‘Just 10 pct. of dogs on Saipan have been tagged’

A report from the Saipan Mayor’s Office Dog Control Program shows that a total of 1,165 dogs have been tagged or registered in five different precincts from June 6 through Aug. 19.

Of the five precincts, Precinct 3 posted the highest number of registered dogs with 470. Precinct 3 is composed of the villages of Garapan, Navy Hill, Chinatown, San Jose, Chalan Laulau, Gualo Rai, and Puerto Rico.

Precinct 1 had a record of 366 registered dogs, Precinct 2 had 146, Precinct 4 had 98, and Precinct 5 had 85.

The report also showed that 245 dogs have been eradicated, and program manager Ray B. Lizama said that about 85 percent of these dogs were sick while 15 percent were stray dogs.

The program was also able to pick up 530 carcasses of dogs and cats throughout the island.

Through the program’s adoption component, 16 dogs were able to find new owners and stay in new homes.

Five dog bite incidents were also reported. Of the five, three were from Garapan, and one each in Susupe and Chalan Kanoa.

‘Only 10 percent’

Lizama noted that the total number of registered dogs reflects only 10 percent of the total number of dogs on island as estimated by the Northern Marianas College – Cooperative Research Extension and Education Service.

“If everybody just cooperate and follow the law, the numbers would have probably increased and be more,” Lizama told Saipan Tribune. “Unfortunately, people are just not abiding by the law.”

At present, Lizama said the program personnel are conducting dog tagging and registration at the Capital Hill Fire Station right next to the Legislature from Oct. 3 to 14.

Mayor Donald G. Flores, in a separate interview, urged the public, particularly dog owners, to check their dog tagging schedule at the office to know when and where they can register their dogs.

“If you register now, you’re only paying $10 [for a one-year license]. If we are done with the registration schedule and we start picking up dogs, they’re going to be charged more than the registration fee,” said Flores.

Although he doesn’t know the reason why only a few owners have registered their dogs, Flores hinted that dog owners may not have the money to pay for the fees or the time to go to the registration site.

“We try to simplify everything we could, for them not to bring their dogs and just pay for the fee. We try to make the process easy for the community,” added Flores.

Given their limited staff, Lizama emphasized that their priorities besides actual tagging is the eradication of sick and aggressive stray dogs in tourist areas and school zones.

While Lizama encourages dog owners to register their pets, he also reminded those who have already registered their dogs to comply with the program’s regulations, which include having these canines “controlled at all times.”

“I’ve seen a lot of dogs out there that are tagged and being let loose. Those would be impounded. Once those dogs are impounded, it’s going to cost them money to take their dogs back,” he warned.

According to Lizama, owners have the discretion to leave their dogs untied inside a fenced property. “If the place is not fenced, we recommend that it should be tied up.”

Lizama thanked dog owners who have already registered their dogs and urged those who haven’t done so to go to any of their registration sites.

For more information, call 234-6208 or email dogcontrolprogram.mos2011@yahoo.com.