Native Americans have a long and beautiful relationship with their dogs. “Rez dogs” are survivors, and so too are Native people.

 "Then the sun god decided to create new people. First he made a man, then a woman, and finally a dog to keep them company. Later he created the guanaco and the rhea as food for the couple he had brought forth. -- Tebuelche Indians"




America's first dog was the Native American dog. During the earlier times when Native Indian tribes inhabited all of North America, canines of unknown origins accompanied them everywhere.

The Native Americans were aware of how important it was to prevent inbreeding to keep their dogs healthy. In order to prevent this, the tribes would introduce new blood from other tribe's dogs which accounted for the many types of dogs that were often portrayed in history books.

The northern tribes of Native Americans developed a dog with more of a wolf like appearance while in the western regions the smaller Plains dog was developed. These dogs were very intelligent and versatile as they were expected to fill many roles in a Native American village. In some tribes, dogs pulled a travois carrying the nomadic family’s belongings as they followed their food supply. Dogs were used to hunt for food and as faithful and protective watch dogs over the village. They were even reliable as “babysitters” for the children and elderly when the women were gathering roots, berries and herbs. In certain tribes ,some of the dogs even played important roles in the tribes’ religious ceremonies.






Responses to "Fascinating Story of Native American Rez Dogs"

Write a comment