Ruby Ma, Saipan Humane Society clinic director.
THE Saipan Humane Society helps fill a much-needed service for pet owners on island, but it often gets confused for Saipan Cares for Animals, to the detriment of pets and owners alike.
Saipan Humane Society President Lauren Cabrera said there is a need to distinguish the two organizations.
Through a partnership with the Saipan Mayor’s Office, Saipan Humane Society operates in As Perdido, where it offers vaccinations, flea and tick medicine prescriptions, heart worm medication, and sick visit consultations for dogs and cats.
Cabrera said one concern that she has is pet owners may be under the impression that there is no organization present on island that can treat sick or injured dogs or cats.
She told Variety that last month she treated a dog with “a severe back wound.” The pet’s owner originally went to the Saipan Cares for Animals clinic on Middle Road in Gualo Rai, but the clinic had been closed since May.
Cabrera said the pet owner eventually discovered that pet medical services were offered at Saipan Humane Society and took his dog there. However, the dog had to go through a week of delayed care because its owner believed there were no other organizations available, she added.
Cabrera said the confusion can spill over into clients’ billing for services.
She said some owners who prepaid for services at Saipan Cares for Animals have asked whether Saipan Humane Society will honor those prepaid services.
But Saipan Humane Society cannot do so, and clients have to pay for the services received at their clinic in As Perdido.
“We have to buy these supplies out of our organization’s budget but our organization is not the same as [Saipan Cares for Animals],” Cabrera said. “People have been very understanding, but it’s been hard for us…because these things are costly.”
Ruby Ma, Saipan Humane Society clinic director, said they have to build their own client database, which doesn’t yet match the data of Saipan Cares for Animals.
“We don’t share a database of all the clients,” Ma said, referring to the two organizations. “We don’t know what the [pets] had before.”
Reopen
For her part, Miho Evangelista, board secretary of Saipan Cares for Animals, said they want to reopen Saipan Cares for Animals.
That’s our goal, she added.
Evangelista, who lives on Tinian, has been donating space at her home for strays.
On Saipan, she said Saipan Cares for Animals would need to pay for rent and utilities in order to operate.
“It is so hard to handle without financial support,” she said.
Temporary clinic
But Evangelista said a temporary clinic will operate at the Saipan Cares for Animals facility on Middle Road in Gualo Rai on Wednesday, Nov. 8, from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
A temporary clinic will also operate on Thursday, Nov. 9, from 9 a.m. to noon.
Services include cat vaccines, Bravecto, deworming, mange treatment, emergency care, nail trimming, and consultations.
