Yodie came with the Coach Seiji Ranch. The old ranchers took him with them when they moved away and we moved in but Yodie trotted his way back. They took him away a few more times but he always managed to come back to HIS home. We took him in of course because we were really guests on his pasture. The old owners joked that I took a perfectly good ranch dog and ruined him by letting him sleep indoors and eat dog food that was a tad better than Ole Roy. That’s because Yodie was more than a ranch dog, he was a member of our family (with three other dogs) and he was actually a good role model on how to behave indoors for our “city” dogs.

Yodie was the only dog to be allowed to wonder off without a leash. He never left the ranch property. He would scout the perimeter, bury his treats out on the track somewhere and keep an eye on the cows. He would guard the house while I was gone to the gym and always come trotting up the dirt road to meet me as I made the last turn to the house.

He greeted all visitors with strong wags of his stubby tail and he was as gentle as could be with visiting dogs. He would watch me ride from the porch and meet me in the shop when I came in from a moto. When I had to mow the pasture he would go out with me but was smart enough to assess the situation and lay down away from me and always higher than me to stay safe.

When Randy Poulter came to build the tracks, Yodie would go out with him and watch from the top of a knoll or mound of dirt that would later be a jump. He watched Randy build the ponds and seemed to wonder what was happening to HIS pasture but he was all good with it when it was done. I spent countless hours in rain, cold or intense heat working on the irrigation system and Yodie was right there with me.

If we were inside or on the porch and there wasn’t enough going on for Yodie, he would paw at me incessantly until I got up to do something so he could go or I would have to pet him non stop until I did get up and go. He was very patient with his dinner. I could put it in front of him and he wouldn’t touch it until I told him it was OK.

Yodie passed away in the summer of 2009. 2009 was a great year for me, my wife and my clients but the passing of Yodie was a very dark spot in an otherwise bright period. In the end, he told me he wanted to be let go of and he wanted to die in his pasture. He got his wish and I would not have had it any other way. He is still in his pasture, watching over the cows, watching us ride and meeting us back at the shop. Sometimes I can still see him coming down the dirt road in the dark to meet me after a long day at the gym and a long drive home. He was with us for a very short while but I will never forget.

RIP Yodie and thanks for letting us live and have fun on YOUR pasture.