Saipan Humane Society Executive Director Lauren Cabrera, right, administers a shot to a puppy at the animal clinic on Rota on Saturday, Dec. 9, 2023.
Pets, including this cat, were treated free of cost during the animal clinic conducted by the Saipan Humane Society on Rota on Saturday, Dec. 9, 2023.
Most of the animals treated at the Saipan Humane Society’s animal clinic on Rota were dogs.
SAIPAN Humane Society provided care to 50 dogs and 10 cats at its animal outreach health clinic in Songsong, Rota on Dec. 9, SHS Executive Director Lauren Cabrera said.
“Overall, we were very impressed by how kind and how well they treated their pets,” Cabrera said, referring to the pet owners on Rota. Most of the animals who were brought in were healthy, she added.
During the clinic, Cabrera and her staff of four provided various services, including flea and tick prevention, consultations, vaccinations, and deworming.
They also provided dog food to pet owners.
The medical supplies and dog food were funded by grants from the non-profit organization Vets Without Borders, Cabrera said.
Vets Without Borders likewise provided grant funding for their transportation, she added.
Cabrera said the funds were made available because Rota pets were underserved after the island experienced Typhoons Mawar and Bolaven.
Cabrera said SHS will return to Rota because the island has even less access to veterinarian supplies than Saipan and Tinian.
She noted that the prices of commodities — including dog food — are also high on Rota.
But Cabrera said treating more pets on Rota depends on grant funding, which she and her staff apply for when they are not busy caring for the numerous animals that are brought to the Saipan Mayor’s Office Animal Shelter.
“As soon as we can find funding and a break in our schedule [on Saipan] we want to go back [to Rota],” Cabrera reiterated. “Everything we do is reliant on grant funds and grants are all very different.”
