Reservation Dog

The first day we had T-Rex home we walked him. But this was a country dog and he was used to wide open spaces. In the city, he would walk on sidewalks. New sounds of children in playgrounds and cars whizzing by would make him look around and wonder where the heck he was.

On that first leash walk, a plane flew overhead. Rex stopped and stared at the sky. That may have been the first plane he ever saw.

On the reservation, he probably saw mostly pickups trucks, if any traffic.

The moment he stared at the sky and the silence surrounding the plane reminded me of the aftermath of 911. The day after September 11, 2001, no planes were seen or heard. This was a dramatic silence for anyone living near the Minneapolis airport. We're used to hearing the constancy of takeoffs and landings, so much so that we forget it's going on around us in the busy HUB. Planes had become as common as geese flying overhead.

I went to the Regal Theater in Eagan and watched the movie United 93. The movie was about the high-jacked flight where the passengers took action so the plane would not hit the U.S. Capital. The flight had been delayed so when the highjackers took over, the passengers on board got word of the attacks on the World Trade Center.

I remember coming out of the theater after that sobering movie. The first thing I noticed was a plane that flew overhead. It was eerie.

Now it was Rex making us stop and take notice again of the miracle flying overhead. But soon he too would not take notice of the jets flying overhead. They would become as common and taken for granted sight for him, perhaps, as mosquitoes and gnats. He adjusted to the change and forgot about it as quickly as some of us who resumed travel after the events of 911.