Saipan Humane Society helped 3,391 pets in 2023

Since the official formation of the Saipan Humane Society early last year, they, along with their many partners and volunteer-veterinarians, have assisted 3,391 pets in the CNMI.

Of that number, 1,800 doses of flea/tick preventive medicines were dispensed, over 1,200 vaccines were administered, and SHS had over 600 sick and wound care visits.

What stands out the most to SHS executive director Lauren Cabrera is that those numbers in the span of just a year only means “people love their pets in the CNMI.”

“The sheer number of pets in need of care, and pet owners wanting animal healthcare services, was truly astounding. We are working hard to build capacity and expand services so we can truly meet the needs of the community, while also ensuring that our services are affordable and our clinic remains sustainable,” she said.

The year’s highlight, said Cabrera, is and will always be “saving lives against all odds despite having limited resources and almost no diagnostics available.” SHS have had some sick and injured animals that they have healed despite having limited resources and no on-island veterinarian, Cabrera said.

Just last week, she said, a dog was brought into the clinic “unable to move, on the verge of death. We got to work trying to save him. A few days later, he walked into [the] clinic wagging his tail.”

Cabrera is joined by clinic manager/vet tech Ruby Ma, Lupe Ingham, and Jehn Villagomez, at the clinic SHS is operating out of the Saipan Mayor’s Office Dog Shelter in As Perdido. They work hand-in-hand with the Saipan Mayor Office’s Dog Control Program staff and occasionally fly down vets from Guam or the U.S. mainland for much needed spay/neuter clinics.

She thanked the DCP, which she said have been with them since before Saipan Humane Society even existed. “The partnership we have built with DCP has allowed us to get this organization off the ground so we can better serve the community. They are hands-on helping in the spay/neuter clinics, and we work together on certain things in the animal shelter. Without the support of our Mayor [Ramon “RB” Camacho] and DCP, I’m not sure that SHS would exist as we know it!”

Additionally, she thanks their “amazing tireless staff and board. It has been a very challenging year, building this organization from the ground up and moving ahead at warp speed. We were all full-time volunteers for many months. It is incredible to see the growth, and we only hope to keep growing! We would also like to thank our clients. We know it is not always smooth or easy, but we appreciate them sticking with us as we rapidly build this organization to help their pets.”