AN apartment owner, a tenant and a responsible pet owner said the measure that would require pet owners to pick up their dog’s poop is a good idea.
Authored by Rep. Denita Yangetmai, House Local Bill 22-19 was approved last week by the Saipan and Northern Islands Legislative Delegation’s Committee on Health and Welfare chaired by Rep. Tina Sablan.
Tao Tsang Hui, the owner of Sundance Gardens Apartments in Chalan Kiya, said dog poop has been a problem in their area for many years now.
He said they have asked the Saipan mayor’s office to get rid of the stray dogs that poop in the parking lot and sometimes near the doors of their tenants’ units.
He said the mayor’s office has already removed the stray dogs, but dog poop remains an issue because of irresponsible pet owners.
It’s about time that a law is passed to require pet owners to clean up their pets’ mess, Hui added.
Ruby Rose Reyes, a tenant who does not own a pet, said they are the ones affected by “dogs that poop just anywhere.”
She said they have already complained about it, but the problem persists.
Edmund Robles, a pet owner, said he supports the local bill, and he hopes it will be enforced fairly and carefully so it will not create problems for responsible pet owners like him.
He said he never let his dogs poo anywhere in the neighborhood, but there are other dogs owned by irresponsible owners that “create problems.”
Yangetmai said, “The reason that pet dogs go for a walk is mostly to empty their stomachs, and yes, dogs won’t be comfortable until they’re done with their business.”
She said many dog owners walk their dogs just to poop on the Saipan Beach Road pathway or at the parks or on public roads where people can “see the…gooey and smelly poop that is not only disgusting but unsanitary as well.”
She added, “Envision yourself or your children happily enjoying an afternoon family walk only to be ruined by stepping on poop…. Envision yourself and your children happily swimming during a Sunday picnic at the beach only to swallow fecal-coliform-tapeworm-infested ocean water that came from [stormwater] runoff. Envision the many bacteria, parasites, and viruses that penetrate your skin, entering your bloodstream and your children’s making you and your family sick.”
Noting that tourism is the main driver of the CNMI economy, Yangetmai said, “We would want [tourists] to return to their homeland with great stories about their stay on Saipan and taking pictures of the sunset and ocean on the west side of the island without…stepping on dog poop.”
“Let us not wait for these negative things to happen,” she said. “Let’s be more responsible. Let’s be more pro-active, let’s keep our people happy and the tourists happy and returning [to our island].”
