About

Brief Study Summary

In partnership with the Navajo Nation’s Upper District 18 communities (Fort Defiance, AZ; Sawmill, AZ; Crystal, NM; Red Lake, NM), we are conducting a multi-method study to understand the nuanced relationships between Diné people and dogs. Data collected through this effort will inform tribal, state, and federal policy efforts to ensure animal welfare and safety is prioritized and to restore relations between Diné dogs and people. 

Study Background

Many Native American Peoples have had sacred and mutually protective relationships with dogs for millennia that have been disrupted by colonization. In recent years, media reports about dog mauling’s on the Navajo Nation have created public concern that the feral dog population on the Navajo Nation is “out of control”. There is an increasing public health concern that running, walking, or playing in certain areas may put residents at risk for dog bites/attacks. A parallel problem is that Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (RMSF) cases are rising in northern Arizona and New Mexico, in addition to other zoonotic diseases, due in part to climate change. RMSF can cause serious and life-threatening disease in humans.

What we are doing?

With guidance from our Community Advisory Board and other local partners, the following activities will take place: 1) Qualitative interviews with animal care providers and community members across the four Upper District 18 communities; 2) Spatially characterize the magnitude of the free-roaming dog population and where dog bites/attacks are occurring using ArcGIS; 3) Conduct a one-time survey of Upper District 18 residents to understand the acceptability and opinions surrounding proposed changes to the Navajo Nation Animal Welfare Code; and 4) Develop a Community Response Plan that details next steps for responding to the needs identified by community members.

How this will help improve health in your community?

This effort will address growing concerns about the increase in free-roaming dogs on the Navajo Nation by eliciting residents’ primary area(s) of need when it comes to caring for their animals, which will ultimately inform policy change and provision of services by the Navajo Nation Animal Control Program. We hope that Upper District 18 can lead as a model for other Districts and Tribal communities on this issue, as we want to ultimately improve the health and safety of dogs and people everywhere.

Principal Investigator (PI) contact information

Dr. Katie Nelson, knelso46@jhmi.edu