Do They Remember?

Maybe 14 or 15 years ago, I gave away one of my favorite livestock guardian dogs, Boise. He was an Akbash-cross, and he was named by our youngest daughter, Emma. She wanted to name him Daisy, but I said, “Emma, he’s a boy dog.” She replied, “Okay, his name is Boise.” Since that time, every livestock guardian dog we’ve owned was named after a western town - we’ve had Reno, Vegas, Bodie, Dillon, and Elko. And I might be forgetting one or two!

Boise was a great dog - protective of his sheep, submissive in their presence. But his protectiveness led him to leave our electro-net paddocks. If there was something that needed to get away from the sheep, he made sure to let them know. In our operation, on leased pastures in the midst of small ranchettes, we couldn’t keep a dog who wouldn’t stay in his pasture. And so I gave him to McCormack Sheep and Grain in Rio Vista, where he would protect sheep on more than 3,000 acres. And where the neighbors (all farmers and ranchers) wouldn’t object to a big white dog chasing coyotes through their properties.

Several years later, for a short time, I went to work for McCormack Sheep and Grain. On my first day, I drove up to the lambing barn and Boise ran out to the road and gave me absolute hell. I rolled down the window and said, “Hey, Boise!” He paused, and then went into a whole body wag. He didn’t recognize the truck, but he recognized me! Or at least my voice, my appearance, and my scent.

I think of my experience with Boise periodically when I’m feeding the mules. Or working my small handful of sheep and goats with Mae, my border collie. Or when I decide to try to brush my last remaining livestock guardian dog, Bodie. Or on days like today, when I visit the sheep owned by my friend Nathan, who took my guardian dog Dillon when I sold most of my sheep after Sami’s passing. By the way, I’m pretty sure Dillon recognized me!.

I think of this because these animals - my mules, Frisbee and Boomer, and my dogs, Mae and Bodie, are the animals who “knew” Sami. And the animals who Sami knew. Do they recognize her absence? Do they remember?

I don’t want to anthropomorphize animals, but I do wonder about how animals recognize places, people, and things. I suspect sight and smell are a big part of this - and probably sound. Why did Boise recognize me when I rolled down my window and spoke to him?

Boomer, Sami’s mule, is an interesting case study. He was an extreme case of a “one person mule.” He preferred women, but he much preferred Sami to anyone else. When Sami was alive, he’d rarely - if ever - let me approach him, let alone put a halter on me. I’ve never ridden Boomer

Today, he’s still reluctant to let me touch him. But with a bribe of grain (or with the manipulation of ignoring him while spending time with his sister - and my mule - Frisbee), I can handle him. I wonder if I had a piece of clothing that smelled like Sami whether this would be easier.

What about the dogs that knew Sami. Bodie hates to be brushed, but he would tolerate it from Sami. Mae doesn’t like to work for anyone but me, but she’d grudgingly work for Sami. Do they remember her?

And I wonder about the nature of memory. Sensory perceptions - a song, a scent, or a particular sight that we enjoyed together can bring back memories of Sami. Today, I heard the song Road to Las Cruces (the Corb Lund version), which we happened to hear as we were approaching Las Cruces on our last trip together in 2023. And the song - the words, yes, but also the tune - brought back memories. And even though I’m in a new place, these hot, late July days bring back memories of Sami’s last seizure and our decision to enter hospice care.

I do think animals and humans get to know one another. My mules certainly see when the light comes on in the kitchen in the morning - and they give me about 45 minutes to myself before they expect to be fed. Bodie knows when the border collies yip with excitement in the mornings and evenings that I’m headed out to feed him. Is this nothing more than a Pavlovian response? Maybe. But I think it’s more than conditioning. I also think about the point in time when I will have animals who didn’t know Sami. And who Sami didn’t know.