“It is outrageous that the government with all its resources and $150 million annual budget would pass its responsibilities off onto community members and voters,” he said.
Many people, he added, are disturbed by stray dogs that travel in groups and loiter around the island, harming children and tourists and ripping off garbage bags when looking for food.
The stray dogs are a “general nuisance” to the public, he said.
Blame game
In an earlier interview, Press Secretary Charles P. Reyes Jr. said the government does not have an immediate solution to the problem of stray dogs due to lack of funds.
He said the Saipan mayor’s office should be the one to address the problem which was also referred to the Division of Environmental Quality and the Department of Public Safety.
DEQ told this reporter that the issue has not reached its office.
Villagomez said it is not the responsibility of community organizations to remove dead animals from public roads.
The non-government group Pet Assistance and Welfare Services, or PAWS, helps find homes for dogs, but does not remove roadkill, he added.
PAWS also provides food, shelter and medicine to dogs, and this is costly, Villagomez said.
“Keep in mind that PAWS is a cash-strapped, volunteer-driven non-profit organization made up of people who volunteer their free time to help these needy animals, the stray dogs,” he said.
Villagomez believes that the mayor should address the island’s stray dog problem while DPS should be responsible for removing dead animals from public roads.
“If the mayor was doing his job and picking up stray dogs, there wouldn’t be such a large dead dog problem, as the roving packs of dogs would be safely off the streets,” he said.
He noted that the mayor of Tinian was able to build a kennel for less than $10,000.
The mayor of Tinian was able to end their stray dog problem, Villagomez said.
