Huntsville, Utah: Mounted Head of The Dog

At one time "The Dog" was the world's largest St. Bernard, and its owner loved it so much that when it died he had its head mounted over a booth in the local saloon.

In 2004, my friend Andrew Davis and I made a documentary about the Shooting Star Saloon. We met Carol Conway, an employee of over 20 years. She provided interesting background information about "The Dog." In her own words: "Buck was born and raised in the Shamrock Bar in West Yellowstone. He died in 1957 and his owner loved him very much and had him stuffed. At the same time he was put in the Guiness Book. He was the biggest dog in the world on record. The owner moved to Ogden [Utah], Riverdale Road, and built another Shamrock Bar and it hung there until he retired. He retired in about '62 and his wife wouldn't let him bring it into the house when he retired. So he drove it around in his Jeep for a year and he hung out in the Star and he wanted to be able to see his dog and he asked if we would hang it here and he's been our mascot ever since."

On a subsequent (December 2004) visit we spoke to the Saloon's current owner, John Posnien. His uncle leased the Shamrock Bar to Buck's owner, a man named Ernie Schultz. John remembers Buck when the dog was alive and attests to its huge size. John even has pictures of the living Buck which Andrew and I unfortunately didn't get to see.

Buck is only one of the many interesting things adorning the walls of the saloon. Others include a "Rear Wolf," the ladies room toilet seat (there's a connection to it and the nearby library's collection of "scratch 'n' sniff" books. Be sure to ask!), and an authenticated photograph of several famous (and infamous) historical figures on a hunting expedition. The ceiling is plastered with one dollar bills that also have an origin story concerning a former patron named Whiskey Joe. Everything is antique, from the horsehair booths to the old bar and cash register. It's a Roadside Attraction with character!