Social awareness makes you see what the community needs

From left, Saipan Cares for Animals volunteer Mariana Castro, SCA president Beth Pliscou, Dr. Yumi, and volunteer Amber Liwag. (Bea Cabrera)

After 10 months of dealing with the pandemic, we all know the drill when we step out of the house—wear a mask, practice social distancing, observe proper hygiene—because the more you are socially aware, the more you protect yourself and others from getting the virus.

But being socially aware also means recognizing our social obligations by giving our time, effort and skills to a sector in the community that needs it the most.

Pandemic and no pandemic, the work of rescuing stray dogs and cats on the streets or abandoned in parks, jungles, and beaches does not stop for Saipan Cares for Animals president Beth Pliscou. Since 2012, Pliscou has been doing voluntary work rescuing homeless, injured, and deceased animals that she encounter along the way.

“I see such sadness with homeless animals everywhere on island. …Saipan Cares for Animals is a dedicated group of volunteers whose mission is to improve the life of every animal on Saipan through sterilization, medication, and socialization. We do this by helping the animals directly and offering the community low-cost pet care services,” Pliscou said.

“During this time, we have seen more people step up. Before, when people would rescue a kitten or a cat or dog or a puppy, they would pick them up, and bring it to us. Now, since many are home and they have the time, most of them say, ‘I found this dog on the road and I’m going to take care of it and how will you help me?’ That has been a great relief for us. …It’s great to see the community stepping up, helping, and taking responsibility about this problem on Saipan,” she said.

SCA is currently being ran and supported by other volunteers who want to help and make a difference in other people and animals’ lives. Right now, many of SCA’s volunteers are either high school students or college students because they are not physically going to school. “We also have adults who are keeping a schedule and these volunteers help a lot in getting animals comfortable socializing with humans because this helps with our adoption,” Pliscou said.

“Volunteer work pays nothing but you feel good just by doing this work and what you get back is just tremendous. …I get paid by all the animals’ love and devotion,” Pliscou added.

SCA president Beth Pliscou has been caring for stray and abandoned dogs and cats since she moved to Saipan in 2012. 9Bea Cabrera)

Amber Liwag from Koblerville started volunteer work at SCA in July and her experience in taking care of her dog helped her a lot. “I brought in my dog because it she was really sick. …Beth saw that I was good with that, especially when my dog was having seizures. She asked me if I wanted to volunteer and I said yes,” she said.

“It has been really cool because I love helping animals. I wanted to be a nurse but now I am thinking of getting into veterinary medicine because of the time here. …It makes you feel good even just cleaning for them. It’s like you get to give them a good place to stay. Some animals might get adopted and some may stay here their whole lives but it’s nice to know that you are helping to make them live comfortably, which gives me some pride in my work,” she added.

Amber’s friend, Mariana Castro, was inspired by the work done at SCA that she also volunteered at the clinic.”…I feel like Saipan Cares doesn’t get a lot of acknowledgment as they should because the little things they do actually means the most. People see us as just a clinic but they don’t understand how much we need to do and how much we actually do. Like Amber, my time here widened my perspective and interest in veterinary medicine.” she said.

They currently have many dogs and cats that are up for adoption at the clinic and if you feel isolated during this time, adoption might be a good option for you. “You get unconditional love from animals and you get it back immediately. You don’t get that from humans, especially if you are isolated during the pandemic, so a cat or a dog can really help you have that connection. The gratitude and love they give you really helps you feel good,” Pliscou said.

“If you rescue a dog or a cat that had a bad time and bad life before, they are very grateful because they know how bad it was and you would get devotion that you wouldn’t get otherwise. …Aside from companionship, an animal, especially a dog, gets you out of the house too. A dog has to go out for a walk. You don’t often do that for yourself but you will do that for a dog. That kind of pushes to you to get into a routine to get up in the morning or allot time in the evening, if not for yourself you will do that for another,” she added.

If you’d like to volunteer, you can contact SCA on the website, Facebook fan page, or call Pliscou at (670) 285-5448.