Animal clinic postponed

The animal clinic that was scheduled to start yesterday at the Saipan Mayor’s Office Animal Shelter in As Perdido has been postponed due to Super Typhoon Mawar’s entrance into the region.

The Saipan Humane Society has rescheduled those who had a slot for yesterday and today and has advised them to check their emails for further instructions. The rescheduled dates will vary as they had to spread them out, but it will all take place in the next few weeks. 

They hope to start it up tomorrow, Thursday, but it all depends on the weather. The four-a-day-clinic will still last until June 13. 

The services include spay and neuter for dogs and female cats at $75 and $50 for male cats; Parvovirus vaccinations and deworming at $20; microchipping at $30; heartworm testing at $30; kennel cough vaccination is $30; rabies vaccination is $40; cat combination vaccination FVRCP is $20; while Bravecto anti-tick/flea medication prices will vary based on weight.

Also, in preparation of the storm, all 23 adoptable shelter dogs and puppies were either adopted or placed into foster homes yesterday, said SHS president Lauren Cabrera.

When asked how they have been since the closure of Saipan Cares of Animals, Cabrera said, “We have been extremely busy since the closure of SCA and are doing our best to meet the needs of the community. We are a small team of three volunteers working our hardest to ensure every patient is seen. However, we do request patience and understanding from our clients as we are not always available to answer every message or phone call quickly. We do have to balance our other responsibilities and jobs until SHS grows to a point where we can be employed, and have employees.”

“We work hands-on caring for animals or provide coordination for services seven days per week. There is a lot that must happen behind the scenes to make this organization work. We do not currently have the bandwidth to provide emergency services, although we hope at some point, we can have paid staff just like SCA and provide these services,” she said.

Cabrera thanked the support of the Saipan Mayor’s Office and Saipan Dog Control Program. “We truly could not offer these services without their support. They have been very accommodating and are always ready to lend a hand.”

She added, “We want to thank the efforts of our visiting veterinarian, Dr. Kris Anderson. She has returned to the island yet again to provide her services to the CNMI as a volunteer. She has also been instrumental in helping us to acquire supplies necessary to meet the needs of animal healthcare here and ensure adequate access to care. We also are thrilled to welcome Dr. Whitney Collins back. Dr. Collins has been our virtual consulting veterinarian while she was away, spending hours of her time teaching us and providing consultations for sick animals as a volunteer.”

SHS was officially granted a 501c3 nonprofit status last Saturday.

“We are ecstatic to have quickly been granted 501c3 nonprofit status. We are grateful to have a very involved and motivated board of directors, whose passion and commitment to animal care in the CNMI made this happen,” Cabrera added.

As a 501c3 nonprofit, donations made to the organization can be written off as a tax write-off, they’re exempted from taxes, and are eligible for certain grants.