Saipan Humane Society, Inc.

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!

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