Rez Dogs

Older Comments on Rez Dogs

• Posted 05/06/11 by rezdoglover
  Thank you for making this film. It highlights one of the many basic needs that is not being met in Navajo communities. An important need. Everyone, including the rez dogs, deserves kindness and compassion. To see them suffer is to suffer, even if you're not conscious of it. Give them love, shelter and water, you'll feel better. Find some food to share, you'll get love. If you don't have money, there may be other ways to care. I'm sure the Double D veterinarian from Window Rock in this film can help with grants for spaying/neutering, or get in touch with someone who does.
• Posted 10/27/10 by Elmer Blackbird
  I think that you should do more for your animals then you put on your movie about rez dogs. something more has to be done then what you talk about. You bred them now take Care of them.
• Posted 10/19/10 by sierra lu
  Ya'at'eeh' I'm appalled so many think this is a Dine problem! Stray dogs are an issue around the world! Russian cities are overwhelmed; London, India, all have packs of wild dogs attacking viscously. Across the USA, wild dogs have always been a problem. I remember living on a Military Base as a child and having packs of dogs surround lone kids or soldiers. Humanity has done the dog wrong. It's a universal human issue. I commend those on the Rez for taking this seriously and support your efforts. I'll be looking for an organization on the Rez to help by donating what I can. My heartfelt thanks to the shelter staff; it must be horrible to run out of supplies, especially food.
• Posted 08/10/10 by lj longhair
  wow... some comments about how "Dine" are interesting. not all people just treat dogs as 'throw aways.' i was astonished and upset to read the generalizations of navajos. the teachings to respect all animals, all four leggeds are still carried on. but as with all nations and peoples, teachings are carried out by 100% of the population. i'm tired of people 'bagging' on navajo people for certain things. there is a wide disconnect from teachings, but that is not a disconnect of all people. i am 26 years old and i can speak, read, and write in navajo and carry on traditional teachings, religion, and arts (weaving). there are more people out there like me, so please, don't generalize 'all navajos.' be respectful, even in your words and thoughts. ahehee' (thank you)
• Posted 08/09/10 by AZNative
  I think Navajo Nation President Joe Shirley is a joke. He is as deteriorated as the Navajo Nation Capitol itself. Look at how his buildings look, look at the roads to the tribal offices, you can see how he takes care of his Dine' Nation & its over animal population. I am a Dine', from the reservation. Yes, my tribe treats its animals horribly. I was raised by a single mother that never taught me about spay/neuter. It wasn't until I left the rez & educated myself that I now know. The Dine' Nation shouldn't be allowed to have pets nor alcohol. You see people walking around at the flea market all the time giving away free dogs/cats. I just want to ring their necks. I am one voice. One person & I do my part by having my dogs fixed. I try to save a stray dog whenever I can, however the animal shelter wants $15.00 per pet drop off, that's just too much for me to handle. I have tried to take the stray dog to Window Rock animal shelter, however that is also a deteriorated building w/outside metal cages. When I called the main office, the person that answered said,'well I won't be over there until tomorrow or the next day'. Which means the dog I would have dropped off would have been there for a couple of days. The tribe doesn't care. The Navajo Nation President (obviously) doesn't care. As a result the people don't care. The solution would be to PROHIBIT dogs/cats to the Dine' Nation. That will shake everyone up. The people just don't care about animals. Maybe its a lack of intelligence but I'm more prone to believe its just ignorance.
• Posted 06/04/10 by c+t
  Thank you for putting this film together, very real, heart-breaking, and angering unfortunately. my beloved companion comes from the Navajo rez. he was one of them (a wild hungry puppy). now he happily wags his tail out in California where he is loved and taken care of. These pets are precious beings, they are not to be left in the wild fending for themselves. They are pets, living beings deserving of our love, gratefulness, and respect. They are a part of our families, not toys, not conveniences, not trash. they stay with us, live with us, eat with us, sleep with us, learn with us. For myself, I am poor, very poor at this time, I have chronic health problems. No matter what, my dog comes first. He is my son, in a big fur coat, yes, but when I look into his eyes, I want to see good health, happiness, and a long life ahead. That is my responsibility. Here are some practical thoughts: ok, spay & neuter if you like, vaccinate, but most importantly, love your dogs with all your heart, like you love your own children, and more. this means... every day: feeding 2x a day healthy food, this means providing them with a warm/cool shelter, in your home, WATER AT ALL TIMES, clean fenced areas with shaded shelter to play during the day, walks on leash fr an early age every day. every day respect and love, play and laughter, no hitting or yelling, that is not the way, the way is gentle and firm when needed, but patient always. do not tie them all day, it is dangerous and unhealthy, put up a fenced yard, this is not so hard or expensive. once a week: bathe with water and soap, preferably warm water in winter. if the dog is afraid of bathing, then give a sponge bath! check for ticks and fleas. use as gentle natural products as possible, careful with chemicals! once a month: pay your pet insurance ($15-25 per month at most for young ones, with PetPlan for example) you can sign up online. twice a year, stop by the mobile vet, and check on the pet's health. A dog in many ways, is like a youngster who doesn't quite grow like a human would, keeping us on our toes until the end, but also protecting and loving us with a loyalty that, we humans can never match. Dogs are priceless, and in honoring them, we honor Mother Earth!
• Posted 04/28/10 by Herbert Hoke
  What an amazing film! Dina Huntinghorse and her associates are to be congratulated for producing such a wonderful piece of art that portrays a difficult, and heartbreaking situation. My wife and I, who are from Minnesota, have had the privilage of meeting Dina and she is an artist, and beautiful person, in all ways. I would like to see this film gain national attention to bring an awarness of the situation with Rez Dogs to the public at large and to showcase the incredible talent that Dina has. Respectfully, Herb Hoke, Burnsville, Minnesota
• Posted 03/20/10 by SR
  My family has lived on the reservation and we have always taken care of our animals. We are poor but we treat our animals with respect. I even offer help to other family in training thier sheep and cattle dogs. Post flyers/ask around to see if anyone can't take care of their pets, and I take them in (last year 2 horses were dropped off and kept, we are expecting a baby soon from the mare I CANT WAIT!). It's gotten to the point where people know to just drop their pets off at my house. I've gotten a litter of pups now. 4 of them about 5 months ago, and gave 3 of them away the other day after they got trained. I don't have the kind of money to spray but when I give the dogs away I make sure to get contact the first weeks to see if they are alright and I stress the fact if you get them sprayed that good but if you decide to go natural, make sure to keep them safe, treat them as family, which was really trial and error. then by the end of 6 months if they don't pan out, I usually get them back and repeat process. if all else fails I keep them or they get trained to help grandmas around my house. And only EXTREME circumstances have I had to take any animals to flagstaff, one dog had been dropped off at the railroad tracks and left overnight in the snow and was badly injured, took her to flagstaff, now Jessie lives with my cousin in Phoenix. So please don't think we are heartless. Poverty everywhere. What can you expect us to do? It's very hard out here. All you can do is Hope for the Best and expect the worse
• Posted 03/09/10 by Shauna Forest
  I've worked near Rez's and the dogs overpopulation ARE a real problem. But why are they a problem? Because the residents have absolutely no respect for the life of a dog, or what that dog's purpose is. Maybe if they didn't breed dogs to no end, there wouldn't be such a terrible situation in which dogs are fighting, attacking, and running amok. Not to mention, I've seen the way alot, ALOT of families on reservations treat their dogs. Like they're nothing more than a nussance. Ive seen physical abuse, neglect, etc. and its ALL extremely unnecessary. Im SICKENED by the way the 'animal control' guys were treating the strays they were collecting. The dogs didnt ask to be put in that ####hole of a situation. Remember who brought them in there? the Navajo community. So maybe you should chase THEM down and hook THEM around the neck and mistreat them and throw THEM in cages with multiple others to instigate fighting in an already scary situation. I hate seeing dogs abused like this. These people should change their cultural ways to include these dogs in their ETHICAL THINKING because it makes me absolutely disgusted, seeing this documentary. "they're to be respected" ---> I never saw any respect in this documentary. I want to have a meeting with these animal control people. Its funny how ANYONE can wear a badge, even if they dont respect what they're doing. ~Sincerely, Appalled & sickened.
• Posted 02/09/10 by terrorkitten
  I live about 45 miles from Keyenta on the Rez.. the dogs are a real problem.. I have personally broken up 3 dog fights over the last 3 days... I live in a really small community and I am often scared to walk because of all the loose dogs..The dogs that people "have as pets" are so badly treated. They often have no food, water or shelter... I often see female dogs raped over and over while it is tied up and can't get away. Puppies are tied in with baling wire.. I once asked a lady why she didn't have her dog neutered.. her answer was because the dog would not bark and protect her home any more.. I just laughed... education is what is needed here on the rez for pet owners....education is the key.
• Posted 02/09/10 by Trish
  I am so very glad to see this documentary. I found it on CraigsList. I have now rescued two "rez dogs". My recent rescue is terrified of diesel trucks.Now I think I know why. I am so very, very grateful for the BlackHat rescue organization for fostering my puppy. I forgot what kind of life she could have had. She has clearly had one litter or maybe more. I wonder what happened to her pups. I wonder if she thinks about that in her wounded heart. Please, please, please, spay and neuter your animals! I think this is the number one way to work on the problem of rez dogs taking over. I did not realize that it was Navajo Nation law to have all puppies spayed and neutered before adoption. I wonder how many Navajos know that. I know there are cultural differences in how we all see our animals. I hope we can all learn to pool our resources and our hearts and work together. I am so grateful for my rez dogs. I often wonder what their lives were like before they came to me, and I feel sadness. And I also feel grateful that they are survivors, because they have blessed me many times over.
• Posted 02/08/10 by Running Zach
  I don't really like the way the animal control guys handled the animals. I understand that they were trying to get the job done quickly, but they were a little rough loading some of those dogs into the truck and it bothered me how they put multiple dogs into one cage, enabling them to attack each other.
• Posted 02/07/10 by cb
  Well put!!! Just because you live in poverty doesn't mean you have to mistreat your animals. Take care of them and have them fixed so they do not reproduce all over the place. It breaks my heart to see dead dogs on the road and starving dogs in the parking lots.
• Posted 02/07/10 by Dyaz
  Why quote “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated” (Mahatma Gandhi) when we have the creation story? How did the U.S. government treat the 1,000 Indigenous people of the America's? Can't we say to them & the producers of this documentary: "The greatness of the U.S. Nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way it has treated the Indigenous people of this land" Who is to judge? Why is this quote used to have the non-indigenous people quick to "judge"? Is this not the way to think and be?
• Posted 08/28/09 by Lisa
  Very well put together Documentary. I enjoyed all of the close up shots, which gave me the viewer a real feel for the movie. The overpopulation of dogs is everywhere. All humans everywhere can use a lot more education regarding animal care. It is sad that the animals are the ones that have to suffer due to human ignorance. We can start by teaching our children in school to respect animals and by making domestic animal care a requirement. It is all very simple, but humans continuously fail to put the energy into it. God bless our animals everywhere.
• Posted 07/16/09 by KJ
  When you have lived in poverty your whole life and were taken from your home at an earlier age to be "taught" english ways, you wouldn't come out so great. So don't judge so harshly till you have lived their life. And nothing comes out from passing judgement, try helping rather than complaining.
• Posted 07/08/09 by unagringa
  Thank you for this documentary. I have 3 rez dogs - all my own rescues. I like that the documentary shows how complex an issue this is - culturally, socially and logistically. I'm interested to hear if there have been any further developments since the film was made. Thank you again.
• Posted 06/11/09 by chloe04
  Wow, Skyler is such a compassionate person. "He'd go out of his way to hit a dog with his car". Truly heartwarming. No wonder their culture isn't prospering with attitudes like that. Uh, why not learn to spay and neuter your animals people? And if they're attacking your sheep because they're starving maybe it's because you need to control the dog population. How about that? Spay and neuter people - it's cheaper and less traumatic for the community than the other courses of action. Duh! Stupid humans as usual!
• Posted 06/11/09 by chloe04
  Wow that kid Skyler is such a compassionate person. 'He'd go out of his way to hit a dog with his car' It's no wonder their culture isn't thriving with that kind of attitude.
• Posted 06/11/09 by chloe04
  What these people need is to learn is to spay and neuter their animals! Duh! Stupid humans.
• Posted 06/11/09 by chloe
  What these people need is to learn to spay and neuter their animals! Duh!!! Stupid humans!
• Posted 04/15/09 by Kim
  Thank you. I hope your film makes a difference. I have just moved to Farmington, NM and locals tell me the problem is as bad as ever. I can only find hope in our creator, Jehovah.
• Posted 02/26/09 by jeren
  i'm from shiprock and yes, the dogs are gettin to be a problem. what shiprock needs is a animal shelter.