I traveled to American Samoa for 2 weeks to volunteer and look into a potential position with the AS Department of Agriculture. My hosts, Nick and Mona King, are founders of a new non-profit ‘Alofa Mo Meaola’. They were wonderful and showed me around the island. All the volunteers and DoA staff were great to work with, and …. I’m going back in April!
American Samoa is very beautiful. And there are way too many dogs…. no vet in the past who really did small animal work…. there is quite a lot of work to do, and it is a very exciting project for me. Did I mention that it is very beautiful?
Clinic shots – click on any picture for a slideshow
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- Welcome to the AS DoA Vet Clinic
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- JR, assistant extrodinaire
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- Anesthesia machine brought with – thanks to Animal Balance for arranging the acquisition!
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- Cute kitten patient
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- Cats in recovery
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- Our crew: JR, Pete Gurr (Asst Deputy Director of DoA), Warren, me, Margaret, Mona, Tanya
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- Mona handling the phones.
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- Recovery
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- Tony helping with prep
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- Surgery
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- Ace instrument handler and volunteer Keri
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- Recovery
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- Tanya the anesthesia queen and Tony
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- Dr Eileen
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- Anesthetics…
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- Surgery lessons
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- Dr Eileen
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- Back woods centrifuge!
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- Prep team
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- More recovering patients and wonderful volunteers Trish and Diana
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- Va’a – DoA employee
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- Health exams
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- Margaret and Mona
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- Dr Eileen convincing the autoclave to work
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- More surgery
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- Mel (DoA) brings the Lt Gov to visit the clinic
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- Surgery education
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- Many helpers for a badly abscessed dog’s neck
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- Dr Eileen assessing the progress
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- Anesthesia for drain placement
American Samoa pictures
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- Sunset from the plane window
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- The main grocery / stuff store….
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- Where you can also buy a stuffed rocking horse,
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- A pinata, a mattress,
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- and some caviar! Be sure to look with the pie fillings!
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- $2 beach
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- A lovely house call patient
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- and his lovely caregivers
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- Mona’s dogs going for a walk with me.
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- Tranquil jungle
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- Flora
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- This is the fish poison tree
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- Happy friend on the beach
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- Lovely beach in Paloa
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- This guy LOVES the beach!
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- He rests,
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- but mostly he rolls..
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- and rolls, and rolls!
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- Paws and shells
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- Coral along the shore
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- School at Poloa which was devastated by the 2009 tsunami
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- Beach findings
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- Poloa beach
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- Pago Pago Harbor and Rainmaker Mountain
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- Ice cream shop
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- Pago Pago harbor
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- Tidepool in the National Park
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- Warren on the lava at the National Park
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- National Park of American Samoa
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- Looking to the east
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- Fun on Singing Beach
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- Arch down the shore
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- Rainmaker Mountain
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- Canoe residence at Sadie’s By the Sea
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- Pago Pago Harbor with a full moon
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- Looking towards Aunu’u Island
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- Surfing spot
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- WIth a nice barrel
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- Looking down the coast
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- Dogs wondering who wants to try the carrier (none of them)
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- Flower
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- Coconut Point
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- View of the airport and Tafuna
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- Very small island
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- Sunset
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- Market offerings
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- Fun at the market
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- Sailboat moorings in Pago Pago Harbor
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- Ready for a hike
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- View of Vatia Bay
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- Trail in the National Park
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- Flora
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- Coral reef
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- Ti flowers
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- Views from the hike
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- Pago Pago
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- Bromeliad
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- Steps up to the top where a tram used to run
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- Steps over old ladder
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- Pago Pago Harbor
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- Harbor
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- View to the west
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- Resting in the fale (waiting for me to catch up!)
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- All were faster than me!
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- Lovely beach
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- Shells found on my visit
(mis)adventures 
It looks amazing. I wish I could join you there on your next visit.
We are ready to come visit either in Hawaii or AS!
Hi Brenda, I came across your website because I was randomly remembering my visit to American Samoa this past August. The state of the dogs on the island was pretty upsetting. I hope they get a full-time vet over there soon. I was even looking to see if I could donate to help fund a vet! It’s a beautiful island with lovely people, but the animal situation is enough to ruin it — at least for me. Thanks for your work during your two-week visit!
Jennie,
I actually did get hired on – a 2 year contract through the Department of Agriculture. I have started with spay/neuter surgeries and working with the Animal Care and Control Committee to put together a humane solution to the dog issues on the island. Humane Society of the US and Humane Society International as well as several other smaller US based ngos are helping. HSI has set up a website through which you CAN donate to this project!! http://www.hsi.org/issues/street_dog/factsheets/street_dogs_american_samoa.html#id=album-212&num=content-3656. Our local non-profit Alofa Mo Meaola (look for their page on facebook) will be up and accepting donations soon as well. Thanks so much for your compassion and concern. Wait a year or two and your visit should show a much different situation for the animals…
Dr Brenda