Dice

Dice is the lead guard dog of the office, which often has five or more additional pooches calmly guarding the premises. Sometimes there are more dogs at the office than people, but this is Montana, where everyone brings their dogs to work. Breeds range from a pug to a border collie mix to black labs, but at the top of the heap is this little guy affectionately known as Dice.

He may look a bit docile, but his easygoing demeanor belies the fact that genetically, he is a South American Pygmy Wolf. What is a South American Pygmy Wolf? You would not be the first to ask, and the answer is always the same.

It all began on a hot, humid evening deep in the jungles of Costa Rica. The moon was full, its brilliant light penetrating the forest canopy in muted beams and dancing shadows. Daniel’s headlamp was on high as he scanned the forest floor searching for the elusive chocolate mint, poison arrow, dart-throwing frog. When he first heard the whimper, his gut reaction was that his godson Colter had found the frogs in mass. He whirled on his heels to see the attack for himself.

Daniel was certain Colter would be standing on the dimly illuminated trail with miniature darts the size of toothpicks protruding from his legs. But his legs, extending from his short pants, were bare and unbarbed. “Whew,” Daniel said. “Did you hear that noise? I thought it was you.” Colter replied, “Look, it’s a Pygmy Wolf,” pointing to a pile of forest duff 30 feet away at the edge of the lantern’s light.

There on the forest floor, next to a hole only six inches in diameter, sat a tiny black and white creature that resembled a puppy, more specifically a long-haired Chihuahua. He was curious and intensely brave, boldly dashing forward with a friendly body posture. Daniel bent down to rub his head. The lantern revealed eyes like liquid ink and a bushy, flowing mane circling his neck, like the lions Daniel has photographed in Kenya.

His ears jutted up like pointy radar dishes, each covered in black fur. Between them, his face was white, creating the look of baldness, with a black-tipped nose at the front of his tiny snout. He stood only four inches tall, with several more patches of black covering the perfectly white coat of this rare and elusive miniature canine of the forest.

In the fading light of their headlamps, Daniel and Colter turned to go. Though they tried to shake the little guy, he stayed hot on their trail all the way back to the lodge. All night he whimpered, lying calmly on the mat at the door’s entrance. The next morning, as the sun rose over the ocean, Daniel picked up the little ball of fur that apparently wanted a home. Dice licked his face and his diminutive, curled tail began to wag. From that day on, he has been by Daniel’s side as often as possible.