I was the one who took the photo used by the paper. The information in the article is somewhat inaccurate and I would like to set the record straight.
On Monday July 25th while walking along the pathway near fishing base I found an abandoned dog. When I found the dog it had long matted hair, was covered in tics and its left eye was injured and swollen. My close friend and I took the dog to the animal hospital and asked them to take temporary custody of the animal and told them I would pay for the dog to have a health check, cut and shampoo. The animal hospital told me about a group called PAWS and that they had a hotline that I could call so I contacted PAWS. We spoke with a PAWS volunteer and told him that we would be looking for a home for the dog. I provided the contact numbers of my friend and I to PAWS so they could contact us.
On the afternoon of Wednesday the 27th the PAWS volunteer went to the animal hospital and told them that he would be taking the dog back to his home temporarily and the hospital turned the animal over to PAWS. The hospital contacted me and informed me that the dog had been picked up by the PAWS volunteer. I called the hotline and was able to confirm this information.
On the 30th one of my friends was interested in taking the dog and called the hotline. She was informed; that the dog was not getting along with his dog and since the dog was in good health, he had returned the dog to the area it was found at fishing base. He explained that the dog would be happier there and that perhaps it would be found by its owner.
My friend and I were wondering why PAWS would not contact us prior to releasing the dog since they were aware that we were actively looking for someone to take the animal.
After we heard from our friend that the dog had been released myself and as many as 15 of my friends went as a group to the fishing base on at least 3 or 4 separate days to look for the dog. We also checked with the mayor’s office personnel in charge of lost dogs. We currently have no information as to the whereabouts or condition of the dog.
It is not my intention to condemn PAWS. Those of us who have pets that are members of our family fully support PAWS activities and applaud their efforts. I will continue to support their efforts. The PAWS volunteer has acknowledged his poor judgment in handling this matter and has apologized to those concerned. We are all human beings and we make mistakes. I am sure that the volunteer feels bad enough about his actions and will not repeat it in the future.
All that we want now is for all of us who looked for and cared for the dog to know that she is okay. We are all praying that she will find a nice family that will take care of her. I would like to express my appreciation to all of my friends, the animal hospital and PAWS for their help. If anyone sees this animal or has information about this dog, we have three families who would like to take care of her. Please call Miyuki at 233-0442
MIYUKI ETO
Garapan, Saipan
