4 Years, 1 Month Ago ...

[Officially Retired]

http://www.thepitbullbible.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=726&d=1420060488

My favorite dog ... in my favorite woodland setting ... seems like a lifetime ago :crying:


.

[scratchin dog]

Time flies :( Great pic though.

[MISTER]

Real nice pic Jack....

[Officially Retired]

Thank you both. Wish I could have that dog back again ...

[BSK]

I know the feeling Jack. R.I.P. to the Gorilla(Silver Back)

[Macker]

Great pic, what age was he in this picture.

[bulldoghistorian]

shiny mofo there , looks real healthy

[SGC]

Great photo! Yeah times flies doesn't it... The Gorilla would have been about 9 in that pic, right?

I grew up in south FL and spent a fair amount of time in central FL in the 1980s and 90s, loved all the great natural springs and wild places in Ocala National Forest, etc... I still miss it.

That is a beautiful spot and Silva is looking good as always.

[Officially Retired]

Good morning & Happy New Year :)

The Gorilla was 8.5 years old in that photo ... and just beamed with health and vitality.

2 years later he was gone.

Life is a trip. And time does fly indeed ...

Jack

[scratchin dog]

Looking back, do you wish you had put some semen on ice or are you happy with your decision not to do it?

[Officially Retired]

Looking back, do you wish you had put some semen on ice or are you happy with your decision not to do it?

Happy with my decision not to do it.

My belief is that saving semen on a stud is like admitting you don't know how to breed dogs.

Three things are true:

1) NOTHING will make the dog, Silverback, come back and be my buddy again :crying:

2) If a dog's ability to produce was good, then his "traits" that made him worthy as a stud dog should pass onto a significant # of his offspring (if his traits didn't pass on then he's not much of a stud :))

3) Silverback's good traits did pass on, to a number of his pups, so if I wanted get back in and keep Silverback's key traits alive, then I could do that easy as pie ... by taking his daughter, Amazon, and breeding her to a few key sons.

If all those dogs die off, then that's just the way it goes I guess.

I am kind of Buddhist in my views that you have to learn to let go. Also, using the crutch of stored semen kindof takes the magic out of breeding dogs. If I wouldn't have given Ouch (http://www.thepitbullbible.com/forum/bulldog_profile.php?dog_id=153) a try as a stud, because I was constantly using "Poncho's stored semen," I never would have produced either Silverback (http://www.thepitbullbible.com/forum/bulldog_profile.php?dog_id=152) or Ch Vengence (http://www.thepitbullbible.com/forum/bulldog_profile.php?dog_id=1126). Sure, I could have produced good dogs with "Poncho's stored semen," but to me that would get boring after awhile. New potentially-good stud dogs deserve their own chance as studs, and if they're bred right they should produce too.

I am 100% confident in my ability to assess, and breed, great dogs ... which is more important to me than "the stored semen" of any dog ;)

Jack

[Pit Bull Committed]

Great picture Jack! Also great way to put it about the stored semen.

[whodadiz]

It must be very nice to be able to take a walk out there with your favorite dog surrounded by the very beautiful untouched mother nature. Great pic, very handsome man ;)

[Officially Retired]

Great picture Jack! Also great way to put it about the stored semen.

Thank you. It's just what I believe :)








It must be very nice to be able to take a walk out there with your favorite dog surrounded by the very beautiful untouched mother nature. Great pic, very handsome man ;)

Thank you. It was! I miss living in N. Florida very much.

Can't wait to explore CA & AZ this year though, with a photographer's eye. Been working hard, but plan on tapering down by summer to do some traveling with my lil hiking companion (http://www.thepitbullbible.com/forum/bulldog_profile.php?dog_id=222&thumbnail=2), Silverback's daughter :)

Jack

[No Quarter Kennel]

Beautiful setting.....my kind of woods!

[Officially Retired]

I must admit, I do miss Florida ... especially northwest Florida.

Everybody talks about Miami, but north Florida is far more beautiful IMO.

[Johan]

I know how it feels . Lost mine 2 years ago soon. They are gone but never forgotten.