PINE RIDGE (AP) - The family of an 8-year-old girl killed by a pack of dogs while sledding on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation is raising money for the care of reservation animals.
Jayla Rodriguez's family aims to raise $10,000 in an online crowdfunding campaign following her death on Nov. 18, the Argus Leader reported. The family hopes to use the money to establish an animal shelter, said Camille Griffith, Jayla's maternal aunt.
"We're also in the process of starting a nonprofit organization," she said. "We already have the paperwork started so that could be finished in the next couple weeks."
The extended family is working together to help bring Jayla's dreams to fruition, Griffith said. A cousin is creating a Web page and her father knows how to establish nonprofits.
"We're just trying to put her memory in a positive way and make a difference, like she would want," Griffith said.
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Roaming dogs have been a longtime concern of residents and officials on the reservation. After Jayla's death, Oglala Sioux officials rounded up and killed dozens of dogs to prevent another attack.
Jayla's mother, Danielle Griffith, shares memories of her daughter on the crowdfunding site. One of the stories details Jayla's desire to help the homeless and hungry animals on the reservation by giving them a loving home.
"Sadly, Jayla passed away from the neglect of these poor animals and before this dream could come true. Her mother and her family wish to carry on her dream and make it into a living legacy," the passage reads.
