He’s an inspiration to his millions of online followers. He’s the first to board any flight – ahead of veterans, even. He’s been a guest on Jimmy Fallon’s show, and a book release is just around the corner. So how does one of Ouray’s most prominent local celebrities stay so grounded?
Because he’s learned to stand on his own two feet. And he’s a dog.
After a serious accident in 2016 that caused him to lose his front right leg and mobility in the left, Dexter and his family were left to figure out how to move forward.
Remarkably while rehabilitating, the cinnamon and milk colored Brittany Spaniel discovered a way to recover entirely on his own: adopting an upright, human gait, using his functioning hind legs.
Dexter, known on the internet as Dexter Dog Ouray, goes on a walk with his owner, Kentee Pasek. After a tourist’s video of him walking down Main Street with Pasek’s mom, Pam Larson, went viral in 2020, Dexter became famous. Since then, he’s met Jimmy Fallon, been featured in a national dog food commercial, and has gained 1.2 million followers on TikTok.
Erin McIntyre – Ouray County Plaindealer
When the internet caught wind of his walk, Dexter transcended rapidly into Dexter Dog Ouray: an international icon, celebrated for his adaptability and resilience.
And for his owner Kentee Pasek, it’s been a parallel journey of reshaping herself as she shifted gears to build a career alongside Dexter’s celebrity.
“How he adapted to his change kind of forced me to adapt to mine,” Pasek said.
Kentee Pasek poses with Dexter on the front steps of their home in Ouray. Erin McIntyre – Ouray County Plaindealer
At just a year old, Dexter was struck by a car on the highway across from Fellin Park. The injuries were so serious, Pasek was almost sure she would lose him. Dr. Chris Franklin, Dexter’s veterinarian in Montrose, told the family to hold tight through the night.
Her daughter Cliona still remembers getting the call at school that he would be OK.
Pasek credits his life to a will to live. But survival meant surgeries and sorting out how he would walk again. Dogs carry nearly two-thirds of their body weight in their front legs and Dexter lost his right foreleg and eventually mobility in his left. It was a long road ahead for everyone.
“They made a big choice in keeping him going,” said Tamara Gulde, a friend of the family.
Pasek, who has a personal training certificate, spent the next couple of months as Dexter’s primary rehabilitator performing muscle massages and working on his balance while trying to train him with a front-body wheelchair. Because friends and neighbors were curious, she posted health updates to an Instagram account they had for Dexter before the accident.
For nearly four years Dexter’s following was a homegrown club of around 2,000, Pasek said. It was only that small community who watched him go from surgery to the shock of his first steps.
The miracle happened two months after the injury during a routine bathroom trip to the front yard. Pasek carried Dexter out the lawn and went inside briefly only to return and find him up their steps and on the porch.
Having no idea how he managed it, she carried him back down and filmed it happen. He walked upright.
The family had just exhausted expenses and energy on ensuring his safety and the maneuver felt risky, Pasek said.
But the vet advised they let him keep trying while maintaining a close watch. So they did, and Dexter became Ouray’s resident barking bipedal. Once healed, Dexter was able to just become, for the most part, a regular family dog, Pasek said.
Dexter’s four-legged height is penciled in the kitchen next to that of Pasek’s kids.
His unique walk was saved for neighbors who would watch him switch off between sniffing at ground level and standing upright.
Dexter and Kentee Pasek cross the street in Ouray, where they try to take walks off Main Street to avoid running into crowds.
Erin McIntyre – Ouray County Plaindealer
It only took one tourist’s video for the world to catch wind of Dexter’s feat. Coinciding with the rise of TikTok and the time warp of the pandemic in mid-2020, he took off — and took Pasek with him.
After being furloughed from her job managing the Ouray Hot Springs Pool during the pandemic, Pasek faced her own major change.
In her newfound free time and the dog’s newfound fame, she decided to let Dexter’s adaptability inspire hers.
She had already leveraged her physical therapy experience. But now her background in recreation administration and fine arts helped her cultivate his celebrity, she said.
Dexter Dog Ouray now has 1.2 million followers on TikTok and hundreds of thousands on Instagram and is a certified celebrity pet having been featured in a national pet food commercial.
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Admirers have traveled thousands of miles to Ouray just to find Dexter. Two fan-painted portraits hang in the Pasek home. Fan mail still arrives fresh each week. Even if the sender only writes “Dexter, Ouray Colorado” on the envelope, the post office delivers it.
This painting of Dexter hangs by the front door in his house, which he shares with his humans. Artistic fans sometimes send artwork depicting Dexter. Erin McIntyre – Ouray County Plaindealer
One couple drove from the East Coast on their motorcycle to hand-deliver Dexter a Harley Davidson bandana.
She’s felt Dexter’s special impact on veterans; her husband served in the Coast Guard.
One time a veteran approached Pasek and Dexter, saying he had been avoiding physical therapy but Dexter motivated him to get started on the work.
“We all have things we struggle with, whether they’re internal or external. But, like, a lot of these people have huge things that they’re trying to overcome. And it seems to be a little easier to talk about those with a dog,” Pasek said.
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Dexter and Pasek’s success isn’t slowing, especially with a children’s book on the horizon this year.
As Dexter has become more popular, Pasek remains picky about brand partnerships. She always tries to make business choices in line with where she’s from.
“Whatever product I’m supporting is not just another product. It can’t be, it’s gotta support Ouray, our people and our lifestyle and it’s much bigger than that. It’s much bigger than me,” Pasek said.
But the biggest consideration in their lasting limelight will always be Dexter’s quality of life, especially as he ages — he’s now 9. Understanding his highs and lows comes second nature to her, Pasek said.
Nine-year-old Dexter rests on the steps in his yard, watching the birds. He’s getting older, which is something his owner, Kentee Pasek, is keenly aware of. His family has adapted to his needs since he was hit by a moving truck as a puppy and had to have his leg amputated. His family and the community are protective of Dexter, who is Ouray’s most famous resident. Erin McIntyre – Ouray County Plaindealer
Certain types of travel have become more challenging. But a new specialized vitamin he’s taking has helped with his energy levels.
But the brand is built on adaptability. And Pasek said she is willing and ready to continue changing along with him as he continues to challenge what’s next.
