There is still no animal shelter, but Saipan Mayor Donald G. Flores said the dog tagging phase is very significant because it will help his office raise more funds for the program.
“This will also help us determine if a dog has an owner or is a stray animal,” he said.
The mayor’s office, he added, is still working to finalize the proposed animal shelter facility in Lower Base.
Flores has designated Ray Lizama as the dog control program manager.
The Saipan and Northern Islands Dog Control Act of 1995 requires all dog owners to register their animals every year.
The tagging phase was supposed to start on May 3 but it was moved to June 6 and will be held at the Carolinian Utt in Garapan.
Lizama said they were asked to publish the dog control program rules in the Commonwealth Registrar to allow community members to comment.
The Attorney General’s Office, he said, advised the mayor to also publish the rules in Carolinian and Chamorro as mandated by law.
April and May will be devoted to public awareness and education campaign in the villages about the program, Lizama said.
The mayor said the first tagging will be conducted in Garapan to eradicate stray dogs in the tourist area.
The registration of dogs will start from 9 a.m. and end at 4 p.m.
In each village, the mayor’s office will issue a designated color of dog tags, Lizama said.
As of yesterday, the mayor’s office had acquired 10,000 dog tags.
Lizama said there will be no registration on austerity Fridays and on legal holiday.
The license fee amount varies and starts at $6 or $10 a year depending on whether the dog is “altered” or not.
For more information email [email protected] or call the mayor’s office at 234-6208.
