Packs Of Wild Dogs Plague Navajo Nation

A specter that the Navajo Nation once thought had been collared has returned in force to the sprawling reservation.

Stray and wild dogs, some roaming in packs, again are spreading fear among Navajos and visitors, thanks in part to last year’s closing of all five animal-control shelters because of budget cuts.

In late January, a pack of dogs attacked a 10-year-old boy in Cameron, Ariz., causing injuries that will require some skin grafts.

In November, a crew filming a commercial near Cameron was driven off by a pack of dogs and forced to find another location.

Tribal police now have been authorized to shoot any stray dog, and residents are being encouraged to follow tribal laws requiring vaccinations, licenses and leashes.

“We realize there is a serious problem here,” said David Peshlakai, a Cameron community coordinator.

Tribal officials have been trying for 30 years to control the dog problem on the 25,000-square-mile reservation, which is home to 134,000 people.

A couple of serious attacks are reported every month, some by “serial biters,” animal-control officials said. Reservation doctors treat more than 2,000 victims of dog bites each year.

The dog packs, which often roam in the pre-dawn hours, also kill livestock and smaller dogs.

Michael Halona, head of the tribe’s animal-control office, said some packs go into a killing frenzy, slaughtering 20 to 30 sheep at a time. In one case in 1994, a family’s entire herd of 75 sheep was wiped out in one night.

Many Navajos blame stray dogs for bites and livestock killings, but tribal officials say the culprits often are family pets allowed to roam at night.

“The cute dog that is sleeping during the day on the doorstep of your home is resting because of his activities the night before,” said Larry Benallie, head of the tribe’s Fish and Wildlife Department.

“Fortunately, we haven’t had any deaths yet,” Halona said, mainly because people usually are around to rescue the victims.