Tiller Dog
In a town full of farmers and sailors, we often get asked which Tiller is named after. The answer is neither - our very special Tiller Dog is named after the art of bow making. In bow making, tillering is the process of bending the bow little by little to create an even bend between the limbs. Mike has a deep respect for turning wooden staves into hunting instruments; in training Tiller, he sought to channel the same precision in balancing domestication with wild preservation.
Tiller found us on a rural Texas farm when he was only a few weeks old and in desperate need of human care. Tiller was an outcast from a feral dog pack, which we caught glimpses of a few times in the months after his arrival. Six years later, Tiller has made more than a full recovery. He is full of energy and all muscle. We believe he was gifted superpowers after surviving a rattlesnake bite in his first year with us.
Tiller is an avid swimmer, runner, and rabbit chaser but loves nothing more than fetching balls, sticks, and the biggest logs he can find. Unfortunately for us, Tiller did not wish to harness his animal strength for homebuilding. In fact, he remained completely oblivious to the whole ordeal of living in a tent while Mike and Amanda spent a year and a half building what they jokingly referred to as Tiller’s doghouse. Nevertheless, Tiller does have impressive domestic abilities when it comes to being a couch potato. For a Texas native, he has taken a fond liking to the snow, but if a wood stove is burning, he will steal all the heat.