I was scrolling through my Facebook feed, and there was an awful story about a 49-year-old woman killed by stray dogs on the Rosebud Indian reservation in South Dakota.
In response to the woman’s death, stray-dog “roundups” were taking place where dogs would be gathered up and killed.
Most of the comments in response to this story were from people criticizing the stray-dog problem or from people criticizing the “roundups.”
But a friend of mine left a comment directing people to a group called LightShine Canine because it’s making a real difference for stray dogs on two South Dakota Indian reservations: Rosebud and pine Ridge.
LightShine Canine: A reservation dog rescue
No matter what your feelings are about the dog roundups or the loose-dog problem on various reservations, I want to focus on what LightShine Canine is doing to help.
If you check out its Facebook page, you’ll see one of its mottos is “Boots on the ground, paws off the ground.”
It works regularly with the pine Ridge Indian reservation with “full cooperation and permission from the Oglala Sioux Tribe” to rescue unwanted and stray dogs, according to its Facebook page.
Due to the recent dog roundups on the Rosebud reservation (located more than 100 miles to the east of pine Ridge), LightShine is currently focusing much of its attention there, rescuing as many dogs and puppies as it can.
More info on LightShine Canine Rescue
I spoke on the phone with KC Willis, the director of LightShine Canine.
At any given time, she estimates there are between 2,000 and 2,500 stray dogs on the pine Ridge reservation.
She stated LightShine took in 1,250 reservation dogs in 2014 and with the help of lots of volunteers, got them transported to various rescue groups for adoption, mostly in Minnesota. The dogs were spayed/neutered prior to adoption.
The photos you see in this post are of puppies and dogs posted on the group’s Facebook page.
Willis stated so many of the stray dogs are friendly and end up making nice pets. They crave things like human companionship or a warm blanket.
Only a small percentage of the dogs are aggressive, she said. Although they don’t all trust people at first.
Some run away at “50 miles per hour” because they are scared or they flatten to the ground. She stated dogs have wanted to her with an expression that says, “Help me or kill me, but I give up.”
Why can’t they just spay and neuter their pets?
People outside of the reservations ask concerns such as:
Why can’t they just spay and neuter their dogs?
Or, why have a dog if you’re not going to take care of it?
One thing to keep in mind is that the majority of the stray dogs do not have owners, Willis said.
I asked her how she responds to comments like the concerns above, and she stated these are “first-world comments and suggestions given to a third-world country.”
Her answer may seem a bit extreme, until you look at the statistics.
Here are some stats about pine Ridge (sources below):
80% of residents are unemployed
49% live below the federal poverty level
Per capita income is $6,286
Infant mortality rate is 5 times higher than the national average
Life expectancy in 2007 was estimated to be 48 for males and 52 for females
Willis stated there is no veterinarian on the pine Ridge reservation, which is larger than the specify of Rhode Island. There is no veterinarian on Rosebud either.
She stated 85 percent of the adults are alcoholics and the teen suicide rate is the highest in the country. She explains the area as the poorest in the nation.
When households struggle to have their children taken care of, Willis stated taking care of a dog is “not on the radar” even though many are animal lovers.
What you can do to help
Share LightShine Canine Rescue on Facebook
I heard about LightShine Canine by seeing it pop up in my news feed (thanks Patti!). If some of you wouldn’t mind sharing this post or heading to Facebook to interact on the rescue’s page, it does make a difference.
Donate or volunteer
If you would like to donate to LightShine Canine Rescue, it has a donate button on the left column of its Facebook page. It will take you to a secure PayPal page.
If you’re in the region and want to volunteer by transporting dogs, I’m sure the group could use you.
Kendini geliştir
Most people are not even aware of the conditions on so many of the Indian reservations, so educating yourself is the first place to start. You can’t show true empathy for animals until you first show empathy for people.
More info on pine Ridge:
Friends oF Çaşı Ridge Reservationre Üyesi (Rezervasyondaki Yaşam Kalitesini Geliştirmeyi Arayan Kar Amacı Gütmeyen) Wikipida Sayfası
Daha fazla okuma:
Köpek Roundup Köpek Saldırısı Sonrası Yetkili (Rapid City Journal)
8 yaşında, çam sırtındaki köpekler tarafından öldürüldü (2014 hikayesi, argus lideri)
Bazı Hint rezervasyonlarında başıboş köpek probleminin farkında mısın?