For many of us living in the Marianas, it is common to see a stray cat or dog in a parking lot or on the side of the road.

Residents believe that seeing many strays in our islands is something we should be concerned about, with an estimated 60,000 strays in Guam.

As of 2020, both Guam and the CNMI governments have passed animal cruelty laws.

On Dec. 23, Bill 185-35, “Pugua’s Law” or formally known as Protecting Animal Welfare and Safety (PAWS) Act, was passed by the Guam Legislature.

On July 5, Public Law No. 21-31 or the ‘CNMI Animal Protection and Control Act’, was passed by the CNMI Legislature.

While both acts have been in effect for quite some time, many animal rescue organizations and individual rescuers believe that animal cruelty and overpopulation are still prevalent in our island communities.

These organizations can be found throughout the Marianas. They choose to spend their time rescuing these animals and working with others to get them loving homes.

Here in Guam, H.E.A.R.T Guam or Happily Ever After Rescue Team is one of them. Sterling Corbin founded the organization in 2017, expressing that her love for animals led her to doing what she does today.

The organization works closely with the community to offer educational programs such as ‘Mutt-i-grees’ to teach animal welfare in schools, as well as ‘Pet Pantry’ to distribute free pet supplies to families in need.

Corbin expresses that, while animal rescuing is fulfilling, being an animal rescuer is emotionally taxing and takes a toll on people mentally. “I see people give up because they feel like it’s not enough,” she says.

“If we [animal rescuers] don’t work together nothing is going to happen because there is no strong foundation,” she said. “I feel like I’ve seen some improvement, but we can always do more.”

Over in Saipan, we can find Boonie Babies Rescue, one of the island’s only animal rescue groups. The organization was founded by sisters Aria and Grace Keilbach in 2018. Their mission is to rescue, rehabilitate and relocate boonie dogs to give them a better life.

After moving to the island, the sisters were shocked by the number of strays found on such a small island and felt a strong need to protect the local boonies.

They express that a lack of resources, education and government enforcement of animal cruelty laws contributes to the growing number of strays in Saipan.

They mention how difficult it is to not have government support for the abused strays they find.

“There has not been a single ticket or slap on the wrist for anybody having to do with animal cruelty…so it’s as good as nothing,” Grace says.

“There has not been any close to decline in the population of strays here in Saipan. This issue is much bigger than Aria and I, and our organization. The government really needs to get involved,” she continues.

Additionally, we can also find animal rescuers who work independently and in association with others.

Lelani Puga, who was born and raised in Guam, is an advocate for animal welfare. She conducted animal rescues while stationed on the island three years ago and is still working closely with the rescue community despite currently being in the mainland.

She talks about seeing strays on the streets throughout her life.

“It was normal to see strays in your day-to-day life,” she said. “As I became an adult, I realized that it was not normal to see dogs suffering and had to do something about it.”

Puga shared her insights on the PAWS Act that was passed during her time in Guam.

“I don’t think it’s being fully enforced. The government has funds, but they just aren’t doing anything,” she said. “I see that when there’s an animal abuse case, it gets featured on the news, but then we never hear about it again—somebody needs to start doing something.

“It’s frustrating for everyone in the rescue community because it never feels like we’re doing enough,” she expresses.

Animal rescuers urge our governments to do more for strays in the Marianas.

Animal welfare is a community issue and some of the ways people can help to support our local strays and animal rescuers are by volunteering, fostering and adopting.

This article was written as an assignment for CO-226: Media Writing.