A recent study by researchers at New Zealand's Massey University has highlighted the potential impact that the bursting dog population could have on tourism in Samoa.
Massey University veterinary students have visited Samoa regularly and in conjunction with the Animal Protection Society of Samoa have neutered over 900 dogs.
The University's Dr Kate Hill has been involved in a number of research projects and says most recently they surveyed tourists in Samoa, and found 64 percent had had a negative interaction with a dog while there.
"And over 80 percent of the tourists thought that there needed to be better management of the dog population. It's just because tourism is such an important part of the Samoan economy we probably need to balance the perception of the tourists with actually what the Samoan population do with their dogs."
Kate Hill says better management of the canine population includes introducing spaying and neutering programmes, and providing better veterinary services and vaccinations.
She says more research is needed on identifying the potential for disease that could be transferred from dogs to people.
