Rez Animal Resources and Education is a small organization, doing big things!
Amy Loudermilk and Joyce Bell, were both working on different local tribal reservations when they observed a need in their communities.
“These communities had an old fashioned view of animals,” Amy explained. “Many people had been raised to see their animals as a possession, not necessarily as a family member.” Many of these folks had come from a school of thought where animals were expected to fend for themselves. A mentality where vaccines, spay & neuter, or vet visits in general, were not a part of pet ownership. The results were heartbreaking, and both Joyce and Amy witnessed over population and roaming packs of stray dogs, dogs in need of medical attention, starving and suffering on a daily basis. The tribal reservations don’t have an animal shelter and county operated animal control agencies don’t provide services on Indian reservations.
“These animals needed help,” Amy explained. Joyce and Amy decided that something needed to be done. They started Rez Animal Resources and Education in 2005 with a mission of respectfully offering help and knowledge to pet owners on the reservations, to raise the level of basic animal care and reduce the number of stray animals in these tribal communities. Rez Animal is a non-profit, that is supported entirely by donations, from the Tribal Councils and the
