Vail Mountain’s original mountain dog was laid to rest last month. Henry was a Golden Retriever and one of the Colorado ski resort’s most well-known citizens. The Post Independent reports how, with his red vest and luscious gold fur, Henry grew to become larger than life among the area’s ski patrollers.
The Dogfather Himself
Adorably, everybody knew Henry as The Dogfather. Additionally, Henry’s Hut was named in the dog’s honor, and Henry’s Legacy Bourbon graciously used his namesake. However, to his actual family, the Reeders, he was and always will be Hank. After the Reeders decided to live in the mountains, they decided they needed a dog, too. In 2007, the couple made the trip to Michigan to meet Henry. According to Lisa Reeder, “ There were only two dogs left in the litter. The other dog was kind of aloof, wandering around, and [Henry] would just not let us go.”
Apparently, the person who put the puppies up for adoption let the Reeders know that Henry would make a good working dog. “She was thinking Henry could do something with 4H, or something with the public,” Mrs. Reeder said.
A Mountain Dog, but a Family Dog, too
As a ski patroller himself, Chris “Mongo” Reeder was the first to consider Henry as an avalanche dog. Little did he know just how apt Henry would become. Henry quickly gained a reputation for being able to swiftly sniff out anybody buried under the snow. To test him, ski patrollers would bury themselves in the forest and try to stump Henry’s nose, only to fail time after time.
But for the Reeders, Henry’s best work came after he descended the mountain. At home, Henry supported their children, and the family will always remember how much he added to their lives. Molly, the Reeder’s youngest daughter, said, “[Henry] always knew that he was there to protect Emma and me, and he was there to make us happy and make our lives special. He was so good at non-verbal communication. I felt like he could listen to what we were saying, and he understood.”
As such, the fact that Henry managed to stay around until Molly finished high school wasn’t surprising. According to Molly, Henry knew that his job was not only saving lives on the mountain but being there for his family. So when she finally graduated and was getting ready to head off to college, Molly says, “I feel like he was thinking ‘I’ve done my job, I grew up with them their whole lives and made them happy, and now I can rest”.
