Young Man: The dog who made his own history at Greasy Grass — Buffalo's Fire

Throughout the week at the 150th commemoration of the Battle of the Little Bighorn, everyone was hearing stories about a black-and-white dog who’d traveled roughly 300 miles from Green Grass in South Dakota to Greasy Grass in Montana. The dog, Young Man, had tagged along with Santee warriors who were riding their horses to the battlefield site to honor Native American resistance and commemorate the defeat of Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer.

On the morning the Santee riders left Green Grass, June 8, Young Man had been tied up outside his family home. As the riders passed, he pulled off his lead and joined them.

His owner, Mahto Inthewoods, told Buffalo’s Fire that later that day he met up with the Santee warriors and was surprised to see Young Man following along. “I felt proud of him,” Inthewoods said. “My heart was happy to see him. I knew as a puppy he was sent as a protector, best friend and brother.”

Anyone who has spent time on long rides knows how demanding such a trip can be on the horses, let alone on a dog running under the hot sun. Young Man hitched a ride in a horse trailer to Lame Deer camp in Montana and then ran alongside the horseback riders to Busby. From there, he ran on to Crow Agency.

The riders made sure the dog had plenty of food, water and rest at each stop. By the time the riders and Young Man made it to camp, he had become more than a tagalong: He was a legend. “Young Man was one of the only dogs at camp and was royalized,” a rider called Smokey told me, meaning he was treated with high respect by all the warriors.

People waited to see Young Man all weekend to give him treats and pets. He was in a makeshift collar with a rainbow ribbon attached to the front. Children at the camps played with him. The famed companion was in so many places, I hoped to see him myself.

I was at the original battlefield for the historic charge on the hill on day one but somehow missed Young Man as he ran with the riders. That night at camp, the sun was setting and fires were starting for victory dances, and before I knew it I had to return to my lodging. Day two slipped away from me watching horse relay races. On day three, there was a parade and more races to attend. I did not think I would have a chance to meet the dog everyone was talking about.

Then, just before the riders were set to return to Green Grass, word got out that Young Man's lead had broken loose at camp and that people were trying to locate him before the last horseriders left for home. Locals from the Crow and Northern Cheyenne were looking for him. People were sad that he was lost and were hoping for his safe return and praying for his feet to carry him home.

Jordynn Paz, Lara No Braid and Lark Real Bird came upon Young Man wandering in a field and tried to lure him with steaks. They repeatedly called to him, but he was not listening until one of the girls said a Lakota word, and his head spun around and he saw the snack. He rested at Lark Real Bird’s house. She used some bailing twine to tie him up. He then saw horses in the pasture and pulled that twine right off the porch. “That dog was a free spirit and was not meant to be tied down,” Lark Real Bird said.

Later that day, I attended the annual reenactment of the Greasy Grass battle on the property of the Real Bird family. Shortly after my daughter Hazel and I settled in to watch, she spotted a dog following the warriors to the staged battlefield. I picked up my camera, focusing my lens on the dog, thinking he was just a part of the crew.

Then I saw the rainbow ribbon hanging from his collar and knew this was the famous dog I had been hearing so much about. Young Man turned out to be a big help for the reenactment, a perfect herding dog for all the horses.

Someone made a Facebook post about Young Man being found, and everyone was so happy. “No warrior left behind,” someone commented. Someone else wrote, “Just lived his best life.” So many people offered to pitch in for gas money to get the famous dog home to Green Grass. The surrounding community wanted to get him back to his people and have him return in honor.

No one planned on the little rez dog becoming the unforgettable story of the 150th anniversary of Greasy Grass (he now has his own Facebook page), but this may have been what Indian Country needed. Young Man became so much more than just a dog and a companion, he was a source of joy to everyone who got to see him.

Looking back at videos of the charge on Friday, I search for that black-and-white dog warrior following those large horses. I smile at every post about him and the fact that he will be remembered, as the Young Man story no doubt will be passed down to younger generations to come.

Editor’s Note: Young Man reportedly arrived home safely — and is back to chasing horses.