Photo Essay
by Anna Oakley and Tony Drewry: The Dogs of Terlingua
Rossi
H
ave a seat on the porch at the
Terlingua Trading Company
any day of the week, and while
you enjoy a cold Lone Star and a tune or
three from Uh Clem or Jeff Haislip, you
are sure to meet at least a few local dogs
as they mingle with each other and peo-
ple alike, under a hand-painted sign that
22
reads NO DOGS ON THE PORCH.
This is a quintessential Terlingua experi-
ence. It’s always fun to watch the dogs
play, and usually fine to give a head pat
if they seem willing or interested, but it
is never okay to assume that the dog is
lost and needs your help finding its
owner. These dogs live around here, and
Cenizo
First Quarter 2019
they know their way home.
Just as much as any of the people who
live out here, the local dogs are our
neighbors and we know them all by
name. Lazy Dazy, Howdy, Mamagurl,
Rossi, Kita, Moonpie, Topo Chico,
Suka, Maggie, and that’s just to name a
few. And then there are the dogs of days
past, like Brown Dog, who is probably
the most famous and/or infamous dog
in the modern history of the town,
depending on who you talk to.
Old Brown’s origin was unknown,
just appearing one day, years ago, like he
was born of the desert. It’s more likely
though that he was dumped off by some