We’d like at this time to honor the passage of a dog.  You may be somewhat surprised, given our focus here on wild places, the rewilding of people, native plants and wild creatures big and small.  Ben Fun-Beast, as he was known by his hominid companion, held a special place in canyon history, being the only dog to be grandfathered (or “grand-dogged”) – exempted from the no-pets clause of our protective land use agreement.  His most-significant human was Van, the man who assumed ownership of 40 acres of this private inholding in the middle of the Gila National Forest when its activist residents moved on to other interests, and who spent a fortune in legal fees successfully preventing the primitive trail to the sanctuary from being designated and treated as a “public road.”  The no-pets clause has never been easy for us, as important as it is.  I admittedly ache for the company of free willed and blatantly sensuous felines even more than loyal-eyed canines, but for the first 30 years of my life I was seldom without a dog.  They would go with me everywhere I went, uncritical and understanding friends ready to share any madcap adventure or on-the-carpet cuddle.  Over time the species I picked were larger and wilder, moving from silly-sweet labs to quick witted Australian shepherds, then to a coyote cross that shredded furniture and howled in the night, and finally a pure bred wolf obtained from a breeder.  Only when my beloved wolf girl Loca was killed chasing rancher’s chickens, did I face what it was like to have to look to the un-pettable local wildlife for the affirmation and company that dogs had so long provided.  And only then, were we able to see what the canyon could be like without the deterrent factor of domestic animals.  It was after a bobcat ate my last and favorite cat (in heat, and only seeking his attentions) that the songbird and lizard population soared, ringtails began to inhabit the shed and treetop foxes gathered juniper berries into their mouths just outside our doors.  And likewise, it was after the tears for Loca had dried up from our eyes, that we were able to see deer and elk cavorting in the river, and hear the sexy midnight calls of returning mountain lions.

Even the scent of a dog along can be enough to dissuade not only lions but other creatures vital to a healthy wild ecosystem such as Van has helped us repair.  But that was the worst Ben Fun-Beast ever did, seldom barking, never chasing the deer, and actually helping the project by happily herding any cattle out of the canyon that managed to find their way past the protective river corridor fences.

While Van is only actually here a number of days each year, the soul stirring land has had a profound affect on him, awakening a spiritual sensibility and bringing emotions to the fore, inspiring a sense of commitment and purpose.  Ben, in his own way, also had a transformative affect, showing his man that it’s alright to lighten up and encouraging him to play… and, yes, teaching him better than any person ever could have, what it is like to really love.  For that and more, we honor here Ben the irreplaceable.

-Wolf & All

(photo of wild wolf track in the canyon (c) 2008 by Jesse Wolf Hardin)

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Categories: Anima's History

This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 31st, 2008 at 10:52 am and is filed under Anima's History. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.