10/14/2026
Cruzan Satos is 6 🎉 We’ve had a huge increase in followers lately, so I wanted to take a minute to share a little more about who we are, what we do, and just how much goes into saving the animals in our care!
Cruzan Satos Rescue was started in 2020 by Rosa Vazquez, who has always had a huge love for animals and decided it was time to start her own rescue here on St. Croix. Over the past 6 years, our little rescue has grown into a team of 5 dedicated volunteers: Rosa Deh Dogmother, Allison Cordes Janusziewicz, Joelle Pascuzzi Williams, Julia Moving to STX and Colleen Cunningham.
Together, we’ve helped over 600 animals leave the island to find their forever homes! 🐶🐱❤️
And I want to emphasize something: We are a 100% volunteer-run, foster-based rescue. We are NOT a shelter.
None of us are paid to do this. We all have jobs, families, and lives outside of rescue, but we spend countless hours of our free time making sure these animals get the second chance they deserve.
There is SO much that happens behind the scenes that most people never see. From coordinating vet appointments, vaccinations, medical treatments, and paperwork to arranging flights, finding fosters, reviewing adoption applications, coordinating transportation, and answering endless messages. And that’s just scratching the surface!
We have some amazing stateside rescue partners, an incredible and growing foster community, and so many wonderful volunteers who help make all of this possible. We also rely heavily on donations to keep going. Rescue takes an incredible amount of time, energy, teamwork, and money, and every single animal is worth it.
I also want to clear up a few things about adopting from us!
We often send our dogs and cats to places like Pittsburgh and Florida to find their forever homes. Why? Because St. Croix is a small island with a HUGE homeless animal population. There simply aren’t enough homes here for all the animals that need them.
And just to clarify, St. Croix is a U.S. territory. Our rescues are NOT coming from a foreign country! 🇻🇮🇺🇸
Every animal in our care receives veterinary care, age-appropriate vaccinations, and the required veterinary paperwork before traveling. We work hard to make sure they are healthy, socialized, and ready for the next chapter of their lives.
Yes, some of our rescues have come from absolutely heartbreaking situations. Some have been abandoned, neglected, or have never known what it’s like to be loved. But that doesn’t mean they are destined to have lifelong health or behavioral issues. Many go on to live perfectly happy, healthy lives with their new families!
We spend so much time getting to know these animals, working with our fosters, and doing everything we can to set them up for success. We would never knowingly hide a medical or behavioral concern from an adopter. Our goal isn’t just to get animals adopted. It’s to find them the RIGHT homes where they can thrive.
If you’re considering adopting from us but have questions or concerns, please reach out! We are always happy to talk about our process. And don’t just take our word for it. Read some of our adopter reviews! We’ve built an amazing little CSR family over the years, and seeing updates of our former rescues living their best lives is one of the most rewarding parts of what we do. 🥹❤️
Of course, rescue isn’t always perfect. Sometimes unexpected medical issues come up, sometimes an adoption isn’t the right fit, and sometimes things don’t go exactly as planned. These are living, breathing animals, not products with guarantees. But we do our absolute best to support our adopters and our animals through the process.
I know this is a long post, so if you’ve made it this far, THANK YOU!
I just really want people to understand how much heart goes into this rescue. Every animal that comes through CSR is loved from the moment they enter our care. We may be a small rescue with just 5 volunteers, but the amount of love, time, and effort that goes into every single animal is anything but small.
So whether you’ve adopted from us, fostered, donated, shared a post, or simply cheered us on, THANK YOU for being part of our CSR family! 🐾❤️
