Rez Dogs

Going to the Navajo Nation with my two dogs, Honey and Harry is quite an eye-opener. Dogs are everywhere. They are a sweet, smelly, and hungry army of canines. These dogs eat just about anything. None of them had collars, and I’d bet that all of them had fleas. One thing that stood out with the Rez dogs was a lack of aggression. They don’t seem to bark very often, and they seem to trust humans and other dogs. They are really very accepting of their circumstances.

Honey is pampered old girl. She has the best food money can buy (I cook organic for her) and her coat absolutely gleams. Honey is a shepherd pit mix and for a “pound dog,” she lives like a canine queen. Harry (actually Prince Harry) is the same. He’s a young red-orange dude; he’s big and he gets the best of everything too. Both dogs get their teeth cleaned annually. They have flea medication, acupuncture when needed, exercise, health care, quality diets, schedules and training. They have it all.

When the Rez Dogs saw Harry and Honey, they seemed unsure of what they were looking at. These dogs could be wolves maybe? Or a different sort of coyote? They didn’t look like, smell like, or have the same attitude as the Rez Dogs. Honey and Harry tend to bark at other dogs. This made them sort of a curiosity, along with their freshly shampooed coats, expensive leather collars, full bodies, and snowy white teeth.

We gave our lunches to the Rez Dogs and they were embarrassingly grateful. They ate Navajo tacos including the lettuce and tomato, and were so glad to get it. I wanted to load up the truck and take them home, but that wasn’t really feasible. Such a wonderful and calm group of dogs! I loved them all.