Pets, Their Parents, and Community Resources
By LI BOYD, BAND MEMBER, SUNKA-BIMAAJI DIRECTOR OF TRIBAL PARTNERSHIP
Let's start with a story. There once was a dog who lived in Nay Ah Shing. He crossed Highway 169 to scrounge for scraps at the Grand Market, and sometimes he ate roadkill in the highway ditches. He slept on porches or buried in snow drifts. People might say, "He's not my dog, but he lives here."
One slushy winter day, he headed to the Grand Market, but he never made it. He was hit by a car and broke his leg. People caught him because he was too hurt to run away. They brought him to a veterinarian who had to amputate his leg. He went home with a woman to heal. He was very scared and confused. But there was a kind old grandma-dog who lived in the house and helped him learn that being in a house wasn't so bad.
He learned that not all doorways would hurt him like the one that stole half his tail when he was young. He didn't have to bury himself in the snow or eat garbage, unless he wanted to. Yet of all the things he learned, the most important was that not all people are scary. People gave him love and a reason to wag his tail, even if it's crooked and he only has half of it. He can still run like the wind, until his three legs don't want to run anymore, and after, there will always be food and a cozy bed waiting for him.
Many dogs, in our community and others, haven't had the chance to learn those things yet. There can be a lot of reasons for that. Sometimes it's just because of history. Our grandmas and grandpas had dogs that lived outside all year round, and it's easy to think we can still do things that way. But it was different then. Families weren't packed together in neighborhoods, we were used to building shelters, materials weren’t so expensive, and most families cooked using raw foods with plenty of healthy scraps leftover to feed the dog. These days, our communities are full and busy, there are serious economic barriers to building or buying dog houses, and a lot of us aren't eating healthy foods for ourselves, much less having good leftovers for our dogs. Plus, access to food and supplies often means traveling quite a distance for a lot of our Band members. These are all challenges.
Sometimes it feels like there’s nothing we can do, but there are people and resources ready to get involved and help. Earlier this year, youth in the Ge-Niigaanizijig Program built dog houses for community members. The project began as an idea between Aanjibimaadizing Executive Director Tammy Wickstrom, Emergency Management Coordinator Monte Fronk, and Marilou Chanrasmi with Companions and Animals for Reform and Equity. Aanjibimaadizing staff member Becky Clitso-Garcia found a flat-roofed dog house design that allows for easy cleaning and maintenance, while Maintenance Supervisor Tom Trail organized the supplies and did a great job of creating a safe, effective work space for the youth to assemble the shelters.
Initially, five houses were built and distributed to Mille Lacs Band community members at one of the annual pet wellness clinics. A waiting list of community members who still need dog houses was started, and nine more houses have since been constructed and will be delivered to the families on that list. The project meets a community need and gives Ge-Niigaanizijig youth a chance to take part in meaningful community service. Plans are to continue building more dog houses.
Building is what the non-profit organization Sunka-Bimaaji hopes to achieve as well. Sunka-Bimaaji was founded by Jaime and Marcus GreatShield. Jaime is a Leech Lake Tribal descendant, vet tech student, and stay at home mom. Marcus, Ihanktonwan Dakota, works for Mille Lacs Band Public Works. He always carries dog food in his truck and asks people what they need to help take care of their pets. Sunka-Bimaaji was created to support pet parents. It offers pet food and supplies, micro-chipping, dewormer and flea/tick medications, financial and transportation assistance for veterinary care, assistance with weatherized dog houses and kennels, and other emergency services. Sunka-Bimaaji would also love to meet anyone who wants to volunteer or otherwise get involved in helping our communities.
The way we care for our animals is a direct reflection on our community health, and Monte Fronk has been helping for years now by coordinating with various groups to provide free animal wellness clinics in each of our districts once a year. The District I clinics are coming up and will be held at the District I Aquatics and Fitness Center (new community center.) Due to scheduling challenges, there will actually be two clinic weekends this year. The first, on October 2 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., will provide free spay-neuter surgeries through MNSnap, the Minnesota Spay Neuter Assistance Program. The second clinic weekend is November 12 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and November 13 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Free spay-neuter services will be available through the University of Minnesota Student Initiative for Reservation Veterinary Services (SIRVS), all day Saturday. Openings are still available. Please call (320) 532-7733 and set up an appointment if you have an animal in need of spay or neuter. Free vaccinations and wellness checks will be provided by Secondhand Hounds on all clinic dates. These don’t require an appointment and are provided first come, first served.
If anyone needs assistance getting to these clinics, please contact Sunka-Bimaaji. Look for more information on the organization in the future, and also know, if you have to move and cannot take your pet with you, the organization will help in any way it can. The goal is always to keep pets with their families, but if you cannot keep your pet anymore for any reason, contact Sunka-Bimaaji for judgment-free assistance. Please do not abandon your pet outdoors or locked inside.
Remember that dog from the beginning of the story? He brings love and joy to his people every day now. He and every other dog and cat deserve the chance to live that good life.
