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Animal shelter to transfer to As Perdido
The animal shelter in Lower Base will only be operational until March 31 and after that will wait for a scheduled demolition by the Department of Public Works. The DPW’s Building Safety Code Division condemned the facility, which was built in a flood zone area. (Jon Perez)
The news of the animal shelter temporarily transferring to As Perdido was a welcome relief for Jaime Toytoy, one of the Animal Control Office staff of the Saipan Mayor’s Office.
The animal shelter will temporarily use the quarantine facility of the Department of Lands and Natural Resources in As Perdido with the help of Apatang and DLNR Secretary Richard B. Seman.
“It’s good news for us and the dogs. At least the remaining dogs here won’t be put down,” said Toytoy, who is one of the ACO staff who has been patrolling the streets to catch stray dogs.
Spencer Merchadesch is the ACO’s program manager, while Rodney Babauta, Lee Mark Deleon Guerrero, and Ton Leon Guerrero make up the rest of his staff.
The Department of Public Works-Building Safety Code Division has condemned the animal shelter in Lower Base after the extensive damage brought by Typhoon Soudelor.
ACO personnel and volunteers from the Saipan Cares for Animals have until March 31, 2016, to use the facility in Lower Base.
“DPW will demolish this [animal shelter] to the ground. They’re going to use bulldozers and clear everything here. The facility is no longer safe,” said Toytoy.
“Even if a new facility is built here, they need to raise the floor by 6 feet since this is a flood zone area. That would cost the mayor’s office more money,” he added.
But that does not mean that they and SCfA volunteers would stop with the pet adoption program with ACO personnel still catching stray dogs.
Last Wednesday afternoon, a few minutes before the Saipan Mayor’s Office closed for the day, ACO staff caught two stray dogs and are on their way back to the animal shelter in Lower Base.
In other news, SCfA is informing the public that the new batch of vaccines for the treatment of the canine parvovirus had arrived.
“We already worked things out with our supplier in Hawaii so we’re going to get the vaccines in three days every time we order a new batch,” said SCfA volunteer Nicole Essa.
For more information on the vaccines, call Essa at 788-3000 or visit the SCfA Facebook page www.SaipanCaresforAnimals.com.
