Spay, neuter clinic from Jan. 24 to 26

Lauren Cabrera holds a dog that was spayed during the spay/neuter clinic last August at the Saipan Mayor’s Office Dog Shelter. The dog was eventually adopted out. This Jan. 24 to 26, a three-day spay/neuter clinic will be held at the shelter once again. (CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)

Spay and neuter services for dogs and cats will be available once again at the Saipan Mayor’s Office Dog Shelter in As Perdido from Jan. 24 to 26, thanks to the collaborative efforts of Boonie Babies Saipan, Guam Animals In Need, or GAIN, and the Office of the Mayor of Saipan.

The price for surgeries is $50 per male cat, and $75 per female cat, male dog, or female dog.

Log on to www.tinyurl.com/booniebabies and complete the survey to sign up for services. If space is still available, you will be assigned a slot.

Drop-offs for the clinic are at 7:30am and 8am only to ensure that a licensed veterinarian is available to examine each animal prior to beginning the day of surgeries, to ensure their health and safety.

According to Lauren Cabrera, co-founder of the Boonie Flight Project in Guam and a volunteer clinic coordinator, “The clinic plans to sterilize 20 animals per day, thanks to the services of visiting veterinarian Dr. Brenda Smith from GAIN and volunteer veterinarian Dr. Whitney Collins, along with [SMO’s Dog Control Program] Dog Control staff and other volunteers from GAIN and Boonie Babies Rescue.”

When asked if there will be more clinics in the future, Cabrera said, “I do hope there will be more of these collaborations in the future. The only way to get the dog population controlled is by partnering with the government. They have been an enormous support to getting this spay/neuter program off the ground since [former] Mayor Apatang’s generous contributions last summer, letting us use their space and equipment.”

Cabrera has worked closely with the Dog Control Program and spoke with Martin Pangelinan, manager of the program, who coordinated with new Saipan Mayor Ramon “RB” Camacho for the use of the new shelter for the clinic.

She expressed appreciation for Camacho’s support, saying, “I want to highlight how thrilled we are to have the new mayor so interested in supporting these efforts right away. We are very grateful! We are grateful to have the support of Mayor Camacho in continuing the good work of [then] mayor Apatang in working to control Saipan’s dog population.”

Last August and September 2022, a spay/neuter clinic was held at the Saipan Mayor’s Office Dog Shelter and on Tinian as well, which sterilized 500 animals over the course of four weeks. For a Tinian clinic this time around, Cabrera said they are unable to make their way there due to the short amount of time, but that they hope to return there in the future.

“Spaying and neutering animals is important for many reasons. It can improve the behavior of your animal, making them less prone to wander, looking for a mate. Additionally, it can reduce the risk of life-threatening medical conditions such as a uterine infection (pyometra) and cancer. Most importantly, it will minimize the production of kittens and puppies on our beautiful island, leading to less animal suffering,” said Cabrera.

If you are interested in volunteering to assist the clinic, reach out to spayneutercnmi@gmail.org.

GAIN’s mission is to find permanent, loving homes for Guam’s homeless and abused animals. In an effort to help control the island’s pet population, low-cost spay and neuter services are also offered.

Boonie Babies Saipan is a nonprofit organization with a mission to rescue, educate, rehabilitate, and relocate boonie dogs from the CNMI.