Compassion, responsibility, and harmony
The health and safety of our families are inseparable from the well-being of our animals.
SHOWCASE
Wind River
4 Leg Drive
Home where they belong
The best place for dogs and cats on Indian reservations is with their Native families.
Many Native families have dogs we spoil and treat like family members, while some dogs are free-roaming. All dogs suffer from a lack of veterinary care perpetuated by federal neglect.
Our 4 Leg Drive pet transport program provides access to off-reservation veterinary services when an Indian reservation has none, and brings the dogs and cats back to the reservation, where they belong.
Rehoming dogs and cats off-reservation assumes they are better off in non-Native homes and perpetuates the historic trauma of our children being forced to attend boarding schools “for their own good.”
Unfortunately, the Public Health Service provides veterinarians to many federal agencies—but not to the Indian Health Service or Bureau of Indian Affairs.
We help Tribal families access the veterinary services they need and Tribal governments to determine the veterinary partnerships they want.
OUR STORIES
Nanook and Krystein
Meet Nanook and his owner, Krystein. Nanook was roaming around the reservation looking for love when Krystein found him. NAHS 4 Leg Drive got him neutered and vaccinated so that he can live his best life back on the rez with Krystein.
H.O.T. Dogs
Keeping kids safe
Our H.O.T. Dogs Program (aka: How One Treats Dogs) teaches kids how to stay safe and avoid bites around family pets and other dogs.
Dog bites are becoming a public health emergency in some Native communities.
The CDC has reported that the number of American Indian and Native Alaskan children hospitalized with dog bites is about double the rate for non-Native children in the rest of the U.S.
Native children under the age of 10 are the most frequent victims of dog bites.
Our Tribal Animal Welfare Curriculum teaches young children growing up on reservations how to be safe around dogs, both their own and free-roaming dogs.
We focus on:
- How to be safe around dogs: best practices for children.
- How to love and be loved by a dog: basic ownership and pet care.
- How to become a veterinary professional: growing Tribal veterinarians.
Rez-solutions
Engaging Tribal wisdom
Native people are the experts on what we want and need.
The federal government has failed to provide basic animal welfare services to Indian Country that are integral to human health and safety.
Our Rez-solutions program empowers Tribes to lead animal health and welfare solutions.
We help you:
- Map Tribal resources to explore what you already have to innovate your own sustainable systems of animal care and management
- Access veterinary services that families need and help Tribal governments decide which veterinary partnerships you want
- Advocate for the federal support you need and deserve to implement your own animal welfare systems
Tribal elders and younger community members may have different beliefs and relationships with dogs and cats. Our Rez-solutions program helps facilitate dialogues that are respectful of both perspectives.
Call for Grass Dancers
Back in the day, grass dancers prepared the prairie for other dancers by pulling the tall grass and stomping it down to make a pow wow ground.
We need you to be their modern-day equivalent by preparing your community for us to come in and help your Tribe determine what it wants to do to deal with pets and free-roaming dogs and cats.
- If you are a Tribal Leader, please invite us to your Tribal Nation.
- If you are a Tribal community member, please invite us to your organization’s next meeting.
An overpopulation of free-roaming dogs in your community is not your fault. It is the result of systemic failure and federal neglect. Let’s work together to change it.
