THE Dog Control Program under the Office of the Mayor of Saipan welcomed back members of its team this week after a year of being furloughed due to the global Covid-19 pandemic.
From having a three-person team this past year, the program is now back to its full staff of eight members, including Martin Pangelinan Jr. who leads the team.
All employees of the Saipan mayor’s office, Pangelinan noted, are required to be vaccinated, including recalled employees.
At the height of the pandemic, of the more than 60 employees at the Saipan mayor’s office, 38 lost their jobs, including five staff members with the dog control program.
Due to the pandemic affecting the local and global economies, government agencies, including the Saipan mayor’s office, had to furlough or terminate some of their employees.
“We were struggling this past year with manpower, but…due to the federal funding, we are getting [our employees] back. It’s going to be a really big ‘plus’ for us,” said Pangelinan.
He said that the mission and objective of the program remain the same: to reduce the stray dog population and keep the streets safe for children and other community members.
Asked whether the manpower the program currently has is sufficient for the tasks at hand, Pangelinan said, “It’s never enough. This stray population is just too much, so the more [employees], the better for the program.”
He added that in the near future, the program will be looking into hiring more employees.
As of Tuesday, Pangelinan said that there were 40 dogs being held in the animal shelter.
On average, he added, the program captures approximately five to 10 dogs a day, noting that sometimes, even cats are impounded.
He said the program does not only capture stray dogs, but also owned dogs who are impounded if found to not be in compliance with Saipan Local Law 9-12, which grants the Saipan mayor’s office authority to adopt rules and regulations for the control and licensing of dogs.
Under the local law, all dogs over four months old must be registered if they have not been issued a license tag, or their current license has expired.
Licenses are given for one to five years, depending on the owner’s preference.
The program also charges fees for adoption, impoundment, and penalties.
In order for impounded dogs to be released, a $16 fee must be paid for first impoundment, $32 for second, $47 for third, or $47 for special, or after-hours, impoundment.
Owners of domesticated dogs who are impounded are also charged an additional rate of $5 for every day that their pet is in the shelter.
Payments should be made at either the CNMI Superior Court cashier, the Division of Revenue and Taxation, or the Division of Treasury.
For more information, contact the Office of the Mayor of Saipan at 234-6208, visit saipanmayor.net, or visit the office in Oleai.
Saipan Mayor David M. Apatang, second right, recognizes the employees of the island’s Dog Control Program at the groundbreaking ceremony for the new animal shelter building in As Perdido in Oct. 2020.
Photo by K-Andrea Evarose S. Limol
