A decade after life consisted of roaming around the Havasupai Indian Reservation at the bottom of the Grand Canyon, Bucks County dog Supai was recently crowned the “Happiest Pet on Earth.”
In between hikes with her owner Torey Mill, Supai now spends many of her days sunbathing outside of her home in Doylestown.
“She is just the sweetest girl ever,” Mill said. “Anyone who meets her is like, ‘This is the most special dog I’ve ever met.’”
While Supai’s life is full of happiness today, she and Mill initially met when she was about 6 months old living among 30 to 40 wild dogs at the bottom of the canyon in 2014.
The dogs mulled around freely as mules delivered mail nearby and hikers passed through. Mill said they often woke up with dogs waiting outside of their tents in the mornings for food.
“They seemed like they were kind of reliant on the tourists,” Mill said.
As she was leaving, Mill said she and Supai locked eyes and she felt a special connection, one that she hadn’t felt with any other dog she had come across during her vacation.
“I just kind of had a feeling about this dog — just this look in her eyes,” she said.
Mill shared some beef jerky and Supai, who was dehydrated and whose nose was severely sunburnt. She was hooked, hiking the 6-mile journey up and out of the canyon alongside her new best friend.
“She just instantly latched on and I could tell that we had this special connection,” she said.
Once back to the reservation, Mill confirmed with a local that Supai was free to go. Soon they were on their way to California to start a life together.
“I just could feel that she needed me,” she said. “I don’t think that she was going to make it very much longer if I didn’t take her.”
It turned out Supai had a few health problems stemming from the start of her life in the wild, but before long she was a typical, healthy young pup full of energy.
Mill eventually finished her time at college. The pair spent the next 10 years living in various states across the west before ultimately winding up in Bucks County.
“We have had an amazing life together,” Mill said.
From Montana to Colorado to Oregon, Supai’s abundance of energy was perfectly matched for a life full of traveling and running alongside Mill as she skateboarded, backcountry skied and much more.
And while she’s developed a liking for snow, Mill said, Supai has still found ways to stay true to her desert beginnings with an affinity for lengthy sunbathing sessions, hiking and visiting the beach —just without touching the water, of course.
Since locking eyes and coming together all those years ago, Mill and Supai have developed their own way of communicating.
“She’s just incredibly smart and has so much personality that I can tell all of her emotions, when she’s happy and whatever she needs,” Mill said.
As a result of their first-place finish in the contest hosted by TrustedHousesitters, Supai and Mill won a vacation, with $5,000 in vouchers toward flights and accommodations.
The prize package includes a complimentary TrustedHousesitters membership, allowing them to continue their adventures with pet-loving house sitters. Supai will also enjoy a year’s worth of pet food, ensuring she stays fueled for her next adventures.
Alternatively, Mill has the option to donate the value of the pet food prize to a charity of their choice.
“We are overjoyed to celebrate Supai as the ‘Happiest Pet on Earth,’” said Angela Laws, contest judge and head of community at TrustedHousesitters. “Her story of transformation and adventure is a beautiful reminder of the unbreakable bond between pets and their owners.”
The global contest received entries from pets from all over the world. Runners-up in the contest include Mowgli, a rescued street cat from Germany, London therapy dog Fred and Sansa, a donkey from Ireland.
Lacey Latch is the development reporter for the Bucks County Courier Times and The Intelligencer. She can be reached atLLatch@gannett.com.
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