Plans by the Oglala Sioux tribe to unilaterally roundup and destroy dogs considered strays as a safeguard against possible attacks on children has been postponed. The move gives residents of the Pine Ridge Reservation the opportunity to register their pets and get required vaccinations for their animals.
The Oglala Sioux Tribe’s initial plan was to begin rounding up and killing any dog considered to be stray and a threat as of November 29.
Lakota Animal Care Project founder Virginia Ravndal says the tribe hasn’t explained their decision to postpone those roundups for 30 days, but the move is definitely a positive step.
“It may have been because of the number of tribal elders and people both on and off the reservation that spoke out against what they considered to be senseless killing of the dogs," Ravndal observes. "And the knee-jerk reaction by the tribal government in response to an incident that had not even been fully investigated at the time.“
That “incident” was the death of 8-year old Jayla Rodriguez on November 18. Although the Oglala Sioux Public Safety Department claimed the girl was attacked and killed by a pack of wild dogs, numerous residents of Pine Ridge have disputed that allegation and insist the girl’s death was the result of a sledding accident.
The F.B.I. is investigating the incident and has not offered an opinion. Autopsy results are still pending.
Related stories:
http://listen.sdpb.org/post/pine-ridge-elders-question-dog-roundups
http://listen.sdpb.org/post/lakota-girl-dies-pine-ridge-reservation