Remembering Shep, Montana’s faithful dog

Town Crier “Briefs from the Region” (1) – 1/13/21

Shep the sheepdog had 100 attendees at his funeral when he passed 79 years ago. The faithful dog of Fort Benton arrived in 1936 on the heels of his master, who was taken to St. Clare Hospital where he died a few days later. Shep followed his master’s coffin to the train where he would be transported back home to his family for burial, and once the train pulled away Shep spent the next six years patrolling the station, checking every passenger who disembarked. On Jan. 12, 1942, Shep, slower in his old age, slipped on the tracks and was hit by a train. The local boy scout troop served as pallbearers and nearly 100 people attended the dog’s funeral. He was laid to rest on a hill overlooking the station and a statue was erected in his honor.