Reduce the number of homeless suffering dogs and cats in Puerto Rico through increased rescue and improved pet adoption outcomes.
With our NY Tri-State Area and Puerto Rico volunteer network* of:
We provide medical care, socialization, and temporary (foster) homes, until these dogs and cats are matched and placed into permanent homes. Then we offer ongoing consultation support to ensure continued success of our adoptions.
* Our organization has no paid employees. In support of our volunteer network and communities, we do sometimes accept local surrenders and over-flow dogs and cats from other shelters in the NY Tri-State area and Southern US.
In our first 5 years, we’ve been able to rescue over 600 dogs and cats. We strive to rescue even more, through your generous contributions.
The Rescue was founded in 2019 by Melissa Smith and her son, Jake Leo, after visiting Puerto Rico and seeing that the island was inundated with stray, neglected and abandoned animals. On the last day of their vacation, they met a woman who was feeding stray dogs. They immediately wanted to keep three of the dogs but had no idea how they were going to get them home. Eventually, they got back to New York with the dogs and Melissa Smith began devising a plan to save the strays of Puerto Rico with one of her coworkers, Kylie McCarron. Thus, Hope for Dogs/Cats PR was born.
While the challenges are significant, the more animals that are rescued and adopted, the more the rescue is helping and affecting change. Running a rescue is not a money making operation. For the founders and volunteers of the rescue, it is a true passion. For Melissa Smith the rewards are twofold. On the one hand, it is about helping animals, but on the other, it is also about helping humans, specifically the local people in Puerto Rico who are on the front lines dealing with the sick, abused, and neglected animals. The sheer number and deplorable conditions of the stray and abandoned animals takes an emotional toll on the rescuers and it is rewarding to not only help the dogs and cats of Puerto Rico, but also the people. Rescuers routinely come across animals that have been poisoned, shot, or severely harmed in cruel and unthinkable ways. One rescuer has noted that some days she dreads leaving her house for fear of finding animals in unimaginable and gut wrenching situations. Much of the satisfaction lies in the fact that oftentimes total strangers come together for one common cause and succeed in rehabilitating and finding loving homes for animals that would have perished on the streets.
Melissa has spent 29 years as a dedicated school counselor, guiding students with compassion and care. Her journey as an animal rescuer began much earlier – when she rescued her very first dog, Sara, in 8th grade. From that moment on, helping animals became a lifelong calling.
Today, Melissa lives on a small farm surrounded by her rescue family: a horse, donkey, mule, steer, a host of beloved Satos, and three resident rescue cats. Her home reflects her deep devotion to giving second chances to animals in need.
Passionate, empathetic, and deeply committed, Melissa embodies the heart of Hope for Dogs and Cats PR. A life-changing trip to Puerto Rico in 2019 with her son, Jake, became the spark that ignited the rescue. What started as getting lost on the island turned into fate – meeting Maria, a local woman on her feeding route, and rescuing three small dogs by secretly bringing them into their hotel, arranging veterinary care, and securing their flights to safety. From that moment, Melissa knew this was her life’s mission. Hope for Dogs and Cats PR was born out of her determination to rescue, educate, and advocate for animals – one life at a time.
Jake is completing his studies in <field> at <institution> and is actively engaged in all aspects of running the Rescue.
TBD
