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Adopt a dog this Christmas
The Saipan Mayor’s Office Dog Control program would like the community to give their dogs a home this holiday season. Program manager Spencer Marchadesch and other dog lovers and volunteers joined the Christmas parade last Saturday from Garapan Fishing Base to Coral Tree Avenue to showcase their cause.
“We really want to promote adoption. It’s really sad seeing the dogs at the shelter. They really all deserve a loving home and a caring family,” he told Saipan Tribune.
In October, it was reported that 587 of the 709 stray dogs captured this year had been euthanized. Remaining dogs have either been reclaimed, adopted or remain at the island’s animal shelter.
Marchadesch said there are 36 dogs at the shelter right now but they do bring in dogs everyday. He said these dogs range from puppies to adults.
Interested community members can contact the Mayor’s Office at 234-6209, he said.
“We do have a stray dog problem on our island. We need a lot of support, a lot of help from the community. We’d like more events to showcase our dogs, and promote more responsible dog ownership. I know a lot of people do care and we want to help,” he said.
He said one volunteer, Damiana Smith, is interested in leading training coursesfor dogs after their adoption. He said this could offer more incentive for adoption.
Several other volunteers joined Marchedesch and Smith during the parade. Two “representatives” from the shelter were walked during the parade, Marchedesch said. One dog was 6-month-old and the other a 6 week old puppy, he said.
By the parade’s end, Smith told Saipan Tribune that the puppy had been adopted. A man from the community, who also joined the volunteers during the walk had expressed his interested in adopting the dog.
“He fell in love with her,” Smith said.
Another volunteer named Taguchi brought his 8-year-old dog, Diana, to the parade. He called her his “partner” and said he had adopted her from the shelter.
