In an interview, former Rep. Frank G. Cepeda said he always read news stories about advocates discussing animal control issues that remain unaddressed.
Cepeda, who saw action in the Vietnam War, has rescued 11 dogs in the last few years.
His farm house, he said, has become an animal shelter.
He hired two helpers to take care of the dogs for which he spends over $300 for food and about $500 for medicines each month.
Cepeda said he is willing to build, at his own cost, another shelter where people can bring dogs they can’t or don’t want to keep.
He noted that the majority of those who expressed willingness to help “just talk.”
Cepeda said he has started adopting neglected dogs since 1991 but he became compassionate about these animals when he was a soldier in Vietnam.
Every time he sees stray dogs he brings them home and make them his own.
“I’ve even picked up dead dogs on the roads,” he said.
Most of the dogs that he kept were puppies when they found them.
He suspects that female dogs on island, particularly those that are stray, give birth in the jungle.
“I’m looking forward to take the lead on this issue, and I’ll show them how to lead,” he said.
