I was watching Pilgrims: American Experience on PBS, when the narrator made a profound statement.  After arriving at Cape Cod, a small group of Pilgrims set out to explore the area.  On the beach in the distance they saw 6 men and a dog.  The Native Americans stood and watched the Pilgrims for a moment, then “whistled for the dog” and disappeared into the woods.  How could the noted scholars not comment further on this profound event?  This is perhaps one of the first documented use of the dog recall command in America!

Put yourself in that moment:  Here is a dog, obviously enjoying a day at the beach, when he sees new friends.  But he (or she?) was so well trained that rather than run up and greet them, he obediently heeded the command and retreated into the woods with his family. I know dogs who see people all the time, yet still can’t resist running toward new friends on the beach.  I can’t even begin to fathom what that dog was thinking seeing this group of oddly dressed tourists randomly appear one day.

Which brings me to another interesting fact that the historians gloss over in this documentary, namely the Pilgrims’ reaction to seeing this dog. In Of Plymouth Planation, William Bradford’s firsthand account of this encounter, he tried to downplay their excitement. According to him, they followed the Native Inhabitants because they wanted to know if they spoke English and to find out where did they live. But I know the truth. As typical tourists far away from home and missing their pets, clearly the Pilgrims followed the locals into the woods, because they wanted to pet their dog! This happens to Asa and myself all the time. Tourists are always coming up with excuses to approach us, such as asking for our recommendation for a good restaurant. Similar to our go to move when we don’t want to be disturbed, the Native Americans also walked faster to get away, taking a less obvious route known only to locals. This way the Pilgrim tourists couldn’t follow them. The Pilgrims ended up getting lost that day and never did get to pet the dog.

Finally, I would also like to note another interesting fact that the scholars missed in the Ric Burns’ Pilgrims: American Experience documentary. At the time the Pilgrims arrived there were no signs banning dogs from beaches!  The Native Americans’ dog was allowed on the beach.  Maybe it was the Pilgrims who put up the first “No Dogs Allowed” signs?  An interesting theory that I would like to someday research further.

Sadly William Bradford is silent on the contributions of dogs to the new colony, in his book Of Plymouth Plantation. However, there were two dogs, a Spaniel and a Mastiff that bravely joined the Pilgrims in their epic adventure. Thankfully, Edward Winslow did mention these four-legged early settlers in his book, Mourt’s Relation: A Journal of the Pilgrims at Plymouth. You can read more about them in my post “Pilgrim Dogs at Plymouth Planation.”