The Search for Monty Zuma's Treasure
Was Dogtown founded by some apparently stray dogs who were actually seeking hidden treasure?
November, 2001

By Tomato the Cat – Best Friends Investigative Reporter

“I am shortly going into retirement,” I announced to my investigative assistant, Tammy the Greyhound.

“How nice for you, Boss,” replied Tammy. “And to what do we owe this sudden change of plan?”

“I am about to become an extremely wealthy cat. This secret treasure map,” I said, waving at an ancient document on the floor in front of me, “has just come into my possession. It points clearly to the fact that King Montezuma’s treasure is buried right here at Best Friends.”

For those of you who may not be aware of the history of this vast horde that belonged to the king of the Aztecs in the 16th century, here’s the story:

When King Montezuma was murdered by the wicked conquistadors in 1520, his followers escaped with the royal treasure and headed north. Not long after that, rumors began to grow that they had buried the treasure somewhere beyond the Grand Canyon.

Then, in 1917, a guy called Freddy Crystal rode into our local town of Kanab with what he said was a secret treasure map from Mexico. He said that the map showed clearly that the treasure was buried in one of the canyons about 20 miles out of town. Everyone followed Freddy into the caves and canyons to start digging. But a year later, having found nothing, Freddy rode back out of town, leaving behind a lot of angry people.

Two years after that, he was back again, with a “better” map. They all went digging again, but turned up nothing. Freddy looked at the map more closely and then explained that they’d been digging in the wrong canyon. They should have been in “the next one over.” But the townspeople had had enough, and Freddy was escorted out of town for good.

The “next canyon over,” you will now have guessed, was Angel Canyon, the home of Best Friends, which is why there are still occasional rumors that King Montezuma’s treasure is buried right here.

“Now,” I said to Tammy, “consider the evidence:

“There’s a cat called Monti who’s living at the WildCats Village right now.”

“And you think that this Monti is actually Monti Zuma?” asked Tammy, somewhat skeptically.

“Not exactly,” I said. “Because we have another Monty, one of the dogs over at Dogtown. He’s an escape artist who can get out of any compound sooner or later. Maybe he’s trying to find his treasure.”

“Could they both be Monty Zuma?” Tammy mused.

“Unlikely,” I replied. “But possible. There’s certainly enough treasure for both of them. But Dogtown is where most of the buried treasure legends are.”

I reminded Tammy of the story that Dogtown was actually begun by a group of dogs who were thought to be stray but who were actually following yet another secret treasure map that led to what is now Best Friends. They included the notorious Sheriff Amra the Malamute, who is said to have built up the largest stash of dog bowls in history; Ginger the Chesapeake, whose collection of tennis balls led to the founding of the Federal Reserve Tree; and Mayor Jethro’s revelation about the Golden Biscuits.

“And even today,” I concluded, “there is a stash of toys, old biscuits, teddy bears, and slippers that are guarded by a dog called Laddie, who is rather unfriendly, so no one has been able to get close to it and examine the entire contents.

“I see,” said Tammy. “So your theory is that 500 years ago, King Montezuma had a collection of toys, slippers, teddy bears, and old biscuits that were rescued and brought here. By whom?”

“By his dogs, of course. They must have been the original founders of Best Friends.”

“I think your timeline has some slight flaws in it, Boss. But even if it wasn’t, are you seriously saying that King Montezuma is actually here at the sanctuary, cleverly disguised as Monty Zuma?”

Tammy paused and looked carefully at the map. “There’s just one other thing,” she continued. “If this map is 500 years old, Boss, how come your office is clearly marked on it?”

“You’re right,” I said, looking closely at the map. “X does indeed mark the spot – right here in my office. Does that mean the treasure has been in here all along?”

“Or perhaps,” Tammy surmised, “you are the treasure.”

I stopped to think about that.

“Now that’s an explanation that I hadn’t considered,” I admitted, putting down the treasure map. “And you’re certainly correct in saying that I’m a priceless treasure. But if that’s the case . . .”

“Go on,” said Tammy.

“Well, there goes my plan to cash the treasure and then retire.”