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boonieflightproject

@boonieflightproject

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📍Saipan + Guam ❤️ Boonie Dogs
an unfiltered look at island dogs 🐶✈️
not flying dogs right now.
✨catch me at @future.island.vet 🩺🐾

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This account has grown a lot, so I figured it was time to tell Cleo’s origin story again. It’s been a minute.

Long story short…
Saipan is a U.S. island with no vet and one animal shelter.

“At least there’s a shelter”, you think… right? WRONG. With no adopters, there is no point in having a shelter.

And there are no adopters. Because without a vet, there is no spay/neuter. And with no spay/neuter, there is uncontrolled breeding and a huge number of strays. So, everyone who wants a dog already has one (or ten).

The shelter was basically a holding place for dogs until they died or were put down. We used to have weekly euthanasia days. It sucked so much. I tried to “save” a few dogs of the 50ish put down each week, but knew that I was often just prolonging the inevitable.

Cleo was one of the very few lucky ones ❤️

#rescuedogtraining #dogtraining #rescuedog #villagedog #euthlist

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Idk lol. Cleo is very enthusiastic about being the best girl ever in the morning. I need coffee.

#dogtraining #dogmom #booniedog #rescuedog

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We had such a lovely visit with visiting MARS Ambassadors - Dr. Erin O’Donnell and veterinary technician Allison Kwasek 🥰🎉

Forever grateful to @banfieldfoundation for sending us veterinarians and technicians over and over again. Our little island is far from the mainland, and it is hard (impossible) to find organizations willing to help. But @banfieldfoundation doesn’t blink an eye. Without them, veterinary care in the CNMI would look very different.. or maybe not exist at all.

THANK YOU! 🧡

#banfieldfoundation #volunteervet #vetmed #vettech

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omg I wish I had this leash when I was doing rescue work every single day. And handling freaked out dogs during spay/neuter clinics at @saipanhumanesociety 😅

Where has this been all my life!!!

I struggle with some basic things (like putting together an e-collar lolol) so I figured I would struggle with this leash. It has so many configurations. But I didn’t struggle!

It can also be used as a muzzle wrap.. cross-body/ waist leash (I use it for running).. and in a bunch of other ways.

I guess that is one perk of working for @humaneinnovations 🥰 the best animal handling equipment you can find.

Ps go check out their website & social media - I’ve been having the best time overhauling it 😍🎉

& if you wanna find the leash, look for the Rescue Pro Harness Leash ✨

#vetmed #sheltermed #dogrescuers #sliplead

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A muzzle wrap can be a very helpful tool to prevent handler injury when temporary restraint is needed 🐶

I have used muzzle wraps in so many situations- from restraining street dogs for vaccination and loading very stressed dogs into kennels from meat farms to general shelter handling.

➡️ My favorite part about this integrated muzzle wrap is the security. The stoppers do not slip, and it can be clipped back to the leash to keep the wrap in place while you are moving or working with the dog (for example, carrying them to safety in a dangerous situation). 🥰

Muzzle wraps should always be used appropriately. When they are - they can save you!🎉

#animalservices #animalcontrol #vetmed #dogbehavior #veterinaryclinic

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This was a rough day.

It’s always devastating finding dogs in situations like this, but this hit so much harder knowing I saw this coming in slow motion and still wasn’t able to stop it, to save the squishiest boy.

When I moved near these dogs they immediately had my attention, not only due to their squishiness, but also because of the condition they were in. Malnourished, sick, eyes so gunky they were nearly glued shut, and of course the concerning head tilt.
I tried every route I knew of to offer assistance to the owner, from bringing by extra dog food and meds to offering to take the dogs off his hands if he’d like.
However, they were his dogs and a no is a no, there’s nothing more we can do legally if owners decline to work with us.

With a typhoon on the way, I tried one last time, and ultimately left without the dogs but reassured by their owner that he would bring them in for the storm.
Days passed with a category 5 storm battering these islands, then a few more as we dug out of our house and driveway. By the time I was able to check on these dogs, it was too late.
My favorite had died, wrapped his chain around a tree desperately trying to get out of the roasting sun. The two others were wandering around, hot and weak. And then I found a fourth, chained in the sun, without shade and extremely dehydrated.

The typhoon was devastating, hundreds of people were without shelter, food, and water. It felt helpless, there was only so much I could do to help my community, but could help these dogs. So I did.

We rarely ask for financial help on here however, these three unexpected but necessary intakes have us needing support. They are medically complex, in need of treatment for tick disease, skin issues, heart-worms, and ear infections.

They deserve everything we can give them and so much more. We are grateful for any support giving them such. Thank you
The gofundme link can be found in our bio

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This was a rough day. It’s always devastating finding dogs in situations like this, but this hit so much harder knowing I saw this coming in slow motion and still wasn’t able to stop it, to save the squishiest boy.

When I moved near these dogs they immediately had my attention, not only due to their squishiness, but also because of the condition they were in. Malnourished, sick, eyes so gunky they were nearly glued shut, and of course the concerning head tilt.

I tried every route I knew of to offer assistance to the owner, from bringing by extra dog food and meds to offering to take the dogs off his hands if he’d like. However, they were his dogs and a no is a no, there’s nothing more we can do legally if owners decline to work with us.

With a typhoon on the way, I tried one last time, and ultimately left without the dogs but reassured by their owner that he would bring them in for the storm.

Days passed with a category 5 storm battering these islands, then a few more as we dug out of our house and driveway. By the time I was able to check on these dogs, it was too late.
My favorite had died, wrapped his chain around a tree desperately trying to get out of the roasting sun. The two others were wandering around, hot and weak. And then I found a fourth, chained in the sun, without shade and extremely dehydrated.

The typhoon was devastating, hundreds of people were without shelter, food, and water. It felt helpless, there was only so much I could do to help my community, but I could help these dogs. So I did.

We rarely ask for financial help on here however, these three unexpected but necessary intakes have us needing support. They are medically complex, in need of treatment for tick disease, skin issues, heart-worms, and ear infections. They deserve everything we can give them and so much more. We are grateful for any support giving them such. Thank you❤️‍🩹

The gofundme link can be found in our bio

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In early 2023, I started a nonprofit called Saipan Humane Society. The goal - bring low cost spay/neuter to a little U.S. island with no veterinarian. No vet = TONS of strays = LOTS of suffering 😭🐶❤️‍🩹

I joined forces with my bestie @ruby.m.yy . We did a small pop-up clinic at the local government dog shelter… and word got out😅😅

Suddenly there was a line out the door of people with pets in need. Hit by car, seizure, gunshot, GI illness, tick infestation, TVT, jaundice, broken limbs, crazy wounds, eyeballs falling out… 😵‍💫

We scaled up quickly, against all odds. As volunteers. Busting our butts. If you were a vet friend of mine in 2023, you probably got sent some pretty crazy messages from us 😅😂 Thanks for walking us through it all.

Things have improved SO MUCH.

Today we have our own clinic space! (Thanks @banfieldfoundation 🧡)

We have STAFF 🎉 and received TRAINING!

We are so much more organized than the clips you see here 🥰

But we still struggle a lot. We ARE a low-cost clinic on an island with no vet, after all🥲

Not enough staff.
Not enough resources.
Not enough time in the day.
Endless endless work.
Boundaries constantly crossed.
Emergencies never stop.

But we love it ❤️

➡️Want to help?
www.saipanhumanesociety.org/donate

#vetmed #vetschool #accesstocare #vetstudent #vetmedlife

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Catching a street dog can be challenging 😅 but here is a great example of when it goes as smoothly as possible!🎉

This clip was from my visit to the island of Guam earlier this year. There I provided training in animal handling & capture for shelter staff and animal control 🐶🌴

Was the muzzle wrap necessary with this dog? 🤔 Probably not! But, I’m there to teach - not to catch. I like to demonstrate techniques and encourage students to practice skills when the stakes are lower. This prepares them to handle animals safely and effectively when situations get tricky 🥰

Ps - Notice how I’m covering the dog’s eyes as I carry him. This is an intentional way of reducing his stress by decreasing visual stimuli 🙈

✈️ Today I’m finishing up prepping for another trip - this time to Nepal. I’ll be working to protect red pandas through dog population management. Can’t wait to share the adventure with you! ✈️

#dogrescue #animalcontrol #streetdog #doghandling #dogbehavior

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What even IS a break stick, anyways? 🤔

They are essential safety tools ⛑️🐶 meant to pry open a dog’s mouth when they have latched onto something.. whether that be another dog, a human, or an object.

In the shelter setting, there should be LOTS of break sticks - basically in any room where dogs are! You don’t want to have to go running around looking for one when you need it. Time is critical.

We don’t recommend using these without proper training - but we can help with that!

Don’t have any break sticks? We can help with that too 😉 We just launched one in collaboration with @shelterbehaviorintegrations and @shelterbehaviorhub 🎉

Check it out ➡️ www.humaneinnovations.com/products/safety-stick

Let us know if you’ve ever used a break stick - or if you’ve ever been in a situation where you wish you had one 🥲👇

#dogbehavior #animalcontrol #animalshelter #dogsafety #dogsafetytips

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If you followed me last semester, you might remember me, and Cleo fighting over a heated blanket every single morning 🤣 it was pretty ridiculous. WELLL now she has her own 🎉🎉 hallelujah. It’s way softer than I expected than just the right size.

It’s still pretty toasty here in Washington at the moment but as soon as it starts to get chilly, this is going to be become a staple for us 🥶 My island dog HATES being cold (me too lol) 🌴🌺

Thanks so much for sending this for her, @ororo.wear !

Get yours ➡️ www.ororowear.com/collections/pets-collection

#ororo #dogblanket #dogmom

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🚨Warning: gross worms when you swipe!

Most puppies have intestinal worms in the CNMI. It can feel impossible to avoid parasites on island. These worms are VERY easily treatable… but without treatment, puppies can die 😭🕊️ like this one here.

Stop by our clinic in Garapan during open hours to deworm your puppy 🐶❤️

Adult dogs need deworming, too!

➡️Check out our schedule on the website for our hours 🏥

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