As an experienced shelter photographer I have volunteered at Amigos de los Animales multiple times.
Located in the beautiful Piñones beach area of Puerto Rico, the shelter is a short drive from Old San Juan. Despite its popularity as a tourist destination an estimated 600,000 stray dogs roam the island at any given time.
Adrienne Galler Lastra runs the shelter out of her home, and I am always impressed with her sacrifice and dedication to rescue work. AMDLA rescues, rehabilitates and re homes dogs both in Puerto Rico and to the mainland USA. Their work also includes community outreach teaching humanitarian treatment of animals and sponsoring low cost spay and neuter clinics locally.
Of course AMDLA accepts volunteers and operates shelter cleanup days every Saturday. Both volunteers and visitors are able to participate in beach walks with the shelter dogs scheduled four days a week. This activity is very popular among tourists as they can help out while enjoying exercising the dogs along the beach path.
The dogs are always well fed, kept in clean kennels, medically treated as needed, and socialized often.
Rescue work is very difficult in Puerto Rico, AMDLA deserves much needed support with help fulfilling their mission.
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As a travel and documentary photographer, I have traveled over the world to document the plight of street dogs and the organizations that work for their behalf.
The people that dedicate their lives to the care and rescue of stray dogs never fail to amaze me and earn my highest respect. Adrienne Galler Lastra is one of those heroic people.
As the Shelter director of Amigos de los Animales, she runs the operation from her home in Pinones beach, Puerto Rico. The shelter is funded by corporate and private donations, and usually harbors around 70 dogs rescued from the streets of the island.
Adrienne works 24/7 to provide a safe living space for her rescued dogs and adapts them out to no-kill shelters on the mainland U.S. whenever possible.
My time I spent with ADLA included photographing volunteers participating in the weekly shelter clean up and dog walk on the beach. I also accompanied Adrienne to transport several dogs to the airport for a flight to a no kill shelter, most had already been adopted.
I can personally attest to the dedication and sacrifice Adrienne makes on a daily basis, and the difference ADLA makes to the sick, injured, and abandoned dogs of Puerto Rico.
My Sato survived on Dead Dog Beach for 7 months until the angelic souls of Amigos De Los Animales, Inc. scooped up then "Hershey" and fed, sheltered and partnered with the Hospital Veterinario Vistamar for his vaccinations. He was quarantined, neutered and brought to the Humaine Society of Greater Nashua for adoption. It only took 7 days for my daughter to choose him, give him his new name "Bentley James" and has been a perfect addition to our Merrimack, NH USA home since April 2019. Thank you Amigos
This is our beautiful girl Tia. The first picture is of Tia and her brother who found his forever home in Boston. We flew to Puerto Rico to pick them up back in January 2010. Tia is getting into her senior years now but shows no sign of old age. We are forever grateful to ADLA and Adri!!❤️
I learned about Amigos de los Animales from another volunteer and would donate supplies and food for the shelter. I wanted to rescue a dog and her 2 puppies but didn’t know what to do or where to bring them and Adri immediately told me what the shelter protocol was before they could take them in. Within a short few weeks, all of them were adopted!
I partner with a great team of board members who are all avid animal lovers and advocates. They all work to make Amigos de los Animales continue to grow in order to rescue and adopt out more dogs. Most of the members along with other volunteers try to foster or spend time with the dogs in order to match them up with the best families and homes.
I have been wanting to adopt a dog for a while now and told one of the volunteer board members what size and ideal temperament I was looking for. They matched me up with my perfect furever baby.
Amigos de los Animales team is extremely passionate about saving dogs from the streets, abused and abandoned dogs. They have an amazing team of volunteers who have created a strong network to continuously look to adopt the dogs to great families.
I had an amazing experience volunteering with Amigos de los Animales for a week eight months after hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico. This is not your typical shelter. The founder of this nonprofit, Adri Galler, has her heart and soul invested in finding the animals in her shelter loving homes. The dogs are treated with love and care and rehabilitated before finding their forever homes. I’m looking forward to going back to Puerto Rico just to visit Amigos de Los Animales and would hands down adopt a pet from them. Please consider volunteering, donating, or fundraising for them!
This is a excellent nonprofit institution with a great LOVE for all pets .Thank Audrey for share your life in this beautiful project. Carlos & Alexandra
We decided to adopt another Sato for our beloved dog, Izo. ADLA knew exactly how to find the right dog as a playmate for him. Finn arrived in January 2020 and has been a great addition to our family. Thank you ADLA for rescuing deserving animals like Izo and Finn!!
I have 3 rescued dogs - they are the joy of my life. Now I help others who have dogs to adopt. No dog should be abandoned or die for lack of shelter or food. Support those who work at this full time - of course!
I wish I could identify using two roles: volunteer and as a client served because i am both. Adrienne Galler Lastra, Shelter Director of Amigos de los Animales, is an amazing force of nature and a fierce defender of animals on the island of Puerto Rico. My husband and I visited Adri (as everyone calls her) in Puerto Rico because we knew her when she lived state-side and we were amazed to see how she had turned her home into a full-fledged animal shelter! We were struck by her passion and commitment to this rescue and adoption non-profit. The next time I came to Puerto Rico it was specifically to volunteer. I stayed with Adri for 10 days. The amount of work accomplished by Adri and the all-volunteer Amigos staff is incredible and I was proud to be a small part of it. I returned again to help with a spay-a-thon and I plan to return as soon as pandemic travel restrictions allow. I am also a client served because, of course, I adopted a dog. The Amigos handle the travel arrangements for the dogs like true professionals (because they are) and my adoptee, a little dog named Domino, arrived safely. I assisted with an airport run as a volunteer so I know that careful planning goes into the adoption journeys. The Amigos also do training and education programs as well as facilitating access to spay and neuter services. They are truly making a difference for animals on the island. I have attached pictures of my little dog (you can see by her smile how happy she is); the exterior of the Amigos de los Animales shelter; and me (red t-shirt), Adri (middle) and another volunteer - taking some of the shelter residents for a walk.
9 years ago I adopted a rescued Doberman from this amazing shelter and immediately became an active volunteer along with my two children. We were so grateful for the tireless love and care that the director Adri gave to our giant gentleman Colo when she found him alone with paws bleeding and took him in. Without that act of kindness and compassion, who knows what his fate would have been alone on the streets. Instead, thanks to Adri, Colo found a loving home and continues to fill our lives with joy to this day. This is just one story, but it’s a story that repeats itself every day year after year because Adri will never give up on the abandoned dogs in Puerto Rico. My family and I have helped as volunteers ever since and are witnesses to the shelter’s unwavering commitment to humanity and rescuing, rehabilitating, and rehoming as many dogs as possible.How many depends entirely on donations and support. As long as the means are there, Adri will never say no to an animal in need. If there are 24 hours in a day, given the resources, she and her team will happily dedicate 25! Do not hesitate to support this reputable and dedicated charity.
Amigos de los animales Inc. ,is a place where the animals receive the love and care the need to survive, and can be adopted by a loving family. They provide a great help for the community.
Amigos de los Animales (ADLA) works tirelessly to help rescue, rehabilitate and rehome stray dogs in Puerto Rico. No matter how many dogs are rescued, more always seem to come along. Just last week THREE litters of puppies were left at ADLA’s front gate, and, as always, Adri, the Shelter director, took them in, nursed them, took them to the vet and gave them love and attention. It takes a big heart to nurse puppies around the clock, but it also takes help from volunteers and donations. The dogs at the shelter are loved and cared for and seem so happy every time I go there. Its like puppy therapy on steroids! Please consider helping this very worthy cause
Adri is the most compassionate person I have ever met . Not only compassionate to people , dogs and cats but to every specie . I have a problem in my neighborhood with feral cats and chickens , and neighbors threat to kill them , I did not finish my sentence when Adri showed up at my neighborhood and step up for the animals . She talk to the neighbors and told them what they where doing wrong and how can this be improved .
Thanks to her my comunity of chickens and cats are well , spat neutered and healthy . I will always will be in debth with her . They don’t have the shealter and loving home I wish they had , but they are being respected and loved as part of our comunity . Thanks to Adri and amigos de los animales . Great shelter with the most important thing the humane factor . After this we keep in contact and I help her in anyway that I can as they are doing a wonderful job
God bless them
I visited this rescue shelter while on vaca. I shared what i was looking for and my life. Adri immediately recommended 4 dogs that would fit my life. I immediately fell in love with them all but selected 2. After a background check on me she arranged the pups flights for when i was home. I have had dogs my whole life and these have been the most amazing dogs. I'm so glad Adri was able to recommend the right fits for me. I have followed her work and am so in awe of the work she and her staff do!
My husband and I first found out about Amigos de los Animales in Puerto Rico right after Hurricane Maria in the fall of 2017. Our wonderful dog Ela that we adopted from the shelter run by Adri Galler Lastra had been transformed, prior to our getting her, from a frightened, abused, and hungry dog who wouldn't let people get near her to a loving and sweet giver of kisses who likes to snuggle at night next to her owner in bed or on the couch. That's the power of the love and care that Amigos de los Animales generates towards the dogs in their care. It changes the lives of the dogs and of the people lucky enough to adopt them. We love Ela so much, we had to go visit the shelter and pick up a couple more. Adri was as nice in person as she'd been in our phone calls with her. She and Amigos de los Animales are the real deal. She, and those who help run and support the shelter, are making the change they want to see in the world one dog at a time. We could not recommend them more.
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I can't say enough good things about this organization and its tireless leader Adri. In the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, she did everything she could to get the majority of the dogs out to safety on the mainland, and she set aside our wonderful dog Ela which flew in the care of a very sweet man to Orlando where we live. Ela is everything Adri described and more, and we've grown to love her in the few months we've had her. I set up a monthly donation to Amigos de los Animales based on my good experience with them. They truly give me hope for humanity in a time where things can sometimes seem hopeless. The dogs of Puerto Rico are so blessed to have their help.
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I know this non-profit through the stories told to me by my friend and leader of Amigos de los animales, Adrienne Galler. She and her volunteers do a great job of rescuing and placing dogs in loving homes, a job highly needed in Puerto Rico, because of the great number of animals that roam, unsheltered, through the streets. She is a teacher, educator in animal rights, a caring and loving protector of animals, and a great leader in promoting social consciousness about animal care.
When i first met Adri, of Amigos De Los Animales, was when i went to Puerto Rico to see where Satos were actually living. She took us around to the hot spots for dumping dogs. This is where i found my dancing lucy. Well she wasnt dancing then. Vet said she would have died within the next 3 days. Adri kept Lucy and helped her become healthy enough to fly to NJ. Just look at these before and after pictures. Instead of 3 days, she lived another 11 years with me before passing away at the ripe old age of 16-1/2. I have seen first hand so many dogs adri rescued after being dumped in the streets to adopted in nj!
Gypsy have been our must precious gift! We get her here and Adri was so amazing with us and Gypsy. She was in excelent conditions and Adri took care of her so good. We are so grateful to have Gypsy in our family. She’s so loyal and lovable. Thanks Adri for everything! You are so an amazing foster. We love you! Big hug from us and your girl Gypsy
Amigos de los animales has taken care of the dogs and cats of Puerto Rico when very few organizations where dedicated to stray animals. They have accomplished a great work with the support of few friends.
I am very gratefull for my experience in the process of adopting my dog with Amigos de los Animales. The process was smooth and easy, very helpful! I recommend this organization to anyone who is looking for a pet. Thanks Amigos!!!!!!!!!!
We are Amazing Mutts Puppy Rescue. We have accepted 2 flights of pups from Amigos de los Animales. They are the best in helping their pups and dogs in PR! Hope many more to come. Donate to them and help the dreams of these pups be a reality.... we will help anyway we can to make this dream a reality.
Thank you for all you do for these babies. ❤
I volunteer here regularly and the passion Adri, the director, pours into this shelter is awe inspiring. Thank you for everything that you do!
As a neighbor of Amigos de los Animales, during and after Hurricane Maria I was able to volunteer with this incredible Team. I found two strays and were immediately welcomed by Adri. The many challenges that this home faces is incredible, but nothing stops them and specially Adri and her husband Robinson to continue protecting and taking care of these furry friends. I was fortunate to adopt Rocco from this Home and he is my protector. So many stories that I have witnessed would need an entire book, many tears of joy and admiration have been brought to my eyes when I see this incredible lady living for this cause. Love you Adri, so blessed I met you!
The hard work by Adri and those volunteers who help this organization is AMAZING! The dedication and love for all animals should not go unnoticed. The passion for these animals and to literally turn your own personal home into an animal rescue takes everything one has to its limits. I personally have one of Adri's rescues and have fostered numerous dogs from her facility. I'd like to give her much more than five stars. Anyone that can help and support this organization please do....I encourage everyone to give whatever they can spare to allow Adri to continue to save soooo many animals.
I have worked with the president and founder of this organization for many years. Adri Galler has paved the way for many non profit animal rescue groups in Puerto Rico. She runs her own shelter, moving thousands of animals off the streets of Puerto Rico onto the US mainland, depending solely on donations from private citizens. She has algo organized many spay and neuter events in poor neighborhoods and began bringing an Animal Control Officer and Cruelty Investigator program to Puerto Rico several years ago. Thanks to her efforts, there are now almost 300 ACO/CI's on the island working hand in hand with police officers to deal with the problem of animal cruelty and abandonment cases on the island. She's one of the pioneers in Puerto Rico and I urge you to support her continuing efforts to put an end to this problem on the island.
Amigos de los Animales in Puerto Rico is such a great organization, I don't know where to start writing this review. The problem of stray dogs on the island is shocking and saddening. Amigos de los Animales (ADLA) is swimming upstream with new and sad cases every day, but they do everything they can to help every single dog. Even though sometimes it looks like there is no hope, ADLA will make sure that doggy survives or at least has known love in its life! I cannot imagine how it must be to take care of all those dogs day in, day out 24/7, so I can only say that I have a lot of respect for every single part of the team.
I know the great need that unwanted animals have in Puerto Rico, and because of the incredibly large number of homeless animals on the streets, they have literally become "invisible", because they are everywhere and you're expected to see them. Everyday. More than one. It only becomes a "problem" when they're on your way. Then they're a nuisance.
That's when animal sanctuaries such as "Amigos De Los Animales" get involved and try to rescue as many as they possibly can. The work is hard, never ending, resource exhausting, and incredibly demanding, but most of all, as they themselves would tell you, exceedingly rewarding. They deserve our help.
Amigos de los Animales is a wonderful organization run by one of the most compassionate and dedicated women I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. I have visited and volunteered with Amigos & Adri several times and highly recommended learning more about and donating to this organization. Every dollar donated truly goes right to the animals and the cause.
This is a wonderful organization that saved my dog, Bella, from Dead Dog Beach. I'll attach a photo of the book I've written about her rescue and her work as a certified therapy dog. Bella was saved from this dangerous and terrible place, fostered by a local woman, then sent to the shelter in Puerto Rico and flown to Newark, NJ to St. Hubert's Animal Welfare Center. My husband and I adopted Bella at about four months old. Without Amigos de los Animales Bella wouldn't have made it. I can't recommend this group strongly enough and they really need your support. Check out Bell's website: www.joyunleashed.org.
Every year we visit my husband's family in PR and every year we return to Boston wanting to bring a sato home. Last year, I found Amigos de los Animales while searching how to adopt a sato. I immediately fell in love with a picture of an adoptable dog, Alysha, who looked like a corgi mixed with a fox. I called Adri and spoke w/ her at length about our family (twin girls, 2 cats, an old Jack Russell terrier) and how she thought Alysha would do. Adri assured me that Alysha was "good w/ kids, good w/ other dogs, and not sure about cats, but will probably be fine because she'll want to please you. She loves to go on car rides and would make a good agility dog because she loves to jump" I'll never forget picking Alysha up at the airport w/ my daughters. Adri was honest and so dedicated. Alysha is the perfect fit for our family! Satos make great pets and Amigos de los Animales is a great organization!
This nonprofit is INCREDIBLE. My husband found it when we were on a cruise which had departed from San Juan. We fell in love with a stray dog in the mountains and decided that if we could find him again, we would do anything in our power to take him home. When my husband called the number for Amigos de los Animales (which he found through searching the web), we immediately connected with Adri -- and history was made! She helped us find "Coqui," got him the proper vet treatment, and shipped him back to NY for us once he was strong enough to fly. He is my soul-mate pup and a VIP family member. A year later Adri sent us "Dimas," Coqui's brother-from-another-mother (haha) -- who immediately connected with my infant daughter (and they've been inseparable ever since). Adri is so deeply committed to the dogs (and to the people!) that she rescues - and it was amazing how she came to know us and know Coqui enough to pick out the perfect new addition to the family. I have known her now for many years and am inspired by the love and devotion she feels for the animals and the many sacrifices she has made to keep the nonprofit running. Please support this great organization. You can see from the photo how much joy these pups have brought to our lives, all thanks to Amigos for rescuing them.
I have never met anyone that cares so much about every single dog like Adri! ADLA is an amazing organization and everyone at Amigos de Los Animales puts their heart and soul into the rescue work.
My family adopted a Puerto Rican Sato, and we couldn't be any happier!
Amigos de los Animales is a true grass roots non-profit! Adri, the founder, truly cares for and goes above and beyond for the abandoned animals in Puerto Rico. She runs her shelter from her own house-taking care of, feeding, bathing, vaccinating--and most important sterilizing all the animals she rescues. Due to the poor economic situation of the island, I really admire Adri's commitment, spark and drive to continue on and look to and work for a brighter future for the animals! Donations go 100% towards the care and rehabilitation of the animals.
Amigos is a grassroots, totally hands-on rescue that is literally on the front lines every day in Puerto Rico helping the endless tide of abused and abandoned animals there. I have worked with them personally and know that every dollar donated goes directly to the care of these animals in need. Funds are always low because of the huge vet bills incurred from treating and sterilizing the animals and there are simply not enough homes for them but founder Adri continues to devote her life to caring for the dozens of animals that are housed in her home turned shelter.
I do not have enough wonderful things to say about Amigos De Los Animales (ADLA)! ADLA provides a very difficult service to the island of Puerto Rico due to the horrific problem of animal over population and general lack of education on animal care and welfare. ADLA does their best to take in dogs off the street that are abused, neglected, and often very ill. They get the animals vet care, socialize them, and then help find new homes in the US main land when possible. They are also very active on the island in neuter/ spay programs and education.
They are a hard working and dedicated group that have a very difficult mission. Puerto Rico has been in an economic recession for over a decade now and with more troubled economic times in the foreseeable future, many people are moving to the US mainland. With the large numbers of people leaving, ADLA are seeing an even bigger influx of abandoned animals on the street. The dog overpopulation crisis in PR has always been a problem, but in light of the local economic crisis, it has become increasingly difficult for local animal organizations to find funding and assistance.
In spite of the economic hardships, and the shelters bursting at the seams with dogs, these amazing heroes keep at it every day for the sake of the animals. They are selfless, hardworking people who live everyday with a passion for the animals, and who stand up for what is right. They do not let discouraging situations keep them from tending to the animals that rely on them.
This is a top notch organization worthy of praise and admiration.
I am truly blessed to have been touched by the work of Adri and her husband and the miracles that they do on a daily basis at Amigos. I came to learn about Amigos over a year ago from my son, who chose to volunteer there on weekends for his school. Then, last month, I witnessed a horrible accident where a beautiful yellow labrador-mix ran out into traffic and was hit by a Mack truck. I was able to rescue the dog and take him to a local vet, who was able to treat him for his injuries. I decided to adopt this beautiful dog, but I don't live on the island and had nowhere to leave him until he was well enough to fly. Thanks to Amigos, they offered to keep him safe and even took him to follow-up doctors visits related to complications from the accident. For Adri, it was just one more rescue out of the hundreds of lives that she has saved. Please support the work of Amigos. They offer a special place where so many helpless animals have found shelter, food and love. Now all they need are families to adopt them.
These are truly loving and dedicated people who help neglected and abused animals on a real grassroots level. The entire organization is volunteer, so your entire contribution goes straight through to help the animals -- for food, medical attention and their general well-being . Adri Galler has made her family home a refuge for these animals and makes sure that they are rehabilitated and that they find their forever homes. Please support their wonderful work!
This is truly an amazing organization which is presently run by just one individual, Adri Galler Lastra. She gives tirelessly to so many abandoned and mistreated animals and has opened her own home to shelter these poor creatures. Amigos also offers school children (and their families) with the opportunity for community service hours which many schools now require (thankfully). The children and adults that come to volunteer at Amigos are changed forever by the experience. Well done Amigos!!
I have been volunteering and colaborating with the president of Amigos de los Animales (ADLA) since 2009 and have been amazed by how much the organization has grown and developed. The shelter rehabilitates and homes over 100 dogs each year and finds loving homes for them in Puerto Rico and the U.S. They also work with local vets to neuter and vaccinate as many dogs as possible to help solve the overpopulation problem at its root cause. I created the current ADLA logo on the t-shirts and assisted the organization in its sale and distribution of the shirts, marketing campaign, video creation and social media presence. I have raised over $800 through fundraisers at the University of Richmond where I have spread awareness of the organization to Alpha Phi Omega, a volunteer fraternity of over 100 members who plans to support ADLA in the future. I do all of this as a volunteer because of the love I have for their mission and the visible work that they do. My family has now adopted 3 adorable dogs from this shelter and plans to continue this relationship in the future. Due to the devastating economic situation in Puerto Rico, families have been abandoning their animals in larger numbers and dogs who are already homeless are not being taken in. ADLA needs all the help they can get right now so if you are looking for a loving companion or can make any donation amount, please help this wonderful non-profit.