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Dog registration yields $8.2K revenue for control program
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Posted on Jul 27 2011
Barely two months since the registration of dogs kicked off on island, a total of $8,200 in fees has already been collected by the Saipan Mayor’s Office, according to a special adviser of Mayor Donald Flores.
Henry Hofschneider told Saipan Tribune yesterday that the amount is expected to increase in coming weeks because registration is still ongoing.
License fees for dogs vary depending on whether or not the dogs are neutered or not. These fees range from $6 per dog for a one-year license to $42 per dog for a five-year license.
Hofschneider said this revenue will be used to build a permanent animal shelter, possibly in Lower Base.
Flores formally implemented the long-delayed stray dog control program on June 6. As of early this month, the municipality has already registered approximately over a thousand pets.
License fees are paid by pet owners to the Finance Department, which deposits the money in the program’s own account. It is not commingled with other funds and will be used primarily to run the dog control program.
Saipan Local Law 9-12 created the dog control program.
Based on a survey conducted by the Northern Marianas College-CREES program last year, Saipan has an estimated 10,000 to 20,000 stray animals wandering around villages and communities. The number continues to increase due to its uncontrolled population.
Hofschneider said that Flores is very pleased with the program’s initial turnout and is optimistic that more and more pet owners will join the campaign to take responsibility for their animals.
The municipality reopened the registration and tagging on July 11 in Chalan Kanoa; it will run through Dec. 9. After that date, pet owners who wish to register their dogs will have to go to a designated place that the municipality will identify later.
