TINIAN — An additional 20 stray dogs have been euthanized here by Dr. Ignacio Dela Cruz, a veterinarian and the CNMI’s secretary of lands and natural resources, according to a media release.
All dogs had been held at the Tinian municipal dog shelter for the required five days after capture in the San Jose area. 
Most of the dogs had been caught in public areas of the village — no dogs are ever approached or captured on private properties — while some were voluntarily turned in to the kennel by their owners after signing the required, but voluntary, abandonment form. 
About 30 percent of the estimated 600 or so dogs on Tinian have now been registered or euthanized.
Tinian dog control officers are continuing their active and educational approach to dog owners throughout the area. 
First visits to a dog owner are for education and distribution of informational materials as well as a gentle reminder to please come in and register their pets. 
If a second or third visit to the same household is needed, pet owners are offered several choices including convenient “on-the-spot” registration, a payment plan, or the owner can sign a release and turn any unwanted dog over to the kennel. 
If the owner chooses not to comply with any choice, then a citation could be issued and the dog owner will then have a chance to explain to the superior court why they chose not to comply.
So far no citations have been required as most pet owners are quite happy to participate in responsible pet ownership. 
Dogs being held at the facility are actually getting healthier.  As a result of daily care which includes not only one full bowl of food every afternoon but drinking water twice a day and regular cleaning of the area all seven days of the week, some dogs are actually gaining weight. 
The shelter is feeding the dogs with purchased standard dog food, a diet that many stray dogs find hard to find from neighborhood garbage cans.