Sayulita Life’s $5,000 August Donation Recipient*: SayulitAnimals–

This month Sayulita Life has chosen to donate to SayulitAnimals– a non-profit animal welfare organization in Sayulita focused on assisting rescuers who find stray animals, reducing overpopulation of stray cats and dogs in Sayulita, and providing foster homes / assisting in the adoption of abandoned animals. During these difficult times with Covid-19, SayulitAnimals has been struggling to afford to pay for their free spay/neuter program they provide to our community, and have had difficulty in maintaining their permanent spay/neuter clinic. Sayulita Life’s cash donation will go directly toward assisting these causes. Others can help get involved too! Read more to find out about SayulitAnimals’ overall mission, and about how you can help get involved and donate to their cause.

When was SayulitAnimals first founded, and what is the mission or vision for the organization? 

SayulitAnimals first opened its doors in February of 2009. It was originally founded by Upi Vitteri, Tamara Edwards, Cherrie Olson, and myself, Sara. Our vision was to help Sayulita become a more pet-friendly town. Our mission is to reduce overpopulation of pets with our weekly spay/neuter clinic, to help street animals in need of medical care through our medical aid program, and to find loving homes for abandoned animals through our adoption assistance program. We are an organization that wants to help and ensure the safety of all cats and dogs in our community. 

What will Sayulita Life’s donation go toward purchasing, or how will it help your organization? 

The donation from Sayulita Life will go directly towards funding our spay/neuter program, as well as assist in paying for the maintenance of our permanent spay/neuter clinic. 

What are some ways that SayulitAnimals helps the community of Sayulita? 

SayulitAnimals offers completely free spay/neutering for animals every Wednesday of the week. We hired two local vets to perform the sterilizations, and we are able to fix up to 30 animals each week. We are NOT  however a veterinary clinic, and other than spay/neuter, we do not tend to all medical needs of pets; we focus solely on strays or abandoned animals. 

With eleven years of constant hard work on our end, I am proud to say that Sayulita is nearly free of stray animals roaming around on our streets. I have seen a huge improvement in our pueblo in regards to the fact that we no longer have begging dogs in restaurants, and no more puppies or sick dogs suffering alone on the beaches. 

What support does SayulitAnimals need right now, and how can others help? 

Our merchandise booth (the Kennel) by Hotel Central has been closed for the last four months due to the Covid pandemic. The donations we have been receiving at the Kennel has been funding the spay/neuter program as well as the clinic upkeep. However, what we most need right now during these uncertain times and for our future are cash donations to be able to afford the weekly free spay/neuter clinic. Online donations are also very welcome and appreciated. Anyone wanting to help can donate via PayPal to: contact@sayulitanimals.org, or can use the “donation” button on our website. Since we are not an animal shelter, we are in constant need of foster homes for our rescued dogs and cats. Another way to help is to please consider becoming a foster parent to a loving cat or dog! I promise you that it is a very rewarding experience. 

Is there anything else you would like readers to know about SayulitAnimals?

I would like for readers to know just how grateful we are for all of the support we have been receiving from the community of Sayulita, as well as from visitors. It is easy to forget about animals during these times when many people, families, and economies are struggling and in need, so we deeply appreciate the ways that people are opening their hearts to help provide support to animals that are in need as well. 

To read more about SayulitAnimals, please visit their Sayulita Life Web Page. To make an online donation, visit their website. If you are in the Sayulita area and would like to make a cash donation, you can do so directly at their location. 

*Since its founding in 2004, SayulitaLife.com has been dedicated to giving back to the community of Sayulita. In our 15th year as a company, Sayulita Life has created the “Giving Fund”, where we have pledged to donate $5,000 pesos EVERY MONTH to a local charity or cause. Read more at https://www.sayulitalife.com/giving-back.

*Written by: Aanya Sheikh-Taheri