photos by David Halterman

Lets face it, when it comes to dogs and their owners, the dogs definitely hold the cards. Every day, they are fed, watered, walked and whizzed by their so-called masters. While we work the day away, dogs spend their hours lying around in the yard or rummaging through our garbage. Without a possession to their name (unless of course you count the rhinestone-studded collars, the leather leashes, or the dozens of chew toys) they live their lives in total simplicity. Without saying a word, they command our time and attention, and then hog the bed as if their days are just too strenuous to bear. Tag alongs to things such as boating, backpacking and barbeques, your average Fido usually has it made, even when you might not. But all in all, nothing could be more genuine than a dogs loyalty to its keeper. So when the hotter months roll around and those icy waters warm to barely tolerable, the dog days of summer begin. And in a place such as Durango, where dogs are even given their own radioactive playground, you should expect to find that a dogs life surpasses even those snooty Manhattan, I-only-poop-on-5th-&-Broadway types. Here are but a few of the cuddly canines lucky enough to call this area home.