Sequioa, Niyok, Noni, and Nunu

When Dr. Sarah Bergman Lewis, a pediatrician at the Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. saw a mother dog and her three pups on the road near Marianas Trekking, she could not just walk away.

She ended up saving the starving mother and her puppies, committing to getting them better. The puppies, about 7 weeks old, are available for adoption or foster care. The puppies will have their first set of vaccines and can be spayed next month.

Rehabilitating mama dog Sequoia and her puppies out of their apartment in Sadog Tasi was a big job. Dr. Sarah’s children jumped in to help and, together, they nursed them back to health. With the help of Lauren Cabrera and the Saipan Mayor’s Shelter, as well as Saipan Cares for Animals, Lewis and her family were able treat the dog family for mange, parasites, fleas and ticks.

With local guidance, the family chose Chamorro names for the girl puppies—Niyok, or coconut, for the biggest one; Noni, in the spirit of the healing fruit as her coat needed the most care; and Nunu, the runt of the litter, after the mighty banyan tree. In the last three weeks since joining the Lewis family, the dogs have gained weight, grown fur, and are now playful, healthy, cuddly puppies.

Sadly, the Lewis family is headed back to Seattle next week before returning to Saipan in a year. Mama Sequoia has been adopted but the puppies have nowhere to go. As Steve Lewis, Dr. Sarah’s husband says, “We know that there are so many dogs on Saipan and these are just three. But we think that these three puppies are really special.”

According to Dr. Sarah, “Many people had seen this family—the Marianas Trekking Puppies—on the road trying to survive in the weeks before we took them home. We are grateful for the interest in these dogs, and excited to see how the community can show up for this brave mom and her family in the last step of their recovery: finding homes.”

The brood is available for adoption at the Saipan Mayor’s Office Animal Shelter in As Perdido. Dogs adopted there come with vaccination and discounted flea and tick medicine. The registration fee is $30 per dog. There are many friendly dogs and puppies waiting to find their forever home so come check them out!

Shelter hours are from Monday to Friday, 7:30am to 4:30pm. Contact them at (670)-234-3647 (DOGS).

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Saipan Tribune is partnering with Lauren Cabrera, co-founder of the Boonie Flight Project of Guam, in collaboration with the Saipan Mayor’s Office Animal Shelter in As Perdido, to feature their adoptable dogs into loving homes. Whether you are looking for a guard dog, lap dog, hiking buddy, or playful puppy, they most likely have the dog for you!