Joe P.

It's a hard thing to say goodbye. Maybe it's a little simplistic, but I can't help thinking how much more rich the dog's life can be along with what they do for ours. It's sad to see them hurt and more so to have it all come to an end. BUT-wow, what a run... Dogs are incredible animals; so capable, smart, and caring. Having spent so much time training dogs, I see your pictures and words about your dogs and smile to myself. I can't help believe that working dogs being trained and put to use makes for such a full and wonderful life for them. Add to that these are pack animals who got to be part of your family and enjoy the affection. You're a great example of a great dog owner and those dogs would have been at the top of the list for being thankful. Here's to the good times had, Joe. I'm really sorry for your loss, take care.


Jeremy

Jeremy

The time I spent with my dogs in the field are memories and bounds that will never fade

Thank you for the kind words
 
A large void to fill, but it will. Time heals. And, the stories you will tell. Sorry for your loss, Joe.

- Joe
 
I've never been without multiple dogs since I've been a kid

As a kid I had everything from Shepards to mutts

In my late teens I bought my first Rottweiler and the love of that breed and my time with them lasted for almost 20 years. I had as many as 4 at one time

I remember like it was yesterday that I was down to 2 ....a male and an old female. The male who was an awesome dog named Beast had just lost a battle with cancer and I was devastated like I am now ..... Loving dogs can sure hurt at times

For years I had been researching the Dogo Argentino breed and I can remember calling a breeder in Texas a few days after Beast had past and basically breaking down on the phone with him over the loss of my beloved male Rott

That was the day that I bought Jack .... My first Dogo

We did everything together

He lived in the back seat of my duallie and I used to let that diesel truck run all day so he could have heat or air condition

He was featured on TV bird hunting something that Dogo's are not known for but that dog could hunt that's for sure

He would track deer , tree squirrels , flush birds, rabbits etc. He loved riding on boats ....he did it all

He also attained a catch title down south ..... One of the first Dogos to do so back than

I had a lot of requests to breed to him but I waited for the right time and the right little lady and Tuco (Turcato) was the result

I never ever could of imagined our time would be only the 8 short years we got

Tuco learned to hunt from his dad Jack

All the years I put into Jack flowed over toTuco and he was a monster in the woods

He like his father would hunt with the best of them

I used to kid and say when my Dogos were gone I would never get another but switch breeds like I did when the Rotts were all gone

As the years past and my kids got older and more active I didn't hunt them like in days past but we still hit the woods a few days a week to either hike or have them run behind a 4 wheeler

As Jack got older he stayed at home when he couldn't make the mountain but Tuco still loved to run the woods and chase everything that he could get a scent on

His nose was excellent and even this year feeling bad he has found a ton of fawns and would never hurt then but just play with them till I would call him off

All of my dogs could always tell a baby from an adult and showed a unique gentleness with babies but they were hell on full grown critters :)

Ive never not had a dog to knock around with I'm a dog person and my home the last few days even though my wife's 4 pound doggie is here has been so very depressing

This brings me to today's story

About a year and a half ago my middle daughter came to me and said ...... Daddy can I have a female Bull Terrier ?

At the time I had just replaced the wife's little dog with another little dog and even thou I adore them they are not hitting the woods with me :)

I said baby I love Bull Terriers and I have always said my next dog would be either a Bull Terrier or a Staffordshire Bull Terrier

You see as I get older and regretfully busier I didn't want a hard hunting dog and I always new that I would drift toward those two breeds as a companion dog for me that could still hold its own and hit the woods on occasion plus be effective as a watch dog for my children and property

So I said to her honey I love Bull Terriers but right now Jack is heading down hill and I just got you guys the little dog so let me get thru things with Jack and we will revisit the Bull Terrier when he is gone

Well with in a year and a half Jack had passed and again she said Daddy can I get my Female Bull Terrier now ?

I promised her soon but I wanted to get through this summer and Tuco deserved the focus of all my attention right now so I said we would revisit it soon and that she should keep researching the breed

I have a fairly big library of the Mosler and bully breeds and like all kids she's a wiz on a computer

I never thought Tuco would ever be leaving us so fast

When I went into the specialist on Friday I was expecting to do a biopsy and get ready to help him make ready for the fight . When they told me to awake him would be barbaric I almost died .... He was only 8 .... He looked so good ..... How could this be happening

Walking thru that house door with out the dog they grew up with for the third time this year (remember I replaced their moms little dog and Jack 4 months before ) was one of the hardest things I've had to do

My two littlest girls did what any kid would do which was to break down and sob

In the moment I said listen Honey you can start looking for your female Bull Terrier and I'll even do ya one better I told her to find two a male and a female ...... I said you know daddy can't go with out his truck buddy and woods buddy ....I've never not had a companion dog since I was big enough to walk. I said that I wanted a pure white one and that I would name it Max . She said she wanted a white one with an eye patch and that her name would be Lady

I said that we would not hurry and we needed to take the time to do some breeder research but I would buy two Bull Terriers when the time and the dogs were right

Well all I can tell you is never ever doubt the resolve of a 13 year old little girl on a mission and I do not break promises to anyone especially one of my little girls

With in a few hours she came into my room and said .... Daddy I found our dogs


I looked at her like she was crazy ..... I said baby finding good dogs takes time and research and you know how series I take my dogs .... I've flown dogs from all over the place over the years

I said honey we have to do the research

She looked at me as serious as can be and said what do you think I've been doing for the last year and a half :)

I said show me what you got kid

She proceeded to tell me that she had found a very good breeder .....one of the oldest Bull Terrier Breeders in the country

In fact the original Spuds McKenzie dog came thru them and they had dogs that won Westminster etc

I said you know I'm more into working dog kennels but let me have a look

Sure enough she did find a very solid breeder that had a litter on the ground from a very solid pair of parents they were 5 weeks old right now and there was a pure white pick of the litter male and a beautiful female that was solid white with an eye mark

She said that the stars had aligned and these were the only two white ones in the litter.......... You guys think I'm a salesman :)

As I paged thru internet searches I could not find any negatives on this breeder and they were even here in Pa .... 5 hours away but for a good dog for me that's next door :)

No matter what excuse that I could come up with I couldn't deny that the kid did a good job

She found what I told her I would buy and let's face it I've never been without a dog and I don't break promises so after some begging on her part I sent an email

With in an hour the man man who breed the dogs called me

I went thru my story of my recent lose and my standard questions which he answered correctly

my biggest request was that I was looking for a very athletic pair of dogs that would make excellent companions and family guardians but I work dogs fairly hard so they needed to be more than your typical blocky show dog

He said that the male was a very athletic solid dog that was far from the stereo typical show dog

The parents had the looks and the temperament that I was looking for and by the end of the conversation I offered to send him a deposit till I could make the trip up to see them

He said no problem he was just offering up the dogs as they just turned 5 weeks and did not expect them to last long but he didn't sell dogs to people he did not meet and that he would like me to come up and meet the dogs as soon as possible

He said both parents were there and the whole litter was intact so I could see them all but he had people coming in Saturday but he would hold the two white ones for me until Sunday

So guess where I and the entire family just got back from and I stroked a deposit check for both dogs

Meet Maximus (Max) & lady






Max












LADY







The whole gang

If she would of not found these dogs 4 hours after they were put up we would not have gotten them by the time I got home from the long drive up all but one had been sold



Father





Mother





So again I take another big step in my love of dogs and while I will never forget all of the dogs that came before I am a dog person that needs dogs ..... I was in this same situation 14 years ago and that was the day I found Jack ...... He was one of the best dogs in my life and I hope Max and I can have a fraction of the life my Dogos and I had

These pups are only 5 weeks and will be staying together for a few more weeks till we pick the two white ones up

Never underestimate the resourcefulness of a 13 old little girl that knows how to work her dad and use the Internet :)


[video=youtube;bVlGpK3jCG8]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVlGpK3jCG8[/video]
 
Sorry to hear this news Joe.

Putting a member of the family down is a hard thing to do. A decision my family has had to face more than a few times.

It's good to hear that the vet gave good advice. I've seen vets go both ways. We had a dog diagnosed with leukemia, and the DR said the treatment and weekly blood transfusions would be brutal, and in addition a donor dog would have to be found, and treated as a blood bank to supply the transfusions).

Our vet gave compassionate advice.

I've always heard to treat all time with a pet as borrowed time, and enjoy it (good advice for family).
 
Really sorry to hear this Joe... loss of a Family member for sure. In my thoughts and Prayers big guy!
 
Congrats on the new addition to the gang - I like Bull Terriers; how can one NOT crack a smile when seeing those pics.

And as I said in an earlier post; the best medicine after losing a much loved dog is get a puppy.

You'll always remember Jack and Tuco fondly but now you and you familiy - not least your kids who can take such loss very hard - have new experiences with what look like a great pair of dogs to look forward to.

I look forward to more pics of Max and Lady in the time to come.
 
This weekend has been so crazy for me

I sit here in tears missing my Tuco trying to start my day with all of the running around yesterday things are really hitting home as I miss him sleeping next to me and walking me to the door as I start my day

I am a dog person and I am anxious to bring these new pups home to try to feel this void I am feeling

I've lost a father and a brother in my life among the many other loved ones but losing these last two Dogos has been so very hard


Thank you all for the friendship and thoughts
I am a dog person
 
Like others have already mentioned... SO SORRY for your loss Joe!!! We had to put down our beloved Duke last October... he was a big black Lab. About 115lbs of solid squirrel killer... :) He was one of the best dogs I've ever had and like you I've always had dogs in my life. VERY hard to deal with as he was only 11 years old and up until ~ 3 weeks before we had to put him down acted like a pup and full of life and energy. He was victim of laryngeal paralysis and when it finally took it's toll on him he only had about 1/2 of his lunch function and the other 1/2 was all scar tissue. The guy was so tough he never even showed the pain until the last couple weeks. It was extremely painful!!

Prayers for you and your girls... it's very tough to loose a family member and especially our 4 legged companions!! It's been almost a year and I still get teary eyed when memories and pics pop up on our Duke!

The new pups are adorable!!
 
I completely understand Joe, this past summer, my black german shepherd CASH was 14 and had been fighting joint stiffness and his hips, but never showed pain and could still get up to do his business, a couple days in a row he had slept in his pee, then the next day he was up running around,deaf and partially blind but still in good spirit, so I was selfish and hoped he would be with us a few a little longer. On a Sunday morning his back went out and he lost his bowels, I live in a rural area and no vet would come out on a sunday and I couldn't move him, I had to put my friend out, just typing this gets the water works going again, the HARDEST THING I EVER HAD TO DO. Not sure if telling you this helps or not but know you are not alone in love for dogs and grieving for them
 
I'm very sorry to hear this, we're thinking of you guys.

Joe I just went through almost the same thing... tumor and lost my best friend after only eight years. Think of the good times, that's how he will want to be remembered.
 
Joey!!! You made my day. Max and Lady are just the right prescription for you and the girls. Let the healing begin, although I know we never forget.

Paul
 
Sorry for your lose Joe, the dogs had a good life spent doing the things dogs love to do thanks to you.

Vic
 
Thank you all so much

Your heart felt messages and calls have been so very touching

Words can not say how thankful I am and I am so sorry for all of you that have felt the same pain

Chad

I'm so sorry and you have my respect and eternal thx for sharing your pain

That goes for all of you
 
Last edited:
I really like your videos like that Joe.....nice touchstone moment to keep for the family forever.

Of the many things that you do well, you photography and video editing are something that you make look easy that isn't, and you care enough and have developed skills to do it right.

You continue to help the rest of us set goals and are a great friend to help us meet them.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
Thank you STeven

That was all cell phone footage that my kids shot

Wasn't prepared to make a movie ....didn't know that I'd be buying the 2 dogs
 
Those dogs are awesome and look so happy.
 
Back
Top