709 strays captured as of Oct.

The Saipan Mayor’s Office Dog Control Program has captured 709 stray dogs over the course of 10 months this year, according to program manager Spencer Marchadesch.

Yet despite this large number of dogs being captured, “there are still a lot of dogs out there,” he said.

“My staff are doing their best to try to help everyone out so we do have a lot of requests and complaints and we are doing our best to address the issue,” Marchadesch said.

According to him, his office receives an average of 10 phone calls a day about stray dog problems.

The most frequent complaints are sanitation issues, with dogs scattering garbage in the neighborhood where the dog is located. Other complaints include nonstop barking that intimidate pedestrians and dog bites.

Majority of these calls complaining about stray dog problems come from Dandan, he added.

“With the dog bite complaints, we still have them unfortunately, and it is those kinds of emergency that we do respond right away,” Marchadesch said.

Of the 709 dogs captured as of Oct. 24 this year, 57 were captured in October alone. January had 88 captures, February had 85, March had 98, April had 65, May had 76, June had 88, July had 48, August had 80, and September had 81.

Dogs that are captured are taken to the dog pound in Lower base and are kept there for five days—exactly 120 hours—and if no one claims them, they are either put up for adoption or euthanized.

Recent data provided by Marchadesch shows that 77 dogs had been reclaimed, 23 were adopted, 22 remain at the dog pound, and about 587 have been euthanized.

Marchadesch said that CNMI state veterinarian Dr. Ignacio Dela Cruz of the Department of Land and Natural Resources does the euthanizing and visits the dog pound thrice a week.

Dogs that are euthanized are buried at the Marpi landfill.

Marchadesch said they are still awaiting the results of a survey on how many dogs are actually on Saipan. The Human Society International did the survey earlier this year. One survey involved counting dogs that are actually seen roaming around and the other involved door-to-door interviews with residents. The results are expected to be released in November.

“If you own a dog or any pet, let’s do our part in ensuring their wellbeing. If you can’t afford or maybe don’t have time to fully commit to caring for your pet, give us a call. Please leash your dogs or keep them in an enclosed area or within the premises. Registration for dog tags is ongoing. Let’s all help each other restore our community’s peace of mind,” Marchadesch said.