Rez Dog Resources, offshoot of 'Reservation Dogs,' repays communities through animal care

But puppy love continues, thanks to Rez Dog Resources.

Rez Dog Resources partnered with Crazy Eagle Media (the Tulsa-based production company behind “Reservation Dogs”) and Tulsa SPCA for a mobile animal care event this month in Terlton.

Rez Dog Resources (rezdogresources.com) is an animal welfare advocacy collective/fund with a mission of connecting Oklahoma tribal communities to animal resources and to support animal rescue efforts across the state. Rez Dog Resources was created by crew members on the set of “Reservation Dogs,” a groundbreaking and critically acclaimed shot-in-Oklahoma series that featured an all-Indigenous cast and creative team.

“We were filming in different communities, predominantly Native communities and in rural communities, and we would be filming and we would just see a ton of animals that were in need,” Brit Hensel, who co-founded Rez Dog Resources with sister Taylor Hensel, said.

“We have a very animal-loving crew and so everybody kind of just said ‘let’s rally to figure out what we can do to help this dog.’ And that led to a partnership with the Tulsa SPCA.”

An initial Rez Dog Resources mobile clinic animal care event took place in Okmulgee, which was appropriate since the town was a primary filming site during the three-season run of “Reservation Dogs.”

Terlton, a Pawnee County town with a sub-100 population, was selected for a follow-up animal care event.

Why Terlton?

A season one “Reservation Dogs” episode (“Come and Get Your Love” introduced the Deer Lady character to viewers) was shot in Terlton. Also, the community is near and dear to the heart of “Reservation Dogs” co-creator and showrunner Sterlin Harjo, according to Brit Hensel. Prior to “Reservation Dogs,” Harjo made a short documentary (“Terlton”) about the town and how a 1985 fireworks plant explosion killed 21 people — one-fourth of the community’s population.

When “Reservation Dogs” arrived in Terlton for filming, Brit Hensel said she and others on the crew learned of a problematic issue there: The area is a common dumping ground for unwanted animals.

“If you go to Terlton, you walk down their main street and you see stray dogs just lining that street,” Taylor Hensel said.

“They have this overpopulation of unwanted dogs and cats, and it’s litters upon litters that are being born,” Brit Hensel said. “The community doesn’t have the resources to spay and neuter these animals.”

Mindy Tiner, CEO of Tulsa SPCA, said 53 animals received care at the Rez Dog Resources mobile clinic in Terlton.

“The majority were in heat or pregnant,” she said. “Had we not been out there, there would have been a lot more puppies running around.”

“It was a total win,” Brit Hensel said. “Spay and neuter is the No. 1 way to keep down unwanted populations and unneeded suffering in all communities for animals. It’s just not something that is very accessible in most of these places, and it can be really expensive, so it’s a blessing that we had funding to offer that for free to communities.”

In addition to spay and neutering services at the mobile clinic, animals were vaccinated and received additional preventative care.

“We gave out a lot of dog food and really just tried to help in whatever way we could for the dogs and cats in the area,” Tiner said.

“Reservation Dogs” alums consider the venture a form of payback, Brit Hensel explained.

“The filmmaking industry at large, we go into these communities and we shoot and we make friends with people and we get to use peoples’ spaces and their homes,” she said.

“Then the production leaves, and we all go on our way and we have this great show to offer, but I’m really interested in how we can give back to the communities that have provided for us — giving something in exchange for their generosity and allowing us to be in their space and film there.”

Brit Hensel said staging an animal care clinic in Terlton was “kind of like a full circle moment for us to be able to give back to this community that has been so open with us. I think that’s kind of the point of why we do this and wanting to meet people where they are and making sure that rural communities and Native communities, as they are most often forgotten, don’t always feel that way. That’s the big takeaway I had this time around. Seeing the look on peoples’ faces of feeling valued, it’s really cool to be able to tell somebody ‘we got you.’”

Said Taylor Hensel: “We really look at it as being interconnected. We are not just showing up for animals. We are also showing up for people. The well-being of animals in the community is totally a reflection on the well-being of the humans, too. So we look at it as we are bringing wellness to a community by serving the animals, but being able to interact with the people too and let them know that, ‘hey, we are here. We exist. Here is our contact information. You are not alone. If you have a question, call us. We will come help.’ That is a good feeling.”

Rez Dog Resources is not a front-line rescue. The collective is dedicated to supporting the efforts and rescues of shelters already doing good work. Brit Hensel is appreciative of the partnership with Tulsa SPCA.

“When Brit and Taylor and Sterlin first talked to us about the possibility of doing this, we know there are more resources in places like Tulsa and Oklahoma City as opposed to sort of outlying areas,” Tiner said. “The opportunity to kind of get out there and really make a difference was really important to us.”

Tiner credited Brit Hensel and Taylor Hensel for putting together a mechanism to stage similar events in the future. Taylor Hensel said they “absolutely” want to continue arranging animal care events because this is something they are passionate about. Hopefully, said Tiner, they can make as much of a difference in other communities as they did in Okmulgee and Terlton.

Said Tiner: “So many times when businesses or companies come in and they do their job and go home, they don’t really think about the lasting impact they can have on a community. ‘Reservation Dogs’ has done something that will make a difference for years.”

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