Life on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota is a harsh existence for both the packs of dogs that roam the two million acre area and the humans that cohabitate with them. The freezing winters and widespread disease has made the situation even more devastating for these canines, with many unnecessarily dying due to the severe conditions.

So when wildlife ecologist Virginia Ravndal became aware of the situation, she decided to take some much-needed action and begin the Lakota Animal Care Project .

The Lakota Animal care Project aims to train local tribal members to administer treatments, vaccines and other medical care to the local animal owners and strays. Those interested in becoming Lakota Caregivers are required to go through an extensive training program and take an oath in front of a tribal elder. Once certified, the caregivers work with the community to help care for the basic needs of the animals and find homes for the dogs in the area.

“When there were serious health issues, people had no option but to let their animals suffer and die,” said Virginia Ravndal, the founder of the Lakota Project. “Now, people call Lakota Animal Care and request treatment for their animals. There is now trust, peace and hope for all animals and people who care for them where there was none before.”

Unfortunately, there is no full-time veterinarian on the reservation. Therefore, The Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association’s Field Services Team and The Native American Veterinary Services (NAVS) has joined with the Lakota Project to conduct more invasive medical procedures.

“Although a full-time vet, based on the reservation, may not be realistic at this particular time, we would like to encourage veterinarians who wish to volunteer some time (anywhere from a few days to a few months) to contact us and we can organize and facilitate their stay and work,” said Ravndal.

In addition to medical care, the Lakota Project has also become involved in the community by working with local schools in various education programs. They have established a “Reading to Animals” program for the local schoolchildren and the Sunka Scouts program (“sunka” means “dog” in the Lakota language), which encourages children to earn badges based on animal care practices.

In its first year, the The Lakota Animal Care Project has treated about 600 dogs, and has also teamed up with many other local animal services, such as The Tribal Animal Control Division of the Community Health Representatives (CHR) and The Rural Area Veterinary Services (RAVS), to provide additional care and spay/neuter programs for the community. With such an overwhelming success, the Lakota Animal Care Project plans to expand their basic animal health care program to more communities in the area and acquire additional transportation units. The program has also inspired several other tribes to implement animal care systems, so the Lakota Care Project has invited various tribal communities to the Pine Ridge Reservation this summer for an educational seminar.