A New Partnership Brings Satos a Safe Haven in Florida

All Sato Rescue is privileged to have some truly exceptional friends….many of these kind people have come into our orbit after adopting one of our rescues. This was the case with Gary and Joyce Kreppel, who opened their home to a memorable Sato named Chopin back in 2001. A chocolate lab/dobbie mix, Chopin had been abandoned in an old squatters’ enclave that lies between San Juan’s two historic Spanish forts, which are some of the most famous tourist destinations on the island.

We sent Chopin to Buddy Dog Humane Society in Sudbury, Mass. and when the Kreppels met him there, they knew immediately that this special dog was meant to be part of their family. They soon fell into a family routine that, for Chopin, involved going on car rides of any length, taking long walks with Gary, and basking in the sun wherever he could find it. Chopin developed a formidable bond with Gary: whenever he was due home from work, Chopin would begin his vigil, waiting and listening for the sound of the car, then heading to the door to perform duties as the resident welcoming committee.

They had eight and a half years together, before cancer felled this noble creature in September 2009. (Click here to read Gary’s lovely tribute to his best friend.) Since Chopin’s passing, the Kreppels have been searching for a way to appropriately honor his spirit…..and not long ago, they came up with a doozie!

From their winter home in Florida, Gary reached out to the local shelter, the Humane Society of Naples, to see if it might be interested in finding homes for some of the cutest, most charismatic big-eared, low-riders on the planet….Naturally, we are talking about Satos!

HSNaples is a wonderful no-kill shelter that also runs a full service veterinary clinic and finds homes for about 2000 dogs and cats every year. The shelter often takes in dogs that have been rescued from horrific hoarding situations.

Under Gary’s recommendation, the kind staff at Naples gave us a chance. That was in December of last year when we sent them six puppies. Gary drove all the way from Naples to Miami to pick them up.

Those Satos were pretty popular. Within just a few weeks, they had all gone to their forever homes. Based on that success, the Humane Society accepted another transport and then another, and within no time at all, a total of 26 lucky former Puerto Rican canines now call Southwest Florida home. That's a lot of happy endings.

We are honored—and very blessed--to have this wonderful new shelter as a partner in our network, just as we are so grateful to Gary and Joyce for taking these extraordinary steps to give new lives to so many dogs who have suffered so much. And, most of all, we thank—and honor—Chopin, whose gentle spirit set this whole amazing chain of events in motion.