Help Native Communities Heal through Caring for Animals

Help provide much needed basic animal care and shelter for reservation animals, and support efforts in developing community-led solutions that recognize tribal self-determination and cultural and traditional values while improving community health and safety.

For many Native tribes, stray and free roaming animals such as "rez dogs" are considered the normal within their reservation lands. The average population living below poverty is 30% and resources are often unavailable to control animal populations or provide them with basic care and vaccinations. This situation leads to many health and safety issues including dog bites, attacks, and the risk of zoonotic diseases such as rabies, tick-borne Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and Lyme disease.

The Native America Humane Society (NAHS) works with tribal nations in North America to provide information, support, and resources that improve the lives of community members and animals on reservation lands. Their programs honor and respect the diverse cultures and traditions, as well as sovereign status, of Native communities. Each time is unique and each has unique animal issues. NAHS works with each tribe to determine how it's best to resolve their animal welfare challenges sustainably, utilizing solutions that cam be embraced by the community.

NAHS engagement with a tribal nation begins by building relationships and trust between their organization and the tribe. During the initial engagement, NAHS listens to the animal welfare issues identified by the tribe. Relationship building often includes initial provision of animal serves - such as spay/neuter/vaccination clinic, or a doghouse build in the community. This allows NAHS to get to know the community better, as well as capacity and interest present in the community to tackle these issues in the long-term.

The NAHS Taking Care of the Animals framework for community animal care utilizes a toolkit which engages the wisdom within the community to inform their own strategies. Their goal is to help communities address their immediate concerns, and move from seeing animals as problems toward holding them in a new light: as valued partners in development and healing.

You can help. Just $10 helps improve Native communities lives through education for animals.

The Native America Humane Society is a 501(c)3 non-profit. Their mission is to empower Native communities to become healthier, happier and safer by providing information, support and resources for animal care programs in Indian country.