Rez dogs of the lodge

They are as much a harbinger of spring as are the swallows of Capistrano … and like the said swallows their return is about as punctual. No, I am not talking about the tourists, but about the dogs of Glacier Park Lodge. As soon as the first seasonal employees come to the in the early spring to work for the summer so do the dogs show up, and they have doing so for as long as I can remember. Since the Lodge is situated on the Blackfeet reservation the animals are referred to by the locals and the seasonal employees as “rez”dogs. 

These dogs stake out their claim in and around the Lodge, and especially around the Lodge’s employee dining room. Why? Because they know that eventually the employees will start to feed them and will do so throughout the summer. At first they just kind of hang around scoping out the action, but eventually they move in for the “kill” as it were. 

All in all they usually amount to about six of these Lodge dogs over the summer and some return from year to year, like some of the seasonal workers do. 

They are all about the same size (medium to large) and none of them are pure breeds. They are all mutts of the mixed order. 

Now dogs are descended from wolves and like such can and will run in packs and can be dangerous in doing so. In fact while I was in the Peace Corps in Ecuador I was chased by a pack of dogs. However, these Lodge dogs pose no such problem. They are very well behaved and about the only way they might cause you harm would be if you fell over one of them sleeping in one of the Lodge doorways. 

They are also so well behaved that they do not do their “business” on the Lodge grounds or extensive and newly renovated flower beds. 

On any given day during the summer one can find between four and six of them hanging around the Lodge having a good time. 

Early on the old timers know the routine and settle right in…with the newcomers it takes a little longer. These newbies at first can be quite shy and stand offish. Last summer one of these new arrivals seemed to have been somewhat abused and would not let you get near him. 

He was not hostile, but only somewhat cautious and afraid; to give him a handout required you to leave the food on the ground and walk away. However, this summer he seems to be much less fearful and can be petted if done in a gentle manner. Beggars, or panhandlers if you will, can sometimes be impolite in plying their trade, but not these dogs. No sir. They know that a quiet continence and a sorrowful look is all it takes to get a handout. 

No barking, no nudging … just the look and a little patience will usually do the trick. When not actively hanging out for food the dogs are either sleeping or playing with each other. Some sleep so soundly and unafraid that one wonders if they might be dead. 

They are not … just resting up and waiting for the next handout. Unlike some humans these dogs never bite the hand that feeds them and are never aggressive in asking for food… they don’t have to. 

I have never seen them aggressive toward guests or employees and if humans behaved as well as these dogs it would be a better world. When these dogs show up in the spring they are not emaciated and in dire need of food. 

In fact they show up looking fairly healthy and well fed. One of the regulars even has a collar which says “don’t feed me, I’m fat enough as it is.” They come to the Lodge because they like to and to enjoy the summer and not because they have to get survival food. 

Getting some free and different food and a lot of petting is just part of the program. 

You don’t have to be a human to enjoy being around the Glacier Park Lodge and having a good time. When the Lodge closes in late September and everyone goes home and supposedly so do the Glacier Park Lodge dogs. 

Where exactly no one seems to know but they do know this: they will be back next season as assuredly as will the swallows return to Capistrano.

Chris Ashby lives in East Glacier and is a frequent contributor.