Over 300 dogs sterilized, 17 adopted

Christopher Hersha, dog handler for Animal Balance, tries to leash one of the dogs that is ready for neutering or zeuterin. (Jayson Camacho)

Over 300 dogs have already been sterilized since sterilization services kicked off last May 19, according to Animal Balance founder and director Emma Clifford yesterday.

Services for spay, neutering, and zeuterin were offered the whole day yesterday at the Kagman Community Center and this will go on until today, May 28, the last day of the sterilization service in Kagman.

The service will then move back to the Saipan Mayor’s Office Animal Shelter in Lower Base where adoption services will be readily available until May 30.

“For the adoption program last Friday, people came to look at the dogs and they came back with their families the following day and petted them and got to adopt 15 of them. Last night we bathed all the dogs and gave them flee and tick treatments and de-wormed them,” Clifford told Saipan Tribune.

Clifford said the remaining dogs at the shelter that hadn’t been sterilized yet will be sterilized on Friday and will be made ready for adoption.

“Up here at the shelter in Kagman, we have done sterilization project and brought up some of the shelter dogs and put bandanas on them and show them that they are up for adoption. We’ve adopted two here in Kagman,” she said.

A total of 17 dogs have been adopted, according to Saipan Mayor’s Office dog control program manager Spencer Marchadesch.

“The turnout has been really great and they have been coming in and bringing their dogs for the sterilization services,” Marchadesh said.

“Donations keep coming in and the community members and businesses are so generous in making donations and purchasing vouchers. We will put together the donations that we have gotten, both in-kind and cash donations, and will tabulate it later today and come up with the amount received,” he added.

Jason Hudy, a volunteer since the services kicked off, said they will have a volunteer meeting on June 6 at 4pm and June 7 at 10am in Lower Base.

The meeting aims to educate the community on how to volunteer their time at the Saipan animal shelter, provide foster care to animals in need, help with events, support animal protection legislation, and many more.

Aside from the adoption of dogs, cats are also available for adoption. Hudy noted that they have several cats and kittens for interested pet owners who want to adopt them.

For more information on volunteering and other ways to help, call Marchadesh at 234-6208 or email at spencer.cm8@gmail.com or contact Humane Society’s Inga Gibson through email at igibson@humanesociety.org.