Saipan Humane Society, Inc.

My name is Lauren - I am one of the founders of Boonie Flight Project and Saipan Humane Society.

UPDATE 2/18/2025):

We have enough funds raised to fly Dex, Floof, Bandit! They leave next week. THANK YOU!

I am fundraising for just two more dogs before taking a break: Bingo and Fatty. We need just $3k more to get them out of here in March.

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The background story:

Boonie Flight Project began in 2021 to save boonie dogs on the U.S. islands of Guam and Saipan, where they would otherwise face euthanasia. Due to years without accessible spay/neuter, there are simply too many dogs and not enough homes on our islands. On Saipan, a small island with a population of only 50,000 people, we face a staggering crisis with over 21,000 dogs, just one animal shelter, and no veterinarian.

The only hope for our Saipan shelter dogs lies in finding homes on the U.S. mainland. Unfortunately, this has been severely impacted by the discontinuation of United Airlines’ pet transport services.

Without this option, we are forced to send dogs circuitous routes through international destinations before connecting with pet-friendly airlines. This costs around $3,000 (give or take $500–$1,000) per dog.

Let's save some dogs.

Thank you,

Lauren

Hafa Adai,

My name is Lauren - I am one of the founders of Boonie Flight Project and also the Board President of Saipan Humane Society.

Boonie Flight Project emerged in 2021 to help solve the dog overpopulation issues here on Guam and Saipan, United States territories in the Pacific.

Referred to as “boonie dogs,” many of our island dogs are descendants of World War II service dogs that were left behind. Boonies are known for their kind and loyal temperaments, resilient spirits, and incredible intelligence.

I live on Saipan, a small island of only 50,000 people. We have more than 21,000 dogs with only 1 shelter and NO veterinarian. No veterinarian means no consistent access to spay/neuter - and that means the dog population just continues to grow, with very few local adopters. This means many, many dogs are euthanized.

While we work hard to create sustainable change through spay/neuter programs at Saipan Humane, we have to do what we can to alleviate suffering and get dogs off the streets. I unfortunately have the heavy task of euthanizing shelter dogs. Each euthanasia day, I can't help but save a few dogs.. but then I have nowhere for them to go.

For years, BFP successfully flew dogs, puppies and even some kittens to the mainland United States for a chance at better lives. Sadly, our rescue has been crippled by the discontinuation of United Airlines’ Pet transport services. United is currently the only domestic airline carrier on Saipan, and for the past 4 years they have completely restricted pet transport. This has led to even more stress on our shelters, as Saipan residents who need to relocate have been forced to surrender their pets to our shelter. Our shelter currently has a devastating 98% euthanasia rate.

The only hope our shelter animals have is to find homes on the mainland United States. To save lives, we must secure very expensive private charters ($250-350k) or fly dogs indirectly to an international destination first to connect with an airline carrier that allows pet transport to the United States.

What used to cost hundreds, now costs thousands for us to do lifesaving transport (about $3500-4k per dog). AND, we need to coordinate flights within 10 days of a veterinarian visiting Saipan - otherwise the bill is about $1,000 higher.

We have almost enough funds to fly 3 dog on August 26th: Jellybean, Willow, and Bea.

THEN, I want to fly a few more dogs this fall when we have visiting vets (Oct/Nov). This includes the white scruffy boy at our clinic, and dogs I will save on upcoming euthanasia days. After that, I am probably taking a break from flying dogs (and hopefully going to veterinary school!). I am exhausted, but saving a few dogs from the hundreds I euthanize each month keeps me going.

To save the last few dogs I can, I will need both flight funds and adopters/rescues for these dogs.

We need your support to help these Boonies fly to a better life.

Donations will go directly to the Saipan Humane Society, a 501c3, to secure the flights and cover the flight preparation expenses.

Help us ensure that everyone looking to get their animals fixed is not turned away due to cost. On Saipan, no one has just one pet, meaning that the cost of surgery can add up quickly!

All proceeds from this fundraiser will be used to sponsor spay and neuter surgeries for Boonie Babies, Saipan Kitten and Cat Rescue, Saipan Humane, and various community members in need.

Let's save lives and make our islands a better place for all who call them home!

Hafa Adai!

Thank you for visiting our donations page! I would like to share about our organization..

Saipan Humane Society's mission: To improve animal welfare in the CNMI through compassionate, sustainable, and innovative solutions to dog and cat healthcare and overpopulation.

Saipan 101: We part of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) with approximately 48k residents. Part of the U.S., but 9,000 miles from the East Coast, we are decades behind in animal welfare and have no practicing veterinarian on island. 38% of our community is below the poverty line.

We are the ONLY source of veterinary care on island, seeing 20-40 patients per day with our nurse practitioner and virtual veterinarians available as needed. We are piloting the veterinary midlevel provider role for the country, and it is working! We have saved many lives.

We work closely with the local government animal shelter and provide services out of their small facility. We assist with developing shelter policies, have significantly increased adoption rates, built an incredible team of volunteers, and provide humane euthanasia to suffering animals.

Our clinic space is small, leaving us to see patients on the hallway floor and porch in the heat. Often, patients will wait for hours outside due to lack of space inside. We have no usable exam rooms due to the lack of space, and the shelter is not built appropriately for sanitation or promotion of animal welfare.

Our *DREAM* is to have our own facility with a small, clean area for adoptable animals pulled from the government shelter AND a functional veterinary clinic space. We want to expand our services and increase capacity as much as possible, and a space for this is the first step.

It is difficult to find grants due to our location - many U.S. grant-making organizations will not fund us because we are a Commonwealth, and international orgs won't fund us because we are part of the U.S. If you are of the means, we welcome your help.

All funds raised support our mission and dream of securing/renovating our own space. Please check out our website and social media to learn more: www.saipanhumanesociety.org and @saipanhumanesociety

Thank you!

On the forgotten US Territory of Saipan, part of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, there are an estimated 21,000 dogs and only 50,000 humans. Many of these dogs trace back to military working dogs brought over by US Troops during WWII. Despite their regal beginnings as working dogs, we see them every day suffering and dying on the streets, in our shelter. With no resident veterinarian, we struggle to meet the demand for spay/neuter of dogs and cats in the CNMI.

Beyond this, 38% of our community lives below the poverty level. While many struggle to make ends meet, paying high fees to cover the cost of spay/neuter clinics is simply not attainable in our community.

Furthermore, we are constantly denied from mainland grant-making organizations because we are not a state. They refer us to international orgs, which cannot fund us because we are part of the US. It is really, really frustrating and heartbreaking. Our shelter euthanasia/death rate is 89% (was 91% last year). Numbers like these are totally crazy for the US. But what else do we do?

ALL donations on this GoFundMe page will be used specifically for spay/neuter campaigns coming up in 2024. We really want to move towards BIG IMPACT clinics - multiple vets/techs to do 500 surgeries in one week. It is difficult for our little organization to balance smaller, more frequent clinics with our neverending flow of regular wellness/sick patients.. so we want to GO BIG and get it done!

Money will be used to specifically to subsidize the cost of surgeries to make it more affordable to people, to fly out vets (or donate United miles!), and for certain equipment we will need for these big clinics (more spay packs, an additional autoclave).

HUGE shoutout to Boonie Babies Rescue for helping spread the word about the plight of the amazing boonie dogs, and using their platform to move towards widespread population control. Thank you guys!

Stay tuned on our social media accounts for updates on upcoming clinics and see your donations in action.

Thank you!

Lauren + Team

Saipan Humane Society / BFP

Saipan, the largest island of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), bears the beauty of a tropical paradise but is shadowed by a heartbreaking reality. While it is a part of the USA, its geographical isolation from the mainland presents animal welfare challenges unsurpassed by anywhere else in the country.

Approximately 21,000 dogs and 45,000 people inhabit the island. The density of dogs, coupled with the unforgiving conditions of a remote tropical environment, has created incredible hardship for these animals. These faithful companions, who should be sources of joy, find themselves trapped in a cycle of suffering. Amidst this backdrop stands one under-resourced animal shelter, struggling against the odds. This shelter manages an average of only 40 adoptions each year, just scratching the surface of thousands of dogs in need.

Tragically, the absence of a compassionate alternative leads to heart-wrenching outcomes. Many of these innocent souls endure slow deaths on the streets, while others find themselves facing an untimely end within the shelter walls.

Thanks to the partnership with the Boonie Flight Project, Saipan Humane Society can provide a lifeline to shelter dogs (and even a tripod cat!) by flying them to new lives on the mainland. However, this comes with significant financial costs. The value of each life knows no bounds, and the alternative – euthanasia – is unthinkable for these dogs which Saipan Humane Society and shelter staff have grown to love.

Today, we reach out to you with a humble request: join us in this mission to save their lives. Your support can make an incredible difference:

*Donate: Your contribution, regardless of its size, carries the potential to save lives. Your donation will alleviate the high costs associated with flying these animals to a new life.

*Spread the Word: Share our cause within your circles.

*Be Part of the Solution: If you can spare time or resources, consider joining us on this journey.

To donate or learn more about our mission, please visit www.boonieflightproject.com and www.saipanhumanesociety.org, and visit the Boonie Flight Project Instagram. Regular updates about our progress and impact will be shared on our website and through our social media platforms. All funds raised will go directly towards the cost of flying dogs to loving homes off island.