chuck than Sato Charlie today.)

All tripawds have stories to tell, many of a disease that has challenged them and cost them a leg. Mine’s a little different.

I was a sato, slang for a Puerto Rican street dog. There are an estimated 100,000 to 250,000 satos living (and dying) there. Backyard breeders, poor spay/neuter rates and few shelters all contribute to our plight.

But I’m one of the lucky ones. Someone called Save A Sato one Christmas Eve to report a dead dog in a ditch in a San Juan neighborhood. Enter my personal angel, Leilani, who came to get me and saw my eyes open. She brought me to Save A Sato, an amazing all-volunteer organization that has saved thousands like me.

I had my leg amputated and stayed there for about 6 months, under the loving care of Gloria, the star who runs the shelter. Humans, not disease, cost me my leg.

Satos often have never seen the inside of a house, worn a collar, been put on a leash. We have more than physical damage to overcome. But I lucked out again and was flown to Massachusetts, where another amazing angel, Marianna, took care of me and helped get me ready to find a home.

Luckily for my family, in another 6 months or so, I chose them. I am not the most trusting dog, but when I choose people, I am forever loyal. Three years later, I reunited with Leilani here and, let me tell you, I have never forgotten she saved my life.

There are lots of satos just like me, waiting to be saved from the streets or taken from Dead Dog Beach, and ready to bring lots of love to families who can forgive our fear and accept who we are.

I belong to both the tripawd community and the sato world, which has plenty of tripawds, too.

Check out this video (starring Gloria) of the amazing work Save A Sato does.

I’m Sato Charlie, a former San Juan street dog. I was left for dead in a ditch and rescued on Christmas Eve by the amazing people from Save A Sato.

They called me Jesus, but I changed my name after I made it to the mainland and into my forever home.

I’m small, but tough, probably a rat terrier-Chihuahua-Dachshund mix.

I left my front leg and a piece of my heart in Puerto Rico. I am a strong advocate for spay/neuter, satos and, of course, tripawds.

Let’s say I’m the alpha dog in my household, which includes Stella, a four-legged goofball rescue from West Virginia who’s three times my size, but knows who’s in charge.