Our Culture
It’s really the people that make Integral great. We hire people that are smart, but also well-rounded and fun. We overlap work and play… a lot. Work doesn’t always need to be serious, you just need to seriously love what you do. And when not at work, Integral team members pursue interests from trail running to soccer, from jewelry making to sailing.
Our Integral dogs are a big part of who we are, as well. They are part of our pack. We are committed to making a difference in animal rescue—read below for our involvement with the Vieques Humane Society!
Our Passion
For the past three years, Integral has supported staff efforts to relocate dogs from the Vieques Humane Society in Vieques, Puerto Rico to new homes in the Washington DC region. These efforts have resulted in the rescue of 23 dogs, some of whom have lived in the shelter for several years. The staff has actively been involved with fostering dogs after they arrive as well as interviewing adoption candidates, handling medical issue and working with behavioral issues. Currently, we are working with City Dog Rescue in Washington D.C. to promote these dogs and process their adoptions.
About the Program
The Vieques Humane Society works diligently to care for the many island dogs (a.k.a. Satos) that are abandoned or born without homes. They have made amazing progress in educating the residents of the island about the importance of spay and neutering as well as provided this service for free or at a discount for hundreds of dogs in the past few years. The shelter survives only on contributions and receives no municipal support. They are committed to keeping dogs as long as they need to in hopes of finding them a home. Some dogs have spent their entire lives at the shelter waiting, sometimes until they are senior citizens.
A Few of the Dogs We’ve Helped
How You Can Help
Unfortunately, there is not enough money or space in the Vieques shelter to help every dog needing assistance. The greatest challenge beyond reduction in births is finding homes since the small population of the island doesn’t regularly adopt dogs. The best option for these dogs is to find homes off the island, particularly in place like Washington DC, where there is a demand for friendly, well socialized dogs who are generally healthy (i.e. not from puppy mills or fighting environments).
Giving to the Vieques Humane Society allows the animals to remain sheltered while waiting for opportunities to leave the island in hope of being adopted. Please consider making a contribution to the Vieques Humane Society and Animal Rescue, and adopting a shelter animal when looking for a new pet.
