A Dog’S Tale as Told by Lakota

By Graham Van Zant

I have written this book from the viewpoint of one who has lived with and loved dogs since being a very young child. We had everything from springer spaniels to a big Newfoundlander. When I moved out on my own, I lived mainly in large cities, so I lived for many years not having a dog. When we bought our place in Hesperia with a large fenced-in yard, I knew it was time again to have a dog.
I have been very spiritually oriented from early childhood and all through my adult life. As a young person, I had a very profound spiritual experience, and it changed my viewpoint on life very dramatically.
In the book you will see how the spirit world seemed to intervene to bring about the relationship that has developed between my wife and me with our friend Lakota. Of all the dogs I have ever known, this one is the most unique and special.
I started to write this book several years ago, and it just stalled. Recently I had another spiritual experience, and the doorway was opened again. The tale flowed freely from Lakota, and here we are with her story. It has been a joy to put it down in words in this book. I hope you enjoy it as much as I had fun in writing it.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Feb 16, 2016
• ISBN: 9781514450543

Graham Van Zant

N/A

Book preview

Copyright © 2016 by Graham Van Zant.

Library of Congress Control Number:   2016900666

ISBN:   Hardcover   978-1-5144-5057-4

Softcover   978-1-5144-5056-7

eBook   978-1-5144-5054-3

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted

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without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

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and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

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Rev. date: 01/26/2016

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CONTENTS

Introduction

Welcome to My Story

Looking Back

My Life Begins

A Rough Start

Life on My Own

A Close Call

The Nose Knows

Up for Adoption

New Life---New Name

New Place---New Friends

My First Road Trip

Camping Out

Time to Work

A Life-Changing Experience

My First Rodeo

Viva Las Vegas

My First Christmas

My First Snow

Canada---the Great White North

A Sad Day

A New Day Dawns

Black Hills Once Again

Buffalo Spirit and I

Losing a Friend

Henry and Einstein

On the Road Again

My Second Christmas

Caroline and Don

A Trip to British Columbia

Life with Larry

It Is Good to Learn

Song of the Wild

Gift from Great Spirit

Dog Sense Knowse

Dog Dreaming

Good to Eat

Carrot Crumbs and Trouble

Learning the Rules

To Chew or Not to Chew

More Trouble

Celebrity for a Week

Going to the Groomer

Dog Quirks

A Big Move

Manners and Courtesy

Where from Here

INTRODUCTION

I have written this book from the viewpoint of one who has lived with and loved dogs since being a very young child. We had everything from springer spaniels to a big Newfoundlander. When I moved out on my own, I lived mainly in large cities, so I lived for many years not having a dog. When we bought our place in Hesperia with a large fenced-in yard, I knew it was time again to have a dog.

I have been very spiritually oriented from early childhood and all through my adult life. As a young person, I had a very profound spiritual experience, and it changed my viewpoint on life very dramatically.

In the book, you will see how the spirit world seemed to intervene to bring about the relationship that has developed between my wife and me with our friend Lakota. Of all the dogs I have ever known, this one is the most unique and special.

I started to write this book several years ago, and it just stalled. Recently I had another spiritual experience, and the doorway was opened again. The tale flowed freely from Lakota, and here we are with her story.

It has been a joy to put it down in words in this book. I hope you enjoy it as much as I had fun in writing it.

WELCOME TO MY STORY

Hello to all you readers. I had a doggone good idea to write a book about life, but because I don't write, I must relate it through my biographer.

I am called Lakota. It's a name I will tell you much more about throughout my story. I am one of over 525 million dogs currently living on this planet. There are over seventy-three million of us in the United States alone. These are divided into about 340 recognized breeds from around the world.

Dogs have been friends with and lived among men for at least forty thousand years. We have been close companions and protectors and served under many other different roles in our long association with our human friends.

Welcome to my story, my observations, conclusions, and musings on life.

LOOKING BACK

I have been around now for over thirteen and a half years, which, in human measure, is the equivalent to being ninety-four years old.

As you see in my picture, in my estimation, I am still looking pretty good. I am a little slower than I used to be. I don't hear quite as well, and I do more than my share of sleeping at times. My mind is still pretty sharp, and I do have a very good appetite, especially if it's chicken. I love to dream. In my dreams, I still run as fast as I did when I was a young girl.

I want to let you know I have had a very interesting life being a dog. I've travelled tens of thousands of miles to many different places and had many different and enjoyable adventures.

The first year of my life, unfortunately, contained a little too much pain, and it made me feel uncertain about my future. Thankfully, from the second year on, things changed for the better.

I have very much enjoyed observing and being an active participant in life. Living and interacting with my human and four-legged friends have been quite interesting and eye-opening experiences.

One night early on, while I was still out living on my own, I had a very profound dream. It would turn out to have a very long-lasting impact on the rest my life. In my dream, I saw myself in a new as yet unknown place, with good and loving friends. I could hear a name being called. I could not quite make it out, but it somehow sounded familiar. You will know why as we move along through my story.

My hope is that you really enjoy this tale. Possibly you may come to view dogs in a whole new light with a new and much better understanding of who and what my species are all about.

MY LIFE BEGINS

I was born in a sleepy rural area northwest of Los Angeles. My father was an Alaskan malamute. My mother was an Australian shepherd. I never did meet my father. It appears he and my mother had a very brief relationship, and then he was gone.

I offer you now a little background on my lineage. I hope it helps you to better understand some of my genetic characteristics and behavior. Mind you, it is only a partial picture of who and what I am all about.

On my father's side, the malamute is thought to be one of the oldest breeds of domesticated dogs and most closely related to the wolf. The malamute migrated to North America a long time ago to the area now known as Alaska. They travelled along with the native people who came here during that period. At that time, Alaska and Siberia were probably still physically joined.

The malamute is a sturdy large breed, physically endowed to pull heavy loads. It is also well fitted with two thick coats, one of hair on the outside and a thick furry undercoat to help keep warm in the extreme cold. The breed, for the most part, is quite mellow and good-natured but certainly with a mind of its own. Malamutes love to dig quite often to escape their immediate confines and then go roaming in their local areas.

On my mother's side, the Australian shepherd is a breed more recently cultivated to its present form in the USA. The original ancestors appear to have their roots in various parts of Europe, mainly Germany, England, and the Basque section of Spain. Farmers from these regions immigrated to Australia a couple of hundred years ago, taking their dogs with them. There, the dogs mixed with some of the local breeds.