“Life of a Dog on the Rez!" A place where we share funny, cringe-worthy, and inspirational stories from our beloved Pueblo homelands. Stories that uplift the soul, provide us hope, and heal our spirits. Join me on this journey of life on the rez, and how it has shaped who we have become. This is the, "Life of a Dog on the Rez" podcast, and these are our stories.

What is a Rez Dog? How does the spirit of a Rez Dog inspire us as Native People? In this inaugural episode, meet "Yah-Schay", (Mike Garcia) and hear his story about how the life on the reservation, inspires him as a storyteller and pod-caster. Life of a Dog on the Rez, is a place for funny, cringe-worthy and inspirational stories from the rez, that uplift the soul, provide us hope, and heal our spirits.

Ever wonder what Rez Dogs truly are? We go straight the source and ask the people that have intimate knowledge of these creatures - In this episode, we are going to talk about Rez Dogs. There is no exact definition of what Rez Dogs are, I guess that’s what makes them almost mystical. I asked many of my family and friends this question, “In your own words, what is your definition of a Rez Dog, no wrong answers.” The responses were eye-opening, funny and unexpected, some descriptions were actually a little cringe-worthy. So, listen on and enjoy the comments. If you would like to contribute to a future show of what exactly these amazing canines are, please email me your definition to, lifedogrez@gmail.com I look forward to hearing from you and knowing if you ever drove to a feast or powwow on a "donut" tire,

The Life of a Dog on the Rez Podcast went live on Thursday, March 17, 2022, St. Patrick’s Day. It was a year and two days from the point, that my life changed forever, and I felt it fitting that I release my podcast on that day, also to hopefully garner some of the luck of the Irish. This podcast has been a long time coming. I was always fond of the spoken word. I love listening to National Public Radio, This American life, a Prairie Home Companion, Fresh Air, Wait, Wait Don’t Tell Me, Sasquatch Chronicles The History of Rome and many other news programs, audio documentaries, and podcasts. I love to learn about the greater world and try and find a connection back to our people and our way of life. I felt the need to acknowledge all the people that this podcast has brought forth. I truly appreciate all the love, support and encouragement from family, friends, and the people. I wish you all of you the happiness and joy that we all deserve. Please listen on and enjoy this bonus "Acknowledgment" episode. I will try my best to release an episode on a regular basis, but please forgive me if life gets in the way, but I will most definitely let you know if that happens. I truly appreciate all the love, support and encouragement. Also on a side note, the drawing of the dog on my podcast cover art has a tortilla in his mouth. Some people told me it looks like a cookie, I can’t draw tortillas, but in all fairness, only on the rez you would see a dog carrying a cookie, so I guess it works. You can now find my podcast on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast or any of your favorite podcast apps. If you like the show, please subscribe, follow, and leave a review on Apple Podcast. If you have a story you would like to share with the world, please shoot me an email at lifedogrez@gmail.com. I would love to connect with you and find out if you ever, went to prom and wore the tuxedo to a Pueblo feast or ceremony the next day?

"Sayings, Story, and Song" are the three things I find myself always looking towards when I need direction, motivation, and inspiration. Sayings, are the little things that are told to us by our families, and friends, whether it’s in Indian or English, words that give us the motivation to not give up. Story, is expressing cultural knowledge and oral traditions of the people. It was and still is used to pass on the knowledge and understanding to continue our beautiful way of life. These stories are funny, full of adventure, struggle, tragedy, heartache, hope, love, and redemption. They’re our guides to the journey path southward which Pueblo people believe we all walk, which began with our emergence into this upper world. Song is universal, it makes us happy, it fills our hearts with joy, it soothes our worries, it takes away our pain, and brings back happy memories and helps us forgive and forget the painful ones. It breathes life back into our spirits and gives us a way forward, it heals actual wounds and connects us to the past and gives us direction to our future. It’s our love medicine, and our breakup songs, it's our last hope to getting something back that we lost and a chance to start anew. I hope this episode finds you happy, healthy and in good spirits. If you have, a saying, story, or song you would like to share with the world, please email me at, lifedogrez@gmail.com I would love to connect with you and learn if you save all your paper bags for when you make fry bread.

The pueblo people have a deep connection to running. When we emerged from the third world into this fourth world, we were instructed to find our place of readiness. The people migrated from the north, walking southward in search of places they would call home. On their migration, they ran to pass on urgent information, they ran to catch food to feed the people, and ran away from danger to insure the continuation of the people. Running is innate in all us natives. We honor the ancestor that walked this earth to find a better place for us, through running. To this day, we still maintain that connection, through action, ceremony and song. In this episode, please join me on my running journey and how it has shaped who I have become. For all those who run and walk, you are honoring our ancestors and continuing what they started.

I am Tamayame! I was born and raised for the people of Tamaya. My identity goes back to the beginning of our emergence. Almost all cultures of the world have an origin story, a telling of our collective journeys, and our purpose on this earth. This knowledge and understanding is told to us through our elders, ceremonies and songs. It connects us to the land, the people, and the way of life that we hold dear. Our emergence story into this world is a not legend, fable, or fantasy, but an actual living account of our migration southward and the destiny of the people. Although, there are many similarities to our collective Pueblo emergence stories, each story is unique. The telling of our emergence and migration to our place of readiness is not measured by years or numbers, but by the passing of knowledge from generation to generation, this is what connects us to the beginning. I ask you to open your hearts and minds to our story, for this is who we are, Tamayame! If you like the show, please subscribe, follow, and leave a review on Apple Podcast, I truly appreciate it. You can now find me on Instagram @lifedogrez.podcast to connect with me and share all your funny, cringe-worthy, and inspirational stories with the world. If you like to reach me "old school", you can email me at, lifedogrez@gmail.com. Thank you for listening to the Life of a Dog on the Rez Podcast and I wish you all the blessings, happiness, and joy we deserve!

"The moral of the story is…" We’ve all heard that saying, but what does it really mean? The dictionary defines the word, moral, as a noun to mean, a lesson, especially one concerning what is right or just, that can be derived from a story, a piece of information, or an experience.

We as natives use storytelling to teach these principals, to bring greater meaning to our world and a direction of how we as the people should conduct ourselves. Many indigenous cultures have stories of a trickster in their legends. None more tricky than coyote! He is forever into mischief and trickery but is also considered a hero in his own right. He is often described as witty, clever, obscene, vulgar, and a thieving individual. Coyote is often breaking the rules and bringing teachings through his adventurous mishaps. These teachings have strong ties to core values, traditional knowledge, cultural understanding, spirituality, and the greater world that we all live in. Today, I bring to you two stories of coyote and his adventures, along with another form of storytelling; song, and a fourth story, by a young inspiring storyteller. I ask humbly to open your hearts, minds and imaginations to the telling of these stories. I hope these stories will bring a smile to your face, make you laugh and inspire you to do good things. So, sit back, get comfortable, turn it up, and let us take you to on a journey to when the world was a beautiful place. If you like the show, please like, follow, subscribe, and leave a rating and review on Apple Podcast. It will truly help spread the word to our families, friends and fellow Rez Dogs. You can reach me on Instagram @lifedogrez.podcast or by email at, lifedogrez@gmail.com. Thank you for listening to the Life of a Dog on the Rez Podcast. I wish you happiness, joy, and blessings we all deserve! Below is the translation of the story I sing in this episode. Enjoy!

"Today, it's going to rain, and the waters will flow. A butterfly and a hummingbird fly over the fertile lands, singing of the emergence of the clouds and the fog that will provide moisture to the land. They sing of the coming of the rains and the female corn plants and vines are filled with happiness. They dance to the song of the butterfly and the hummingbird, for this is how all the fruits and plants of the world are created!"