Going to the dogs
Problem on the rez is getting worse

A skinny dog without a collar roams through a yard in front of a house in Churchrock on Friday. [photo by Jeff Jones / Independent]

By Karen Francis
Diné Bureau

FORT DEFIANCE — Overpopulation of dogs on the Navajo Nation is a problem that is highly visible and seemingly ignored. Now a pilot project in Chinle and the Navajo Veterinary and Livestock Program are hoping to change that beginning with public forums around the Navajo Nation to document citizens’ concerns with the problem.

“We have extreme numbers of bite cases to our Navajo children and elderly,” Glenda Davis from the Navajo Veterinary and Livestock Program said during the forum held in Fort Defiance on Tuesday.

Forums where the program is seeking public input on the problems associated with dog overpopulation on Navajo have been held in Chinle on June 10 and in Fort Defiance on June 17. More will be held on June 18 at the Crownpoint Chapter, on June 20 at the Shiprock Chapter and June 23 at the Tuba City Chapter, each beginning at 10 a.m.

Some of the topics for discussion include dog bites to children, livestock damage from dogs, dead animals on highways, spread of dog diseases, spread of parasites, spay and neuter services and public health concerns.

One man testified that in his community one household has 13 pets. He said he likes to take walks but the many dogs make it difficult for him to do so.

A report by Chinle Service Unit Indian Health Service revealed that between Jan. 1, 2003, and June 5, 2008, a total of 616 dog bites and 108 cat bites were reported. Also reported during the same period were treatments for 41 cases of rabies treatment, 52 cases of Tick Borne Paralysis, 10,536 cases of ringworm infection and 2 cases of plague.
One audience member identified as Angie Maloney said her main concern is with dog bites.

“All the diseases that they carry can be transferred to humans,” she said. She added that there are a lot of costs to the Indian Health Service and the Navajo Nation when dog bites occur, yet nothing is being done about the overpopulation.

“There’s a whole realm of problems that go with it,” she said.
Despite the overpopulation of dogs on the reservation, there are only six animal control officers for the entire Navajo Nation, a problem that was mentioned by some of the audience members. While the Navajo Nation has laws concerning animal control, enforcement — or lack of — seems to be a key issue.

“We need people power,” Maloney said. She said that animal control officers need better equipment and more facilities are needed to address the problem.

“They’re left to fend for themselves. They’re lone rangers out there,” she said. “I feel like we’re putting them in jeopardy.”

One of the tribe’s animal control officers was in attendance at the forum in Fort Defiance . Joe Begay is serving the Fort Defiance Agency area with another officer this week but will be working in Chinle Agency next week. Other animal control officers are stationed in Shiprock, Crownpoint, Many Farms and Tuba City , he said.

“Last week alone I responded to seven bite cases,” Begay said.

He added that within one agency, “It’s not going to be in one place. You have to go down to Dilkon, then there’s one in Lupton.”

Davis said that one bite case could take an entire day for an officer with the traveling involved.

Because the officers have to cover a large area, much of their time is spent traveling and because their priority is dog bites, enforcing the laws and ordinances can be difficult. Davis said that programs have tried to get more tribal funding but have been unsuccessful so far.

“We try over and over to express our role in the community — what we do, what services we provide — and yet we only get a little bit,” she said.

Davis is hoping that the powers-that-be will listen if it comes from the people, hence the public forums.

The veterinary and livestock program has had some success in getting a $32,000 grant from the International Fund for Animal Welfare to provide low-cost spay and neuter services for pets of low-income families and in establishing a puppy adoption program to give puppies a home off-reservation.

The forums are also an opportunity for the different entities involved in animal control to explain their roles to the public. A matrix of tribal programs and services has been trying to get together to deliver one message, Davis said.

With the pilot project in Chinle called the Chinle Stakeholders Task Force and Community Health Pilot Project, citizens helped the tribe come up with a survey to go along with the public forums. The survey asks about ownership and experiences with dogs and cats.

Davis said that the intent of the pilot project is to become a model for the rest of the tribe to use.

Partners with the animal control issues were in attendance on Tuesday including representatives from the tribe’s Department of Agriculture, the Department of Natural Resources and Navajo Housing Authority. Other partners include the Indian Health Service and the Community Health Representative Program.

Information: (928) 871-6615.