South Dakota: Fatal Dog Attack Painful Reminder To New Tribal Council Member

SOUTH DAKOTA -- Crews have been catching stray dogs in the Pine Ridge area since 8-year-old Jayla Rodriguez was killed last week after what tribal officials believe was an attack by a pack of dogs.

That dog problem has become a priority since the tragedy. And it's a particular focus for members of the new tribal council, which has been going through orientation following the recent election and will take their seats Dec. 2.

New member Ellen Fills Pipe has plenty of big issues facing her on the council, but responding to the fatal dog attack stands out. It also hits very close to home.

"This issue has brought a lot of memories and feelings back up, having had my son attacked when he was five years old by pit bulls," Fills Pipe says. "It just opened a lot wounds for our family."

Fills Pipe's son, Braedon, survived but suffered horrible wounds to his face, head and back. He needed more than 250 stitches to close the wounds in his head, face and ears, as well as other wounds. A succession of surgeries followed.

  

Now as his mother prepares to join the tribal council next week, Braedon is a successful sophomore at Red Cloud School. He supports his mother's work to stiffen regulations on stray dogs and pet-owner responsibilities, but he prefers not to become the focus of the campaign himself. He says it's still difficult for Braedon to talk about his own attack, and he knew Jayla personally, and even served as her mentor at Red Cloud School, where she was a third-grader.

So Braedon lets his mother speak for him, for now, at least.

Fills Pipe says the regulations passed as Braedon's law a few years after his attack, such as a ban on certain breeds, need strengthening. She supports rounding up stray dogs -- and even killing some -- but also believes in rescue and adoption and requiring dog owners to be more responsible.

A contractor worked with tribal officials and dog-rescue volunteers last week in the initial phase of the collection effort. Some dogs were killed and taken to a landfill. Those in better shape were taken by rescue-and-adoption workers when possible.

The pickup work is expected to expand beyond the Pine Ridge village area soon. Dog numbers and the threat of some are a worrisome reality across the reservation, Fills Pipe says. Cutting their numbers and euthanizing some dogs is a necessary reality that doesn't solve the problem long term, she says

"I see it as addressing the immediate problem, but it's not our long-term solution. It's not," she says.
Tribal attorney Mario Gonzalez says that tribal council's work in addressing the dog problem will likely include a new animal shelter and requiring owners of dogs and other pets, as well as livestock, to give them better care and supervision.

"It's not only dogs, but it's also cattle running around the reservation, on the highways, horses," Gonzalez  says. "And a lot of these animals are being neglected as well."

(KELOLAND TV - Nov 24, 2014)

Earlier:

• Pack of dogs kills girl on Pine Ridge Reservation
• 'Horse-trailer full' of dogs killed after girl's death