A Grand Dog Has Passed Away: The Majesty of an Abandoned Rez Mutt

Darth at Dry Creek, 2015

A grand dog passed away Friday, July 10, 2015.  A mutt.  A rez dog.  She showed up one cold winter when we lived at 6800 feet above sea level on the high, forested Fort Defiance plateau of the Navajo Nation.  I went out one snowy morning to feed our dog, Scooby, and found this straggly white dog with dalmatian spots shivering under our old Datsun Maxima wagon which was out of commission. That was probably 2005. She would have nothing to do with me and cowered back further when I attempted to place food under the car, but she ate once I went back inside.

Her life under the Maxima continued for another four months much the same, except over time, she started to meet us at the end of the driveway when we walked home from the school where Marci and I worked. She still would have nothing to with us, but she would wave repeatedly with her left paw and wag her tail. Then, as we were almost close enough to pet her, she would run off to the safety of the car again.

At some point, we named her.  Everest named her.  She had breathing difficulties and sounded like Darth Vader.  Nobody else wanted to name her that as she was, well, a she.  But Everest was little and said Darth really cute, so he got his way.

Darth still looking as wild as when she showed up, although now in much better health.

One June, we were getting ready to come to Dry Creek for the Summer.  We planned on bringing our other dog, a puppy named Freckles that we got from a neighbor when Scooby died.  However, Darth still would not let us approach her.  She was still as wild as she looked, so we planned on leaving her and having a neighbor feed her.  At the last moment, right when the van was packed, I decided to try and get her in.  I don't remember how--but somehow I did it.  The family wasn't all for it as she was still pretty sick looking and had breathing difficulties.  None the less she was in.  She quickly adjusted during the eight hour ride, and by our first restroom stop, she was tame enough that she'd hop back in the van by herself.

Even after she'd been tamed, her coat remained wild.  She also had respiratory problems for another three years. 

After that summer, she was clearly ours.  She remained an outside dog, so we purchased a dog house for her for the winter.  But, she traveled with us on our frequent trips between our winter home and Dry Creek, and went camping with us several times as well.

Still an outside dog, she became a part of the family.

Over time, she worked her way into becoming an inside dog, which is when her health began to improve drastically.  The breathing difficulties she was named for disappeared and her coat became soft and smooth.

Once inside, she quickly learned to love the luxuries of domesticated life.
Her health improved drastically and her breathing disorder went away.

I learned over time, that although I couldn't train her by scolding or yelling at her (I think she had been abused, and she'd just freak out and go into some weird, submissive panic), she responded very quickly to praise.  Using praise, I could quickly train her to do things that even went against her wild instincts.  For example, what we love best about Dry Creek is viewing the wildlife.  You would think having a wolf-like dog would make that difficult, but she didn't.  I easily trained her not to chase turkey or deer.  Although we regularly have mother wild turkeys crossing in front of our house trailed by eight to twelve babies, she only went after the chicks twice.  Occasionally, she would want to chase the deer, but all I had to do was look at her, and she'd come to my side and calmly watch, wagging her tail.

I know without question, she would have given her life to save us had it ever been necessary.  She truly was an amazing dog.

Darth on a family outing the day after Thanksgiving

We have buried her at Dry Creek and planted a Colorado Spruce.  May it someday be as noble as the Rez mutt it memorializes.  No pure bread could ever be so grand.