Hi Ellen!
I am also the lucky family member of a Sato dog. Her name is Keera and we've had her for 2 years and she is the sweetest little girl you could ever imagine! Her "sister" is Mollie a 12 year old MA shelter dog that's been with us for 11 years. We are blessed. When it's time to get another dog we will again go out of our way to get another Puerto Rican dog. At least we can help one dog at a time! Thanks for bringing attention to their plight!
Wenonah & Dennis in RI

I just want to say thank you to Ellen for bringing more public awareness to the tragic fate of so many of Puerto Rico's homeless dogs. I have three beautiful satos and they are the most incredible dogs. My first sato was rescued by my brother almost 5 years ago. He went to Mar Chaquita beach to swim and met a sweet malnourished dog full of mange. He just couldn't leave her there to die, which is what would have happened. Coco is a beautiful corgi mix who has come a long way since her days on the island. The following year we found Fiona. And the year after that we found Zoe who could not have been more than 4 weeks old near the side of a busy road. All three dogs are happy and healthy! They have given us so much joy and love. I couldn't imagine my life without them. For anyone who wants to adopt a dog, just go to Puerto Rico and bring one home.

Michelle Smith
Greenwich, CT

I am sorry I missed the show as I was out of the country. I also adopted a dog from "dead dog beach" last April. Our dalmatian Jillian, was rescued through the efforts of this group and Dalmatian Rescue in Miami. She was a few months old and rescued with her 2 sisters and another dalmatian "Rocco" who it seems was watching over the three little girls. Jillian was a scrawny (and scrappy) little dal who even at 3 months exhibited a lot of independence. We were lucky that she was one of the ones saved and she has made her home with us and our other Dals Buddy and Lucy who let her rule the roost. She is now a happy, healthy one year old who was able to "escape" the deplorable "dead dog beach". Thank you for bringing this issue to the forefront.

Wow! First of all...this was a great show. Thank God there are people like this who listen to their calling in life and change the lives of so many animals!!

If I could make a sugestion to Island dog...there are people like myself who would pay to have a dog shipped to us to care for. I only noted two dogs for adoption on their website!? Arent there lots that need help? Can you post pictures so people like myself could adopt?

I didn't see the show, but several people mentioned it to me. I work for an HSUS here and have 3 rescues: 2 pit bulls and one "Puerto Rican". The family over seas found her and fostered her. She is very small and similar to a coyote in color, and has been a great companion to my other 2. God Bless anyone who cares and uses their energy and effort to help stop suffering of the voiceless.

My husband and I have five dogs, three of them "satos" (slang for 'street dog' in Puerto Rico). Words cannot explain how special and exceptional these guys are - full of gratitude and love, and pure devotion. The best dogs ever. And if it weren't for awesome rescuers like Mr. McGarva they may well be dead. The joy these special dogs bring to one's life is for some reason unexplainably magical. God bless this great man and his wife for their tireless work. What a shame it is even necesary; the Puerto Rican gov't. ought to sit up and take this matter seriously in the form of humane education and firm punishment for abusers on the island.

I too met Steve in East Greenwich with his two beautiful dogs that he saved. I am a friend of Elena's and we were together when we met him and his rescued beauties.
It was so interesting talking to someone with such committment and passion for something that appears to be so rare in this material society,to meet a man who does have beautiful blue eyes ladies.....and to know that he was so much more than that, he is a gift from God for sure and his wife and he are doing remarkable work .
I loved the fact that we knew beforehand that he was going to be on the Ellen show it was exciting and very heartwarming to see such a gentle man on with someone like Ellen that wears her heart on her sleeve for animals as much as she does for humans. It was a beautiful segment and I hope that maybe your show will have him on again and see how your donation has helped his cause.
Keep up the wonderful work Steve and know that you are being rewarded for all that you do.
Hope we bump into you again on Main Street in East Greenwich.

Hey Kittygirl22,

Ellen's pet food company "Halo" donated $10,000 worth of food to Steve's cause. That will go such a long way...

I have been spreading the word via Facebook too, adding this link for people to check out Island Dog.

I was going to make a recommendation to Island Dog, if possible, that maybe if people who wanted to offer something to Ellen and Portia for the wedding could make a donation to the cause in their name.

I know people should donate for the cause itself, but it is a great way to thank Ellen for the exposure, so that this organization can get even more help.

Thank you Ellen, and Especially thank you Island Dog for the amazing acts of kindness you do every day for those animals.
I don't know too many people that would give up their down payment on a house to feed and shelter so many animals...

So lets do like the dogs and tell two friends, and so on, and so on....LOL

I first want to thank all of the people who have made and plan to make donations to Island Dog, Inc., Save a Sato and Second Chance Animal Rescue. Your donations will go long way to help the immediate need of the Satos of Puerto Rico. I am an independent rescuer located on the north east coast of Puerto Rico. I spend all of my own money in food, fostering, medical needs and transporting our Satos into loving homes in the US. If I didn't have the networking of Katie Block with Island Dog, Melodie Rios of ADLA with the Los Macho Project, Twig Mowatt and Edi Vazquez of Save a Sato, Regina Flores with Animals in Need and Ronda Cates Moran with Second Chance I could not have rescued as many dogs as I have. Thank you to you all and all of your hard work. Thank you to all of the wonderful, caring parents, and you know who you are, of our Satos who have created loving forever homes for Rico, Coco, Bonnie, Matty, Mojito, Nacho, Ellie Mae, Benny, Chompers, Stimpy, Bridget, Charlie, Mimi, Luquila, Duke, Sierra, Lucky, Annie, Possum Belly, Dean Martin, Pebbles plus countless others and to my own Sato Frida who helps in rehabilitating our fosters until we can find loving homes. Please keep the donations coming, every penny is so important. I've never met a dog as grateful as the Sato's to have a bowl of food (not garbage), fresh water (not puddles from the rain) and a comfy place (not a patch of wet grass) to lay their head at night without fear of being attacked. Please adopt our Sato's. The more adoptions we can make the more we can make room in our foster homes and shelters for the countless Sato's that need so much help. Ellen, your the best for getting Steve's story out there where it has touched millions of people and where it will make a difference, if just one dog at a time.

Dear Ellen,

Thank you for having Steve on your show. I too had read the article in People last month and it touched my heart as I am an animal lover. But I have an even more personal reason for feeling touched by his story.

Last summer I went to shelter in NJ, St. Hubert's to adopt a kitten. I fell in love with not one but two kittens and decided to adopt both. When I was handed the paperwork I realized that for one of the cats, everything was in spanish. The worker at the shelter told me about Dead Dog Beach. She explained that a few times a year St. Hubert's flies downt o Puerto Rico to bring dogs back to the states. She said that the last time they had gone down they got some cats as well. It was then that I discovered that I was adopting a cat that may have been feral and had once lived on the beaches of PR. I decided to name him Rico, after his birthplace, but after learning about Steve I think that I should have named him after the person that may have had a hand in saving his life and getting him to the states. If it weren't for Steve I may never have had this wonderful cat in my life!

I hope he knows that what he is doing is such admirable work and he is helping to return joy to the lives of many animals. He is also helping to bring joy to the lives of the people who adopt them.

:) Jen (and Rico!)

(Rico is on the left)