Dog tagging kicks off with 73 dog owners registering pets
A total of 73 dog owners from different precincts registered their pets on the first day of dog tagging for the Dog Control Program of the Saipan Mayor’s Office, which began yesterday at the Carolinian Utt in Garapan.
As early as 6:30am, program director Ray B. Lizama and staff James Villagomez, Harvey Matagolai, Peter Camacho, Ton Reyes, and John Mendiola were already at the site for the dog licensing and registration held from 9am to 4pm.
Kiyo Aki Suzuki, father-in-law of Joeten-Kiyu Public Library executive director John Oliver Gonzales, was the first to arrive at 7:30am and register his six Maltese poodles: Shiro, Matua, Miki Chan, Chibi Chan, Diego, and Lahi.
In a phone interview, Gonzales said the dog registration was a family event for them as he and Suzuki were joined by his wife and youngest son. He said they paid for the license fees last Friday.
“We wanted to be part of history in supporting a program that’s long overdue. We wanted to show the people that we support the program that rids our villages of stray dogs and ensure that dog owners take responsibility for their dogs,” he told Saipan Tribune.
Gonzales said the Dog Control Program is a “win-win program” for both tourists and residents alike.
“Through this program, people will now see that Saipan is tourist and pet-friendly and it’s now safe to walk in the streets,” he added.
Ken Baer, a resident of Dandan, said he paid the license fees for his mixed breed and boonie dogs Robbie, Kui, and Jake yesterday morning before heading out to the registration site.
“I think the program is a good idea,” said Baer. “We have to have some way of controlling these pets, particularly in commercial areas.”
Edwin Macayanan, who works for Uno Security and lives in Garapan, brought his dogs, 2-year-old Junjun and 2-month-old Clint, to the Utt after paying the fees at the Supreme Court in Susupe.
“I want to prove that I own these dogs so I want them registered under my name,” he said. “Tagging pet dogs on island will also protect the people from the stray ones.”
Luke Ishizaki, also of Dandan, was with his son Kalel when he had 7-month-old Suri registered during his off day at work.
According to Ishizaki, he is all for pet control. “There are lots of stray boonie dogs on island. I don’t want stray dogs to catch and bite my son when he’s running around.”
[B]‘Good turnout’[/B]
Lizama said the program had a good turnout on its first day.
“This is one of the most anticipated programs on island. It’s 12 years of waiting and finally it’s taking off,” he said in an interview.
Lizama noted, however, that they had to turn down several dog owners since they haven’t paid the license fees at any of the three payment locations: CNMI Treasury Office on Capital Hill, Tax and Revenue Office in Dandan, or the Commonwealth Superior Court in Susupe.
“I’m very overwhelmed with the support of the community, the media and especially the mayor who supported us in getting this program going,” he said.
Although all the dogs that were registered yesterday were friendly and tame, Lizama said the program’s personnel have the necessary tools such as cages and muzzles to handle hostile dogs.
He also noted that each day of the dog registration, which has a schedule in each village, is a “learning process” for them to improve their process as they go along.
“It’s also challenging since we are doing this tagging at the same time we’re working on getting the shelter up and running,” he added.
Lizama said the fees collected from the dog registration will be used for the construction of the dog shelter in Lower Base.
“We encourage all dog owners to pay the license fees at any of the payment locations before going to the dog tagging sites,” he said.
For information call the Saipan Mayor’s Office at 234-6208 or email dogcontrolprogram.mos2011@yahoo.com.
