Recently I have had to say goodbye to an old friend. Bruno has been a staple in my life for 15 years and he has had a full life including fame on the internet and locally for thwarting a string of gas siphoning in my community. He had never met a stranger and many loved and adored him.
In January of 2004 he was born and six weeks later he was with me. He is Stafford Shire Terrier and as you can see he Brown under Black Brindle.
Bruno gained his first round of fame when I was trying to run out the battery life on my camera back before cell phones had cameras.
In this first picture, which is the last in the series that day, Bruno was running around the house. Well he was never one to think too much before reacting. The first time he stopped he slammed his head down on the ground and itched a hind leg, then seen his nuts dangle and sniffed them. The he went back to running again. The second time he did this he was itching the same leg and seen his nuts move and growled at them. I immediately laughed and broke his focus. He came to me and I scratched his head and told him he was a moron. He took off again and I just shook my head. About three circuits around the house and he came back at full speed, slammed his head to the ground and itched that same leg. This time he seen his nuts and must have had enough of them teasing him. As you can see, his eyes rolled back, teeth bared, and YES full force. He bit them.
He screamed something awful, a sound I never heard from a dog before. I almost pissed myself laughing. The wife (at the time) yelled at me for doing something to him. So I posted this picture on THIS forum years ago when it happened and BOOM. It went onto like 16 other websites like wild fire. College Humor even contacted me for the rest of the pictures and the full story.
almost 2 yr
Here are just three other pictures I took over the years
7 yr
This picture was taken the day after Bruno was exonerated from a crime he did not commit. The police were heavy inside my neighborhood looking for a "Pitt Bull" who attacked a man and lacerated his leg. The man arrived at the local E.R. pretty torn up and described my boy down to the white on his neck. The police went from door to door to find the viscous dog who attacked this poor man. When they came to my door they asked to see Bruno and I could not locate him. I looked through the house and out back in the yard. NOPE he was nowhere to be seen. We seen that my garage door was open some and the walk through door was also open. SO, It didn't look good for the home team here. We all began walking through the block and about four doors down I seen an officer draw his weapon and called for his partner. I took off and stopped when I seen Bruno in full view. He was standing over my neighbor, female, who was laying down behind her car in her driveway. Bruno was growling at the officers and had his teeth bared. His face was covered in dried blood. Not what I wanted to see and I feared for the worst. I just knew that once Bruno cleared my neighbor that these officers were going to shoot him.
Then the unexpected happened, my neighbor who was hurt, used her strength to grab Bruno in a bear hug and shielded him from the police. Well, the officers were dumbfounded and began asking a flurry of questions at the same time and expected the lady to understand them. The she yelled, "He Saved Me!" Gladly, the officers holstered their weapons and took a step back. BUT Bruno still had blood all over his face.
When Bruno let everyone approach, (He was never a fan of cops in uniform) my neighbor began to explain that she confronted a man who was going down the street and siphoning gas from the cars in the driveways. The man had struck her more than three times before she could call for help. Shortly after that Bruno arrived and began to attack the man. Once the man was clear of her, he stood guard over her and kept licking her face. She called for help but nobody in the neighborhood was out to hear her and Bruno was going nowhere. From what we could figure, Bruno heard her and somehow got my garage walk through door open and then crawled out the bottom of the drive through door to get to her. The police found three gas cans and siphon hose a few doors down from where she lived.
The man made it to the E.R. and must have told the partial truth about being attacked by a dog, but not the whole truth about how it came to be. The Police took Bruno with them because of their rules and were going to take to some holding facility but they seen how friendly he became and decided to take him to the hospital instead. This man was still at the E.R. getting stitches and must have been told to hold him there. The officers walked Bruno in there and he was so nice to everyone until he seen the man. Then he began barking his head off and trying to get at him. That was all the officers needed to convince them that everything my neighbor had told them was the real truth.
In the end, The man received 5 years for assault, 1 year for theft by unlawful taking. My Neighbor healed and spoiled Bruno all of his life. She took a day off from work when she heard of his passing.
13 yr
14 yr
This is the last picture we have with Bruno looking healthy. Shortly after this picture he began losing weight and having trouble with incontinence.
15 yr Both of my Sons
After fifteen years of this man in my life, I can not bear to bring bring another in. It has been over two months now since we had to put him down and I still feel a hole in my existence where he should be. Bruno passed (euthanized) of natural causes. It was the hardest decision I have had to make in my adult life. the final week he laid with me on the floor each night, he would have his snake on his favorite blanket with two puppy pads under it. I would cuddle up to him and hold him in hope he would pass peacefully in the night. My family took me aside and said that he was just like me and too stubborn to let go. I got in my Mustang and drove to Nashville (6 hours) and back only stopping to eat, use the bathroom and get gas. Bruno rode shotgun. I cant tell you how many times I broke down during that trip, I believe that Bruno knew that was our last ride also.
We gathered the family and set the appointment with the Dr. It took all I had in my being to ask him to get inside the truck to go to the vet. I am tearing up just writing this post. He was cremated and I have an Urn and his ashes rest next to my dad's.
Family is not what blood that you have inside your body. It is not who your mother and father are, nor brothers or sisters. Family is the people who are with you at your side no matter what. Those who bust on you and call you out on your B.S. because they were there to see it happen. Those who love you in-spite of your shortcomings. Those who you know without thinking will have your back no matter what.
In Bruno, I lose a Son and Best friend. May he forever find friends and bring joy wherever he is.
In January of 2004 he was born and six weeks later he was with me. He is Stafford Shire Terrier and as you can see he Brown under Black Brindle.
Bruno gained his first round of fame when I was trying to run out the battery life on my camera back before cell phones had cameras.
In this first picture, which is the last in the series that day, Bruno was running around the house. Well he was never one to think too much before reacting. The first time he stopped he slammed his head down on the ground and itched a hind leg, then seen his nuts dangle and sniffed them. The he went back to running again. The second time he did this he was itching the same leg and seen his nuts move and growled at them. I immediately laughed and broke his focus. He came to me and I scratched his head and told him he was a moron. He took off again and I just shook my head. About three circuits around the house and he came back at full speed, slammed his head to the ground and itched that same leg. This time he seen his nuts and must have had enough of them teasing him. As you can see, his eyes rolled back, teeth bared, and YES full force. He bit them.
He screamed something awful, a sound I never heard from a dog before. I almost pissed myself laughing. The wife (at the time) yelled at me for doing something to him. So I posted this picture on THIS forum years ago when it happened and BOOM. It went onto like 16 other websites like wild fire. College Humor even contacted me for the rest of the pictures and the full story.
almost 2 yrHere are just three other pictures I took over the years
7 yrThis picture was taken the day after Bruno was exonerated from a crime he did not commit. The police were heavy inside my neighborhood looking for a "Pitt Bull" who attacked a man and lacerated his leg. The man arrived at the local E.R. pretty torn up and described my boy down to the white on his neck. The police went from door to door to find the viscous dog who attacked this poor man. When they came to my door they asked to see Bruno and I could not locate him. I looked through the house and out back in the yard. NOPE he was nowhere to be seen. We seen that my garage door was open some and the walk through door was also open. SO, It didn't look good for the home team here. We all began walking through the block and about four doors down I seen an officer draw his weapon and called for his partner. I took off and stopped when I seen Bruno in full view. He was standing over my neighbor, female, who was laying down behind her car in her driveway. Bruno was growling at the officers and had his teeth bared. His face was covered in dried blood. Not what I wanted to see and I feared for the worst. I just knew that once Bruno cleared my neighbor that these officers were going to shoot him.
Then the unexpected happened, my neighbor who was hurt, used her strength to grab Bruno in a bear hug and shielded him from the police. Well, the officers were dumbfounded and began asking a flurry of questions at the same time and expected the lady to understand them. The she yelled, "He Saved Me!" Gladly, the officers holstered their weapons and took a step back. BUT Bruno still had blood all over his face.
When Bruno let everyone approach, (He was never a fan of cops in uniform) my neighbor began to explain that she confronted a man who was going down the street and siphoning gas from the cars in the driveways. The man had struck her more than three times before she could call for help. Shortly after that Bruno arrived and began to attack the man. Once the man was clear of her, he stood guard over her and kept licking her face. She called for help but nobody in the neighborhood was out to hear her and Bruno was going nowhere. From what we could figure, Bruno heard her and somehow got my garage walk through door open and then crawled out the bottom of the drive through door to get to her. The police found three gas cans and siphon hose a few doors down from where she lived.
The man made it to the E.R. and must have told the partial truth about being attacked by a dog, but not the whole truth about how it came to be. The Police took Bruno with them because of their rules and were going to take to some holding facility but they seen how friendly he became and decided to take him to the hospital instead. This man was still at the E.R. getting stitches and must have been told to hold him there. The officers walked Bruno in there and he was so nice to everyone until he seen the man. Then he began barking his head off and trying to get at him. That was all the officers needed to convince them that everything my neighbor had told them was the real truth.
In the end, The man received 5 years for assault, 1 year for theft by unlawful taking. My Neighbor healed and spoiled Bruno all of his life. She took a day off from work when she heard of his passing.
13 yr
14 yrThis is the last picture we have with Bruno looking healthy. Shortly after this picture he began losing weight and having trouble with incontinence.
15 yr Both of my SonsAfter fifteen years of this man in my life, I can not bear to bring bring another in. It has been over two months now since we had to put him down and I still feel a hole in my existence where he should be. Bruno passed (euthanized) of natural causes. It was the hardest decision I have had to make in my adult life. the final week he laid with me on the floor each night, he would have his snake on his favorite blanket with two puppy pads under it. I would cuddle up to him and hold him in hope he would pass peacefully in the night. My family took me aside and said that he was just like me and too stubborn to let go. I got in my Mustang and drove to Nashville (6 hours) and back only stopping to eat, use the bathroom and get gas. Bruno rode shotgun. I cant tell you how many times I broke down during that trip, I believe that Bruno knew that was our last ride also.
We gathered the family and set the appointment with the Dr. It took all I had in my being to ask him to get inside the truck to go to the vet. I am tearing up just writing this post. He was cremated and I have an Urn and his ashes rest next to my dad's.
Family is not what blood that you have inside your body. It is not who your mother and father are, nor brothers or sisters. Family is the people who are with you at your side no matter what. Those who bust on you and call you out on your B.S. because they were there to see it happen. Those who love you in-spite of your shortcomings. Those who you know without thinking will have your back no matter what.
In Bruno, I lose a Son and Best friend. May he forever find friends and bring joy wherever he is.
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