Shunka Kola: A Rez-dog Project

In 2014, my niece Jayla Rodriguez, was killed by a pack of stray dogs on the Pine Ridge Reservation. The Oglala Sioux Tribe initiated stray dog roundups and lethal control. In response, animal rescues transported dogs to outside shelters, with one rescue reporting over 5000 dogs being removed within a five year span. In addition, low-cost spay/neutering programs were provided to community members. Despite these initiatives, in 2019 over 90% of monitored sites within towns on the reservation had free-roaming dogs. I will use strategic planning to develop culturally appropriate methods to solve dog overpopulation on the reservation. I will develop an ecological model to predict abundance and occupancy of dogs and then teach high school and undergraduate students how to continue monitoring dog populations. In conclusion, a community meeting will be organized with stakeholders to plan implication of effective, efficient, and ethical animal control strategies on the reservation. 

Domestic dogs are one of the most invasive species on the planet with a world-wide population exceeding 1 billion. They threaten 188 wildlife species and are the direct cause of more then 11 recent extinctions. Free-roaming dog packs are most common in poverty-stricken areas. These areas lack animal welfare programs and veterinary care is often inaccessible for many people. This strains resources and control programs within already impoverished communities. 

There is only one animal control officer on the Pine Ridge Reservation for an area larger then Delaware. In comparison, Delaware has over 20 animal control officers and spends around 3 million dollars annually. This is funding that my community on the Pine Ridge Reservation doesn't have. In order to develop effective, efficient, and ethical management decisions, I will use a strategic plan to find a solution to the dog overpopulation problem on the Pine Ridge Reservation.

My solution includes three main phases. I determined where dogs occupy using trail cameras setup in major towns on the Pine Ridge Reservation. I will use this data to develop an occupancy and abundance model using R programing and ArcGIS Pro. I will train Pine Ridge Reservation high school students and undergraduate students at Oglala Lakota College techniques used to monitor wildlife populations and use the model that I developed to to continue to monitor dog populations. This will be done in a high school summer program called BRIDGE and a research experience for undergraduates (REU). The knowledge gained will be shared in a community meeting that aims to raise public awareness and share knowledge between stakeholders. This solution will make animal control more financially feasible and culturally appropriate, students will gain valuable skills, and the solution to a community problem will come directly from voices within my community. 

The target population is my community on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. In 2019 I distributed 110 surveys across major towns. All survey recipients identified dog overpopulation as a major problem. Although beliefs on how to manage the dogs varied considerably. With such a highly controversial topic such as this, it is crucial that the solution is native led and community supported. 

This project is led by myself, an Oglala Lakota woman from the Pine Ridge Reservation, and through an organization whos board members are primarily Oglala Lakota women who have been directly impacted by the dog overpopulation problem. The solution will increase diversity, equity, and inclusion in STEM by training students on the reservation how to use common techniques used in wildlife science for new innovative purposes. I will engage my community as the solution is developed by holding a community meeting for stakeholders.

Dog overpopulation is a problem that has greatly impacted my community on the Pine Ridge Reservation. Unfortunately it is also a problem that many people from middle and high income nations cannot understand, nor can fix. The solution to dog overpopulation on the Pine Ridge Reservation needs to come from within my community. The solution that I designed is community led, financially feasible for low income communities, and culturally appropriate. It uses technology as a tool for students to develop new skills, to share knowledge with community members, and fundamentally solve a community problem.    

The model will be tested in communities on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. The reservation encompasses a 2,094 mi² (3370 km2) area and consists of eight districts: Wakpamni, White Clay, Wounded Knee, Porcupine, Medicine Root, Eagle Nest, Pass Creek, and LaCreek. Each district has a major community where eight original tiospayes settled after forced relocation in 1890. The largest community is Pine Ridge Village with a population size of 3,308 people and the smallest community is Manderson with a population size of 626 people. 

This project is native-led by myself, a member of the Oglala Lakota nation, through an organization with a board that is primarily members of the Oglala Lakota nation. This project goes beyond mere Native American inclusion by using an indigenous framework to pursue a solution. The framework follows four major principles: 

1) Inclusion of self in research- identifying and reflecting relation to research topics, subjects, community, and unci maka (grandmother earth) 

2) Serving the interest of the community- continually receiving feedback and evaluating project goals, objectives, design

3) Indigenous sovereignty and stewards of knowledge- knowledge is not "discovered" but instead given by elders and borrowed from our children. The Oglala Lakota community is the owners and stewards of the knowledge gained.

4) Reciprocal learning- knowledge that is learned will given back to the Oglala Lakota community, the dogs, and unci maka by training students and holding discussion with community members 

These principles are used when determining goals, developing a strategy, and implementing a solution. 

Myself, my Tiospape (family), and my Oyate (community), have been greatly impacted by dog overpopulation among many other Indigenous Communities across the globe. The dogs are sacred and have great value for my people, yet there is not enough money or the infrastructure needed to maintain dog population control in a culturally appropriate way. I have over 10 years of experience researching wildlife my community on the Pine Ridge Reservation. I have gained my BS in Conservation Biology, my MS in Integrative Genomics, and will soon have my PhD in Wildlife Science. I have the knowledge needed to solve this problem. Becoming a Solver will allow me to get the mentorship, coaching, and strategic advice I need to build a network of stakeholders that are in pursuit of the same goals and gain exposure through the media and conferences to expand my solution beyond my community. 

The solution to this problem includes monitoring and evaluating dog populations by collecting and analyzing data. Although this is a topic that I have experience. What I need the most assistance in is updating social media sites, such as the Jayla's Dream website, raising awareness of the problem on a scale beyond my community, and mentorship in building an ongoing network of stakeholders.