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Tagged: “shelter rebuild”

Latest on the Shelter Rebuild

Latest on the Shelter Rebuild

We are so happy to inform that Phase 2 of the Shelter Rebuild is well underway! For those that did not read our post on Phase 1 of the rebuild, we began renovations soon after Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico. The natural disaster caused the rebuild to move up on our priority list.

Phase 1 involved resealing the roof to prevent further water damage; removing and reinstalling new gating throughout the Shelter, including the gates of the dog runs; and replacing the coverings for the front and back patio. All this was possible with funding from the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals ® (ASPCA) and PEDIGREE Foundation ®.

With our beautiful new gating installed, we needed to do some construction and aesthetic updates as soon as possible! Without much of a breather, we quickly moved on to focus on Phase 2, which was made possible by a shelter rebuild grant awarded by the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), International.

Moving through Phase 2

First, we repaired and improved on the roof of the interior and exterior of the shelter. This involved fixing the rebar, which had been damaged over time and had worsened with water damage, repatching cement on the ceilings and walls, and installing new fans to make sure the pups were properly ventilated. Below are some of the photos during the construction.

There was a lot of drilling going on for days at a time, but the doggies took it like champs. They got along great with the construction workers as well.
After the work was done, we felt all felt much safer.

Next, all that repatching needed to be painted! The shelter had not been painted in 8 years, so the job was long overdue. We turned to Sherwin Williams, who generously donated six large buckets of paint: 2 bright white, 2 beige and 2 of our favorite color—blue (of course)!

sherwin williams
Adri with Manuel Maldonado, the manager of the Sherwin Williams store in Los Colobos, Carolina which donated the paint and paint supplies.

Over the course of three weekends, Americorps NCCC volunteers painted the interior of the shelter a bright white. The new paint makes the interior of the shelter more alive and welcoming.

Next, we started on preparing the outside for painting, which was more of a task. First, we pressure-washed the interior patio to get rid of the dirt and peeling paint. But this was not enough. When we started scrapping off the remaining paint, the scrapping would not stop, we just kept pulling off more and more paint! Plus, sometimes the paint would stick to the cement and pulling it off was a grueling job.

We soon learned this was no regular painting job for volunteers. But we did our best!

Lucky for us, Terminix came to the rescue, hiring personnel to finish the job. The patio and remaining walls were pressure washed again with stronger equipment. (By the way, the Terminix team also donates graciously by coming to the shelter once a month to fumigate, which keeps our dogs and shelter pest-free). Now, we can also thank the company and its President Mark Kitchenman for the some much-needed home improvement work.

Mark Kitchenman, President of Terminix, getting in the corners

And with such a blue and beautiful shelter, it is an absolute necessity to keep it secure. Terminix has also donated additional LED lighting as well as motion-activated security lighting to install throughout the shelter. However, first, we need to figure out some electrical issues we are having, and which have exacerbated since the hurricane. We are waiting for estimates from a licensed electrician to take care of the issues. We know it will be expensive, but it is needed.

Adri and Mark
Adri with Mark and the donated security lights.

We want to again thank SPCA International for donating the majority of the funds that made Phase 2 of the rebuild possible. SPCA International was founded in the United States in 2006, and has the mission to advance the safety and well-being of animals. SPCA International has assisted over 313 animal shelters and rescue groups around the world, and helped spay and neuter thousands of animals. The organization strives to with the impact made by independent shelters through alliance building, information networking, and national and international programs. 

Last, but hardly least, no Amigos de los Animales post is complete without pictures of our pups, all taken by our visiting photographer Dominik Fleischmann! Here are a few of our buddies, all for adoption:

Shelter Rebuild: One year after Hurricane Maria

Shelter Rebuild: One year after Hurricane Maria

By Natasha San Miguel, ADLA volunteer

It’s almost the anniversary of Hurricane Maria, and Amigos de los Animales (ADLA) is diligently working to finish rebuilding its dog shelter after the devastating effects of the hurricane that hit Puerto Rico on September 20, 2017, and, according to news reports, resulted in the deaths of over 4,500 Island residents and the disappearance of an unknown amount of stray dogs and cats.

Hurricane Maria threatens the lives of ADLA’s rescue dogs

Located in the beach town of Piñones, Loiza, ADLA’s shelter was hit hard by Maria:

“I stayed at the Shelter during the Hurricane and it was horrible. I thought our roof was going to blow off. The Shelter would have been completely destroyed if not for the boards we put up to protect the windows. The dogs were all freaked out; they didn’t know what was going on,”

says Shelter Director Adrienne Galler Lastra, who has lived at the Shelter for over 10 years and cared for the thousands of dogs rehabilitated be ADLA.

The Shelter houses approximately 60 to 70 stray and abandoned dogs at any given time and the Hurricane left the structure in such a shambles the organization was unsure it would be able to continue rescuing. ADLA either had to come up with a way to rebuild, or the shelter would have to shut down. Some of the destruction consisted of the gates surrounding the Shelter being ripped from their hinges and for months following the hurricane, gates were held up with rope and plastic ties.

shelter rebuild

The hinges could not withstand the force of the Hurricane and gates were being held together by rope. At any time, the rope could have given way and the dogs would have been able to escape the patio of the shelter.

 

gates prior to rebuild

These gates separated the runs from the patio. It was becoming very hard for shelter staff and volunteers to move from the patio to the runs and dogs were at risk of injury from protruding metal screen edges.

 

The coverings of the back and front patio were also ripped off by the wind, as was the tin lining covering the dog runs. The ceiling of the interior of the shelter leaked every time it rained, and the sand brought in from the beach clogged the drainage system in the back.

All over the Shelter the ceiling had begun to deteriorate and after the rains during and following the Hurricane desperately needed a rebar treatment and repatching.

 

back part of shelter drainage

The rebuild begins

In December 2017, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals ® (ASPCA) awarded $10,000 to ADLA to put towards rebuilding the Shelter and preventing further damage. Early 2018, PEDIGREE Foundation ® awarded an additional $2,500 for the Rebuild. These funds were instrumental in completing Phase I of the Rebuild: which involved sealing the roof to prevent further damage by rainfall; removing and reinstalling new gating throughout the Shelter; and replacing the covers of the coverings for the front and back patio. The funds also provided for replacing the gates of the runs, along with the tin roofing on the runs which protects the dogs from the sun and rain.

“Thanks to the generous grants we received from ASPCA and Pedigree, we were able to continue to allocate our regular funding towards saving the animals, which was especially important during this time of real need for the community of Loiza and Piñones Beach, and the stray dogs roaming our town.” says Adri.

front porch reconstruction

Front Porch after Rebuild. The carton was replaced as well as some of the wood which had rotted from the moisture.

 

About ADLA and its location

Piñones Beach is a popular beach and weekend hangout for Puerto Ricans. It is also a very low-income neighborhood (with the majority of the population living under the poverty level), and a famous dumping ground for unwanted dogs.

“People think that because they leave the dogs on a beach, and there are kiosks and restaurants all over, and people coming and going, the dogs will get by; some might even hope their dog will get picked them up. But these animals are meant to be cared for as companions, they can’t get by on their own.” Adri continued: “Here, the perception of companion animals is slowly changing. In a way, the media attention Puerto Rico has received since Hurricane Maria has been a blessing for the animals. Not only are more pets being rescued, but people are watching it happen; it’s being broadcast. By witnessing the effort organizations and individuals are willing to put into rescuing, people are realizing these animals are worth it.”

kids on beach with Adri

These are some Piñones residents on the beach with ADLA’s Shelter Director Adri and her service dog Cinderella. Adri regularly visits the beach with Cinderella and usually another well-socialized rescue dogs to teach the young children about proper pet care.

 

Thanks to the grant support, ADLA has been able to continue its mission of rescuing and rehoming stray dogs (some of these extremely abused). Everyday, there are new dogs roaming the streets and the hurricane has exacerbated the situation. Many residents left the Island or lost their house, resulting in the abandonment of their pets. ADLA has rescued close to 200 dogs since the hurricane.

Micah

This is Micah. Micah was rescued on the road that runs along Piñones Beach. He had an old burn wound on his side probably from an acid or grease burn. Micah spent about 2 months at the Shelter before he was transported to New Hampshire by Hearts and Tails Animal Alliance.

 

Manchitas Puppies

These are Manchita’s puppies. Manchita is owned by a homeless woman, and was pregnant but could not give birth. ADLA took Manchita to the vet where a cesarean was performed. Manchita’s 10 babies were bottlefed from birth and at approximately 3 months of age flew to a sister shelter in the United States. In this photo, they are sleeping with their pet gorilla. Their mom Manchita was returned to her owner.

Continuing to Rebuild

The second phase of the Shelter Rebuild is currently underway and involves construction on the ceiling, electrical circuits damaged by the storm, as well as repainting: “We will still lose electricity from time to time, and this damages our circuitry,” Galler-Lastra explained. “We still don’t know the extent of the damage or the full cost of repairs. Yet we are so blessed not have so far been spared of hurricanes or serious storms this year.”

ADLA is looking for volunteers and donations to complete the second phase of the Rebuild. For those interested in contributing funds or services contact info@amigosdelosanimalespr.org. Donations can be given online or sent by mail to HC 2 Box 7622, Loiza, Puerto Rico 00772.

About the PEDIGREE Foundation

Formed in 2008 by the makers of PEDIGREE ® food for dogs, the PEDIGREE ® Foundation is an independent 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to helping dogs in need find loving homes by supporting the good work of shelters and dog rescue organizations throughout the country. Through no fault of their own, more than four million dogs end up in shelters and rescue organizations every year, and nearly half of them never find a place to call homes. For more information on how you can support the foundation visit https://www.pedigreefoundation.org/.

About the ASPCA®

Founded in 1866, the ASPCA® (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®) is the first animal welfare organization in North America and serves as the nation’s leading voice for animals. More than two million supporters strong, the ASPCA’s mission is to provide effective means for the prevention of cruelty to animals throughout the United States. As a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation, the ASPCA is a national leader in the areas of anti-cruelty, community outreach and animal health services. For more information, visit https://www.ASPCA.org, and follow the ASPCA on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.