A few weeks ago, I was going about my day when I heard a faint whimpering coming from a nearby warehouse. Inside, I was heartbroken to find two small puppies, no older than a few weeks, struggling to lick what water they could scrounge from a rusty leaking pipe — their mother nowhere to be found. They, like hundreds of thousands of other stray dogs in Puerto Rico, were abandoned and left to die by people who could not or would not care for them.

Knowing they wouldn’t last long without help, and that someone somewhere would be eager to give these struggling, beautiful puppies a home, I knew I had to do something. Today, not even a month later, Winston and Minnie, now happy and healthy, are each brightening the lives of their two new loving families in suburban Connecticut, where they will continue to do so for the rest of their lives.

There are hundreds of thousands of stray and abandoned dogs in Puerto Rico right now, puppies who, like Winston and Minnie, have been left in some abandoned warehouse to starve, or stranded on a desolate beach somewhere, or dumped on the side of the road. This is the reality for so many desperate dogs right now --- but it doesn't have to be. Like Winston and Minnie, these stranded dogs can be given healthy, caring, loving homes stateside. But we need your help to make this happen.

Rescuing these dogs --- giving them proper veterinarian treatment, providing them temporary housing, and transporting them to their new families in the states --- costs a lot of money. Any and all donations would be greatly appreciated and would go a long way toward helping these pups find loving families; no contribution is too small. Thank you so much for your help and awareness of this growing issue.

All donations will immediately go to the 501(c)(3) charity Palmas Animal Welfare (PAW).