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We sit down for a heartfelt conversation about one of a cowboy's most loyal companions — the ranch dog. From the best camp dogs and cattle dogs in cowboy history to a few four-legged troublemakers along the trail, this episode is packed with stories straight from the chuck wagon. We also share the moving story of one dog that changed our lives — and went on to touch the lives of thousands. Whether you're a dog lover, or just love real cowboy stories, this one's for you.
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Kent Rollins
Cowboy Cooking, Cast Iron, Outdoor Cooking, Grilling, Dutch Oven Cooking
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0:00
Well, Shannon, you said this was your
0:01
favorite subject, [music] dogs.
0:03
Absolutely.
0:04
>> Yeah.
0:05
And uh we've had some really great dogs.
0:08
You know, I've seen so many in camps
0:10
[music] where I was working cooking.
0:12
And a few that were out of place and
0:14
maybe caused a little trouble. So, make
0:17
sure you stick around to the end of
0:18
this. And you share this story about a
0:21
dog that not only changed my life,
0:24
but changed the lives of thousands and
0:26
thousands of people. Greatest dog I've
0:28
ever owned.
0:33
>> [music]
0:33
>> Howdy, my name is Kent Rollins. I've
0:36
been a cowboy and a chuckwagon cook for
0:38
over 30 years cooking for ranches all
0:40
across America. You might have seen me
0:42
on the Food [music] Network or alongside
0:44
my beautiful wife Shannon on our YouTube
0:46
show where we share cowboy cooking
0:48
[music] from the trail. But now we're
0:50
going to take you behind the scenes to
0:52
real campfire [music] conversations.
0:54
Join us as we share humor, cowboy
0:56
wisdom, and stories full of history,
0:58
heart, faith, and of course, a little
1:01
fire. So, grab your cup of coffee, pull
1:03
up a chair, and welcome to the podcast.
1:12
So, Kent, let's talk about my favorite
1:14
subject of all time, dogs.
1:17
You I'm right there with you, sugar. You
1:19
know
1:19
>> I So, I know I know a lot of you will be
1:23
with me on this. You know, when you go
1:24
to a party and usually you don't know a
1:27
lot of people and so you walk in, you're
1:28
kind of nervous, you're like, "Who am I
1:29
going to see?" And you open the door and
1:31
then you see the dog and you're like,
1:32
"Oh." Yeah. I just go straight to the
1:34
dog and I'm like, "I know this party's
1:35
going to be fine because I'm just going
1:37
to hang out with the dog the entire
1:38
time."
1:39
>> You know, the dogs have been a part of
1:41
my life forever. They were a lot of
1:42
outside dogs, some inside dogs. We We
1:45
had an old Dalmatian dog for years and
1:48
uh
1:48
he'd lay under the table.
1:50
And uh if it was stuff we didn't like to
1:53
eat, you could just wrap it up in bread
1:55
like broccoli and cuz mama would put it
1:58
on your plate and you could just sneak
1:59
it down there to her little tray, you
2:00
know, and he'd eat it. Didn't make him
2:02
no difference.
2:03
>> Didn't mama ever figure that out?
2:04
>> Probably. She probably knew from the
2:05
beginning. But, you know, it's probably
2:07
to her benefit. It was less dishes to
2:08
wash. That's true. And he was a good
2:10
dishwasher, too. What No, what is it
2:13
that you like about dogs so much? I
2:15
think number one is their loyalty.
2:18
And a dog will always love you more than
2:20
he loves himself.
2:22
You know, they
2:23
Their heart may not be as big as ours,
2:26
but I think their heart is more pure
2:28
than most of ours. And I think what's
2:30
amazing about dogs is that their
2:32
forgiveness. Oh, yes.
2:34
We have all rescue dogs, and we will get
2:36
into that in this episode. But, um I
2:40
know some of our dogs have gone through
2:41
some rough stuff. And for them to be as
2:44
loving and still excited to see people,
2:47
I mean, I think that can teach us
2:49
something about forgiveness.
2:51
>> doesn't matter
2:52
if you've got money or you live in a
2:54
cardboard box or you got a shack.
2:57
Dog is always glad to see you. He's
2:59
always going to love you. You ain't got
3:00
to bring him a present when you come
3:02
home. You You are the present.
3:04
>> Yeah, but we do bring ours presents
3:06
nearly every time we come home.
3:07
>> Yeah, it's pretty bad. And treats. Now,
3:09
a lot of these ranches that you've been
3:11
on and that we cook on do have dogs in
3:13
camp, right?
3:14
>> Oh, yes. And so, do you have any
3:16
memorable
3:17
Oh, camp dogs that just really stick out
3:20
in your mind? And where were they at?
3:22
You know, I think some of the best were
3:25
uh
3:25
probably in the Palador Canyon. And uh
3:28
if you've heard our previous podcast
3:30
about when cancer took everything, I
3:31
took a guy with me named Bobby.
3:34
Bobby's a great cowboy. Uh and he had
3:36
some great dogs. He had a way with dogs.
3:39
He was just They trusted him. He knew
3:41
what they wanted. And these weren't dogs
3:42
that lounged around camp. These were
3:44
working dogs. A lot of So, when you say
3:46
working dogs, explain that to people
3:48
that may not know.
3:48
>> You know, they They'd get cattle out of
3:50
rough country. You know, they were some
3:52
cur and Catahoula crosses, stuff like
3:54
that. But they were they were bred and
3:57
they were trained to work cattle, to to
4:00
get cattle out of old thick canyons, old
4:02
brushy canyons that maybe you couldn't
4:04
ride through. So cowboys are horseback,
4:06
the dogs are run alongside them, and
4:08
you're really just creating a big swoop
4:10
to pull all the cows out of the the
4:12
pasture into a set of pens, essentially.
4:15
And uh he had one dog, Crockett.
4:18
And they had bunched a bunch of cattle
4:19
up there one day, not too far from the
4:21
wagon in a corner, just holding them
4:23
till everything paired back up, and that
4:24
means where the baby calves get back
4:26
with their mamas, you know.
4:29
And it was cold, sort of snowing a
4:31
little. I was just standing over there,
4:33
and I I could
4:35
see Bobby waving his hand at me.
4:37
So I went over a little closer, he said,
4:39
"Sure would like a cup of coffee to go."
4:40
And I said, "Yeah, I'd like a donut,
4:42
too, but I ain't got one."
4:44
So I got some coffee, just took the
4:45
whole pot over, you know, and cowboys
4:47
would ride up, I'd just give them a cup
4:48
of coffee. I don't know.
4:50
Bobby had old Crockett with him, and uh
4:53
he hollered at him, he said, "Crockett,
4:55
get on."
4:56
On the horse? Yeah. Dog just took a run
4:58
and jump and jumped and was like sitting
5:01
right behind him, had his head laying
5:02
right here, you know.
5:04
That that is a good horse, and that's a
5:06
good dog. Bobby said, "Wouldn't you like
5:08
to have a dog like this?" I said, "And
5:09
the horse." You know, cuz that's a lot
5:11
of trust on both of them. There was an
5:13
old cowboy at this one camp named
5:15
Brother Daniel. He had three dogs.
5:18
Pete, Jojo, and Blackfoot. All great
5:21
names, you know. Right.
5:23
And uh a lot of people would have their
5:25
dogs staked out, you know, if it was
5:28
pretty nice weather, by their teepee.
5:30
Brother has all three he has in there in
5:33
the house with
5:33
>> That's what my teepee would be.
5:35
>> Yeah. And uh
5:37
the wind blowed
5:38
something awful that night, and it was
5:40
cold, blowed a lot of teepees down, you
5:42
know.
5:43
And I could I got up about 2:30, and I
5:46
could hear brother over
5:48
Just a minute, Jo Jo. Scoot over, loud
5:51
foot. And he'd holler at Peach, you
5:52
know, and he'd come over in a minute.
5:54
And I said, "Brother, you having trouble
5:55
with your family?"
5:56
He said, "Well, when the teepee caved
5:58
in, you know, and it just laid over."
6:00
>> It fell over? Yeah.
6:01
And he hadn't put it back up. He just
6:03
left it?
6:04
>> Yeah. And uh
6:06
he said,
6:07
"None of them want to sleep on the floor
6:09
of the teepee then, you know, they felt
6:11
they wanted to get on the cot." And uh
6:13
so it's
6:14
Brother said they was a
6:16
great company. They never judged him.
6:19
They always liked his cooking and they
6:20
always kept him warm in the winter, you
6:22
know, and it's You've all I mean, a lot
6:25
of you people have heard it, three-dog
6:26
night.
6:27
It's not a singing group. What? I've
6:29
always wondered, what does that mean?
6:31
Means how cold it is, how many dogs
6:33
you're going to need sleep with you to
6:34
keep you warm. A three-dog night, you
6:36
know. We found a dog one time. He was
6:39
half Saint Bernard,
6:40
half something else, had feet this big
6:42
when he's a pup, you know, and I'm
6:43
>> Big old horse feet. My gosh, that pup's
6:45
going to be a big un. Best rattlesnake
6:47
dog I ever had in my life, old Otis. And
6:50
uh he went to the neighbor's house. He'd
6:53
go over, visit mile across the pasture,
6:56
you know.
6:57
And Madeline called me one day and she
6:59
said,
7:00
"Can't you going to have to come and get
7:01
Otis? He's just barking and barking and
7:02
barking."
7:03
I said,
7:04
and we called her Meemaw. I said,
7:06
"Meemaw, there's probably a snake out
7:07
there." I said, "He don't never He don't
7:09
ever lie about it." And she said, "I've
7:11
looked everywhere. There's not a snake.
7:13
Would you just come get him?" So I went
7:15
over and he seen me pull up, he was glad
7:17
to see me, come running to me, and then
7:19
he run straight back in that garage and
7:20
just went to barking, Oh, so he knew.
7:23
and I told Meemaw, I said, "There is a
7:24
snake." I said,
7:26
"Let me move this deep freeze." So he
7:28
had one just sitting right up against
7:29
the wall, and I moved it, but there's
7:31
still no snake.
7:32
But there's an air vent that's got a
7:34
screen on it that goes under the house.
7:37
And I got the flashlight, and it's
7:38
pretty cold, and this snake is laid up
7:41
against there trying to get some warmth.
7:42
Oh. And that's where he was.
7:45
So, and he is about 6-ft long and had 18
7:47
rattlers.
7:48
I know. That's a good size snake, right?
7:50
>> him out there and killed him. And I I
7:53
just hollered at her and I said, I said,
7:54
"Let's go." And
7:55
Madeleine hollered at me. She said, "Not
7:57
yet. I'm going to cook you up a pork
7:59
chop."
8:00
>> [laughter]
8:00
>> So, he done his job.
8:02
>> That's a good dog. I I love me a good
8:04
dog and I had so many.
8:07
Um
8:08
I trusted them more than people. I did.
8:10
Um in camp especially, it's really nice
8:13
for that companionship. We've talked
8:15
about this before where, you know, we
8:17
could be on the wagon, which is maybe 70
8:19
mi from a paved road. Um it's different
8:23
now that it's just the two of us and
8:24
we're in camp and we can cook. But when
8:26
it was just you and the cowboys ride out
8:29
to work for the day, Some long days.
8:31
>> It's some long days. I mean, it's
8:32
peaceful at first, but it's kind of nice
8:33
to have somebody there to talk to. So,
8:36
I'm curious. There are a lot of good
8:37
dogs. Uh-huh. But have you had any like
8:40
troublemaker dogs or maybe dogs that
8:42
just didn't work out as well as you had
8:44
planned? Well, sometimes on the wagon
8:47
you get unexpected guests on ranches.
8:50
>> Yeah, a lot of critters for sure.
8:52
>> Well, but also people. Oh. And I
8:54
remember
8:56
uh being down there on the JAs and there
8:58
was this pickup coming down the road and
8:59
I'm thinking that ain't none of the
9:01
cowboys' pickup. I don't know who these
9:02
people are and good pasture road, you
9:04
know.
9:06
And uh these people get out and they're
9:08
friends with folks that own the ranch
9:10
and they're just out driving around
9:11
seeing the country, you know. They get
9:13
out and this one of these little white
9:16
poof-poof dogs. I
9:18
You [laughter] know, he's
9:19
I mean, when you look
9:20
>> Like a show dog?
9:21
>> Yeah. When you look across the country
9:23
that's covered with bare mesquite, means
9:25
wintertime, you know, there's cactuses
9:28
and it's just dirt and you see this
9:30
>> And cow pies. Yeah, and you see this
9:32
white cotton ball
9:34
sort of and you can't even really tell
9:36
if it's got It's just hovering along the
9:38
ground, you know.
9:40
You know when these people pulled up and
9:42
it's winter. So the
9:45
canvas walls are around that fly, which
9:47
keeps it warmer, you know, but the door
9:50
side of it or the piece that I left open
9:52
is facing the pasture road, you know.
9:54
Okay. And so when they get out, I'm
9:56
seeing all this and I'm thinking
9:58
this is not Interstate 40, you know,
10:00
these people really if they're this lost
10:02
that they got off the pavement 60 miles
10:04
away they're in bad shape. And I'm
10:06
thinking they must know somebody here or
10:08
something, you know. And they said,
10:09
"Hey, we're friends with so and so, you
10:11
know, and they we just drive around out
10:13
here. We like to see the country."
10:15
And uh
10:16
this is our dog.
10:18
And it's about this tall, but like I say
10:20
it's little little It looked like a mini
10:24
What
10:25
>> Best way I can describe it is you know
10:27
them big mops you buy that have them big
10:29
long cords?
10:30
This was one of them without the stick.
10:33
And it's just sort of out there, you
10:35
know.
10:37
And I was visiting with them and so well
10:39
they just come in the house. They don't
10:41
mean they don't
10:43
you know and I'm polite.
10:44
>> Sure.
10:45
>> a cup of coffee? "Oh, we'd love a cup of
10:47
coffee." You know.
10:49
So they come up there and mostly I'm
10:52
just keeping an eye on this mop that's
10:54
running around there, you know, cuz I'm
10:55
thinking as hot as that old wood stove
10:58
is if this little mop gets up there it's
11:00
going to be like a moth to a flame. It's
11:02
just poof
11:03
and it's gone, you know. So I'm keeping
11:05
an eye out.
11:07
I never had a dog pee on
11:10
any of my cast iron. Oh no. But this
11:13
cotton ball wet wet a skillet down that
11:15
was sitting there
11:17
open face.
11:18
>> Just filled it up? Yeah. Oh no.
11:22
The dog didn't know the camper rules.
11:24
And I said, "Excuse me, sir, but I said
11:26
your dog just peed in my skillet."
11:29
"It'll be okay." Well, and that's all he
11:30
said, you know, and I'm
11:33
So, I just
11:35
remember him leaving and thinking
11:37
I've never never had a dog pee in a
11:40
skillet. In all fairness to the dog, it
11:42
doesn't sound like it was maybe an
11:43
outdoor dog. No, I don't think he'd ever
11:45
sit on dirt, you know. Did the dog leave
11:48
white as it came? No, he was a little
11:51
darker tint to him when he left.
11:54
>> And I took that skillet and just rinsed
11:56
it, throw it in a birth in a bed of hot
11:57
coals, let her cauterize it, you know. I
12:00
wished I'd have had a phone that had a
12:02
camera on it back then because this is
12:04
sort of like a alien coming to camp and
12:06
you just have this white mop just
12:08
floating around in there and uh but not
12:11
I mean
12:11
90% of the time I never had any trouble
12:14
out of any dogs. Yeah.
12:16
This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp.
12:18
Kent
12:19
I think especially during these times,
12:21
there's a lot of stressors. Yeah.
12:23
Finances are also one of them.
12:25
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12:33
we'd have a catering job on Sunday and
12:36
like how are we going to buy groceries
12:37
on Friday? And here's one thing that I
12:40
never really thought about and I'm sure
12:41
a lot of viewers didn't think about.
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When it comes to finances, it isn't just
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about balancing the book. It's being
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able to talk to somebody
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>> Yeah. to unload some of that stress. And
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12:54
>> Yeah, I mean, everybody's going to
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13:21
>> Yes, ma'am. And that was super tough. I
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14:21
>> [music]
14:22
>> So we we've been talking about camp
14:25
dogs.
14:26
But I think a lot of people will be more
14:30
familiar with
14:31
the YouTube stars because can't I hate
14:33
to tell you this. Like I'm sure people
14:35
love to watch you cook, but I really
14:37
think the majority of the people who
14:38
tune into our YouTube channel are tuning
14:40
in for the dogs.
14:41
>> I know they do.
14:43
And
14:44
you know, the the dogs in our channel,
14:47
we didn't necessarily mean for them to
14:51
be kind of a pivotal part of our show.
14:54
They kind of evolved and so what's
14:55
really interesting is that when we do a
14:57
YouTube video,
14:59
there are certain elements that we have
15:02
to do in every video. Otherwise, We get
15:04
in trouble. We get in trouble and you
15:06
all will let us know in the comments.
15:08
And those things are saluting the
15:10
veterans, Yep.
15:12
the happy dance,
15:13
>> Yep.
15:14
and the taste testers. And they have to
15:17
have a bite because they have we have to
15:19
know if the food is good and they're
15:20
they're going to let us know.
15:22
Um so we we've had some really great
15:25
YouTube stars over the years, and one of
15:28
um this one, old Frank. Frank the wonder
15:32
dog. If you guys have been with us a
15:34
while, you know exactly who Frank is.
15:37
For some of you newbies,
15:39
um Frank was a bird dog.
15:42
>> setter. A Llewellin setter, beautiful
15:44
dog.
15:44
>> Yes. I mean, purebred,
15:47
papered. We didn't have the papers, but
15:49
this this dog came from the neighbors.
15:51
>> Yep.
15:52
Um they just he he was meant to be
15:55
hunting dog, but he
15:57
>> So he they
15:58
>> turned him out.
15:59
>> They just turned him loose. He came over
16:00
to us, said, "Hey, this is a pretty good
16:01
gig. You guys are cooking every day. I
16:03
think I'll stay here." Frank was a good
16:05
dog. I remember when he wasn't for sure
16:08
if he was living with us or not, but he
16:09
would come and visit, and he would bring
16:12
presents. Remember if we'd been gone and
16:14
we'd drive up, and it was always
16:16
left-handed
16:18
glove or something.
16:19
Or left shoe, but it would always be the
16:22
left side.
16:22
>> Yes. And you wrote a wonderful story
16:25
about Frank called Catch a Rabbit. Frank
16:28
was in the backyard, which fenced, had a
16:30
pool, and had a deck back there.
16:33
And there was this cottontail, and she'd
16:35
had babies back there. And remember him
16:37
he would catch them little baby rabbits,
16:40
and he would bring them to you.
16:41
>> He would just hold them in his mouth,
16:42
like, "What do I What am I supposed to
16:43
do with this?" It wasn't fried yet. You
16:46
know, they didn't have gravy.
16:47
>> like their wild game cooked. But
16:50
>> [sighs]
16:50
>> one thing Frank could do is run,
16:53
and he loved to run, he did.
16:55
But Frank also loved butter.
16:57
Mhm. I can remember him stealing whole
17:00
sticks of butter when we were getting
17:01
ready to shoot a video, you know. He got
17:03
a half a chicken one time.
17:05
Um Frank was known He was taller than
17:08
the beagle. So Frank could reach things
17:11
beagle couldn't. Mhm.
17:12
But
17:13
Frank's downfall was that he loved to
17:15
chase cars,
17:16
and he got run over. Mhm.
17:19
And uh
17:20
it was a hard hard day.
17:22
And uh
17:24
I remember when I wrote this story,
17:27
Frank told me a lot about life, too,
17:29
that you never give up.
17:31
You chase your dreams, you chase your
17:33
passion,
17:34
just knowing that tomorrow you're going
17:36
to get it done.
17:38
Every morning Frank would go out that
17:40
back door,
17:41
go out there by that patio, and he would
17:43
just wait
17:45
for that rabbit. He would just keep
17:46
staring at this one spot.
17:49
And this rabbit knew
17:52
Frank wasn't going to catch him.
17:54
And I think it's sort of in a way they
17:55
were sort of friends. They both looked
17:57
forward to that morning challenge every
18:00
day, cuz the rabbit would get a little
18:02
further from the deck and he could run
18:04
under there before Frank got there.
18:06
And it was a never give up deal.
18:08
And I can remember the end of that
18:11
story, where I said I had tears in my
18:13
eyes when I laid that pup in the ground.
18:16
What he taught me, don't give up. Catch
18:19
a rabbit.
18:20
You know, and and folks, there's people
18:22
out there, y'all know you are, cuz I do.
18:24
You struggle with it every day thinking,
18:26
I ain't going to get this done.
18:29
You go back and you If you've got our
18:31
cookbook that was in Faith, Family and
18:33
the Feast,
18:33
>> Mhm.
18:34
and you read that story, Catch a Rabbit,
18:36
uh
18:38
cuz you going to catch him someday. Uh
18:40
and the next dog that came along was old
18:42
Duke. Old Duke. Duke is I think a boxer
18:47
pit mix.
18:48
>> Uh-huh.
18:48
Uh he was living next door uh when we
18:51
were in Oklahoma.
18:53
And rough situation.
18:56
>> Yes. He was poor as a snake.
18:59
Wasn't being fed, and he he when we
19:03
he came over to the house, he'd gotten
19:05
free, and he had a chain
19:08
and a rope
19:10
um around his neck.
19:11
>> Long chain. And he had staked to the
19:13
ground. And luckily, he had chewed
19:17
through that rope.
19:19
>> weren't too smart cuz the rope wasn't
19:21
very big. Yeah, so he chewed through
19:22
that and came through. We didn't even
19:24
know he was over there because the
19:25
backyard was so overgrown with grass. We
19:28
didn't even know a dog was in that in
19:29
that backyard. He came over and I said,
19:32
"Nope, that's it." He ain't going back.
19:34
>> He's staying with us. Then we got Major,
19:37
who is with us right now, as you can
19:40
see. Down here asleep.
19:41
>> He is a little miniature schnauzer, and
19:42
I think he's full full miniature
19:44
schnauzer.
19:45
And the way we got him is when we were
19:50
in Oklahoma, they had a
19:53
I'm going to say dog pound loosely. It
19:55
was a concrete slab with a chain link
19:58
around it. Um
20:00
and dogs were just kind of thrown in
20:02
there, and it was kind of a rough
20:03
situation, but the year that we got him,
20:06
we were having Worst winter. really,
20:09
really bad winter. We were getting below
20:10
20. We never got like that.
20:12
When
20:13
>> three below.
20:13
>> Ice. Yeah, it was horrible. And so, that
20:17
particular winter, Kent and I were going
20:19
down to the shelter to kind of help with
20:21
the dogs. We were packing hay and straw
20:24
in the little
20:26
makeshift barrels they had. barrels they
20:28
had, and it was getting particularly
20:31
cold that one night.
20:33
>> Yep. And I remember you said to me, and
20:35
it was funny because it was Valentine's
20:36
Day. So, we were going to go to town and
20:38
go get dinner. But, before we went, Kent
20:40
said, "Let's go check on them again.
20:42
It's supposed to get really bad tonight.
20:44
We'll give them some extra food, make
20:46
sure their houses are good." I said,
20:47
"Okay."
20:48
And I remember opening the door, and I
20:51
hear this really shrill bark, and I'm
20:53
thinking, I haven't We haven't heard
20:55
that before.
20:56
>> No.
20:56
And I walk in, and Major had been thrown
20:59
into a cage that hadn't been prepped
21:01
because he hadn't been there before.
21:03
And I remember he was just shaking. We
21:06
didn't even know what he was.
21:07
>> have no hair. He didn't have any hair.
21:09
He was skin and bones. And I remember
21:11
looking at Ken and I said, he is coming
21:14
with us.
21:16
And I saw the panic look in your face
21:18
and I knew you were like, I'm not going
21:19
to challenge her right now. And I knew I
21:21
had you. And so I looked down in the
21:23
cage and there was another one
21:26
that I had a particular affection for
21:28
and I said, we're taking that one, too.
21:31
You're like, yes, ma'am.
21:33
So we grabbed them. Valentine states.
21:35
And you know what's funny? It
21:37
I wasn't even thinking because I
21:38
shouldn't have just shoved my arm into a
21:41
cage of a dog I didn't know.
21:43
>> No. But I grabbed him. We took the two
21:46
of them. And Major was going to supposed
21:48
to be a foster dog.
21:49
>> Uh-huh. And that failed. Yeah. He come
21:52
in the kitchen one morning. We hadn't
21:54
had him two or three days, maybe.
21:56
And he just sit there, skin and bones.
21:59
Still didn't really know what he was.
22:01
And I remember him looking at me with
22:03
them cold, black, steel eyes.
22:05
Like,
22:06
just give me a chance.
22:08
>> Mhm. Just give me one chance and I'll
22:11
show you
22:12
what I am and what I can be.
22:15
And I went in there and I told Shan, I
22:17
said, we don't have a visit.
22:19
And I said, uh, he's ours. If you guys
22:22
have had Schnauzers, see, we've never
22:24
had a Schnauzer. I really knew nothing
22:25
about them. But if you've had them, you
22:27
know how much character they have.
22:30
>> Yeah. Um, just so much personality in a
22:32
little bitty ball of fur. He's so loyal,
22:35
especially to
22:37
>> Very smart. Uh, when when we're
22:40
together,
22:41
he's Shan's dog.
22:42
>> Yes. He'll tolerate me, but when Shan's
22:44
gone, then he becomes my dog. But he, as
22:47
you can see, he has a rough life.
22:49
He sleeps in a king-size bed, you know.
22:52
>> We've got more dog beds than we know
22:54
what to do with.
22:54
>> But he does go on ranches. He has slept
22:56
in teepees. So and Major, we've never
22:59
had a small dog. He is so portable. He
23:02
we take him flying everywhere. He's had
23:05
no training in flying. We just put him
23:06
in a little fly box. He sits under the
23:08
the seat.
23:09
>> And he loves it. Because again, he just
23:12
wants to be with us.
23:13
>> Oh, yeah. And um the loyalty they have.
23:16
We kind of kept watching dogs for a
23:18
little bit. And I remember driving by
23:19
that shelter one day. And I look out of
23:21
the corner of my eye and I think
23:23
is that dog down there pregnant? So, I
23:26
call Kent. I'm like, Kent, you got to
23:28
come down here to the shelter and look
23:29
at this. And so, there was this like
23:31
scraggly mutt looking white dog.
23:34
And she was at the end. And I said, is
23:36
she pregnant? And he said, yeah, I think
23:38
she is. And I said,
23:40
she's not having her babies out here on
23:42
this concrete slab. So, somehow I
23:44
convinced you to take Sadie. And that's
23:48
the one we've got now. And she's like a
23:49
terrier mix of some sort. Well, and I am
23:52
just going to take this this time to
23:55
stand up on my soapbox and say, please
23:58
rescue dogs.
24:00
All of ours are rescued. Um I think they
24:03
have a better appreciation for the love
24:06
that you give them.
24:07
>> Yeah. There's too many dogs out there
24:10
um that need homes. I've worked with a
24:13
few different shelters. And here's the
24:16
thing that I also want to say.
24:19
Um I know a lot of people are looking
24:22
for specific breed.
24:24
And you can find those breeds in
24:26
shelters. I remember after we got Major,
24:29
I was like, oh, I'm just curious if we
24:30
ever wanted another Schnauzer. And I
24:32
typed up, you know, Schnauzer rescues.
24:34
And there are a ton of them. So, before
24:37
you go maybe to a breeder or please not
24:40
a pet shop, check out your local rescue.
24:45
There's a lot of dogs will be there. And
24:48
if you're looking for a specific breed,
24:50
just go on the Google cuz you will find
24:51
one. And everybody needs a home. That's
24:54
right. You know, when we talk about the
24:56
dogs that have come in our lives
25:00
and people might call it rescuing
25:02
saving
25:05
that's what it is
25:07
but we didn't rescue them
25:09
they rescued us
25:10
they
25:11
they come to us they can see our in our
25:14
eyes and feel our heart they change your
25:16
life they teach you life lessons you
25:19
think a dog can't talk you're not
25:21
listening
25:23
you think a dog doesn't know what makes
25:25
him happy every day and it might be just
25:26
a little bitty things you do in life
25:29
they know they expected after that but
25:33
don't don't think that you're going to
25:35
go out and rescue somebody cuz really at
25:37
the end of it folks if you truly love
25:39
that dog you have been saved you have
25:42
been rescued
25:43
>> I think that's why it's so important to
25:45
for us and that we are big advocates of
25:47
rescue dogs is because um I think one
25:52
everybody needs a second chance and I
25:54
think the right dog comes along at the
25:56
right time
25:57
>> Oh yeah and whatever dog comes along in
26:00
your life
26:01
they have a message for you I really
26:04
believe that one dog though that we
26:07
haven't covered yet is probably the fan
26:11
favorite
26:13
is the beagle
26:15
and
26:17
most of you know beagle showed up in
26:20
every video he had just a way of being
26:23
so good on camera he was a big foodie so
26:26
he never missed a meal and we always
26:29
called him big but his technical god
26:31
given name was bonehead
26:33
bonehead the beagle and he actually came
26:35
to us we were living on a ranch in North
26:38
Texas and it was right before we'd
26:41
gotten married
26:42
>> Mhm
26:42
and of there were two beagles that
26:45
showed up and they were
26:48
they weren't starved but they were a
26:50
little poor looking they were covered in
26:51
ticks.
26:53
And we found out that they lived across
26:55
the pasture, and they just kind of kept
26:58
showing up and kept showing up. And like
27:00
I've done with all my dogs, I just
27:02
decided to steal them one day. Then Big
27:04
came with us, and he became a YouTube
27:07
star. You had had Beagles before, right?
27:10
So, you just really loved Beagle. I
27:12
loved Beagle. Dog I loved him by, you
27:15
know,
27:16
uh
27:16
and at the time when
27:18
when they we first got both of them, I
27:20
was working cattle. And I remember we
27:22
had a fenced in backyard, and I called
27:24
you late that evening, and I said, uh
27:26
"You want to be sure you check on them
27:27
dogs backyard they'll dig out." And she
27:29
said, "Oh, I don't think they'll dig
27:31
out. They're on the couch." And it
27:32
didn't take them long to get moved
27:34
inside real quick. But that Beagle, we
27:38
bonded, me and him, so close. You know,
27:41
he was
27:42
he was that dog that really thought,
27:45
"You know, I'm Dad's dog. I'm going to
27:46
go with Dad everywhere." I'd take him
27:48
We'd take him to festivals, and I'd say,
27:50
"Big, you have to sit in this chair."
27:52
And he would holler at him, and he'd sit
27:54
in that chair 7 hours, you know.
27:56
He could sleep through anything.
27:58
He slept with us on so many ranches. He
28:01
could beat you to a teepee to get in the
28:03
bed at night. Uh him and Shannon like
28:06
was on a ranch we was cooking.
28:08
And when he was I'd get up at 2:00 or
28:10
2:15 to go over there and build a fire,
28:12
get the coffee on, and he would scoot a
28:14
chair close to the fire.
28:16
And that was yours and his. And he had a
28:18
chair. He knew that when he come over
28:20
there
28:21
his chair was going to be by the fire.
28:23
And he was really our first ranch dog.
28:27
And he was really a two-people dog.
28:29
People would comment on all the videos,
28:31
"He's so sweet." And I thinking,
28:33
"He is to us." There's that attitude
28:35
that he had. I remember one morning they
28:37
was out hunting when we had both of
28:39
them.
28:40
And Shannon said,
28:42
"They're never going to catch that
28:43
rabbit."
28:44
And I said, "It ain't their job to catch
28:46
him.
28:47
It's their job to track him.
28:49
But they keep going every day thinking,
28:52
"I'm going to catch that rabbit today.
28:54
I'm going to trail that deer till I
28:56
catch that deer.
28:57
I'm going to get it done."
29:00
And he was the one that never give up.
29:02
You know, he was a dog that
29:05
got really, really deep in my heart.
29:08
And he would go with me everywhere I
29:09
went. It didn't matter if you were going
29:12
to cut firewood or you were just going
29:14
to grocery store.
29:15
He knew he had to go and that console
29:17
was his.
29:19
Even if Major might have been sitting
29:20
there, he was going to lay on top of
29:22
Major when he sit down. It's something
29:24
when you can look in a dog's eyes
29:28
and see your reflection.
29:31
And I think when I look in that Beagle's
29:33
eyes,
29:35
I could see the amount of love he had
29:37
for me,
29:38
but I wanted him to be able to see how
29:41
much I loved him.
29:42
And it was like looking into a clear
29:45
stream. You've seen the reflection back
29:47
and then in a way it was like
29:50
we're together. We're here. We can do
29:53
anything in the world. Nothing stands in
29:55
our way.
29:57
I always love the quote that says, "I
29:59
want to be the person my dog thinks I
30:01
am."
30:03
Um you've said before that your dad had
30:06
told you, "If you're lucky, you get one
30:08
good woman, one good horse, and one good
30:11
dog in life." Yeah. Do you believe
30:13
that's true? We only get one good one?
30:15
Well,
30:17
I hate to tell you, Paul. I think you
30:18
might be a little off on the one good
30:20
one.
30:21
That's good news. [clears throat]
30:22
We've had some really good ones.
30:24
Beagle was the greatest dog I ever
30:27
owned.
30:28
And uh
30:30
he got to where he was getting bad.
30:33
And uh
30:34
we knew
30:36
and I hope y'all are like this, too,
30:37
folks. We you keep an animal I'm not
30:39
going to call it animal. You keep part
30:41
of the family.
30:42
It's about quality of life and not the
30:45
quantity.
30:47
The only thing wrong with dogs is they
30:49
don't live long enough.
30:52
You know, but they live long enough to
30:54
teach you something. I I had heard
30:56
someone say the reason we're all here to
30:59
finish our purpose in life and to love.
31:01
And the reason dogs don't live as long
31:04
as cuz they fulfill their purpose so
31:05
much sooner than humans do. And I've
31:07
always loved that. You know, it's hard
31:09
for us to know because he was a rescue
31:11
dog. So, we don't really know how old
31:12
anybody is.
31:13
>> 15?
31:14
>> He was pretty old. You know, I I kind of
31:16
say it was like I thought it was like
31:17
inner ear issues. You know, he'd get
31:18
kind of wobbly. He was losing his um you
31:22
know, he pee sometimes and and lose that
31:25
control a little bit. Um but I think
31:28
what it was eventually is he had a tumor
31:31
Yeah. in his that that I think was
31:33
pushing on his spine. Yeah. And And uh
31:37
we went to the vet and we didn't know
31:40
that was going to be the last day, but
31:42
it ended up being. Yeah.
31:45
It was a
31:49
It's a day I'll never forget
31:51
because uh
31:53
I worked at a vet clinic for a long time
31:55
with my dad. I knew what was going to
31:57
happen.
31:59
And it's it's pretty instant.
32:02
And he was trying to explain to me what
32:04
I said, I know this. I said, just
32:07
let me have his head.
32:08
Forgive me, folks, but
32:12
I loved that dog.
32:16
I said the last thing I want him to see
32:17
is me.
32:19
It's one of the hardest things I've ever
32:21
done in my life
32:23
to put that beagle in the ground. As I
32:25
told people when we did a video, and if
32:27
you hadn't see it, go back and watch the
32:29
tribute to I lost my best friend.
32:32
But he was the easiest thing I ever said
32:35
hello to.
32:39
>> [clears throat]
32:39
>> But he was the hardest thing I ever had
32:40
to say goodbye to.
32:44
About a week after he passed,
32:48
we lost
32:50
a home to a wildfire.
32:53
Day after that, we started filming the
32:55
new series for our first season of The
32:57
Cast Iron Cowboy.
33:00
God put a lot on us,
33:02
but he knew we could take it because we
33:05
believed in him and he would help carry
33:08
our burdens.
33:10
But I can remember being on a ranch in
33:12
Nebraska
33:14
that first night
33:16
and crying like a baby
33:20
because two things
33:22
that I thought I loved and needed so bad
33:26
had been
33:28
took away from me in an instant.
33:32
And I looked over there at Shannon
33:34
and I held her hand
33:37
and I said the beagle is with us.
33:40
He has been at this wagon so many times.
33:42
He is here today and God will get us
33:45
through this.
33:46
And folks, I don't care what you're
33:47
going through in life,
33:49
and you might think it's the hardest
33:51
thing you've ever done,
33:52
but you ain't alone.
33:55
God is there with you. We're there with
33:57
you.
33:58
When we got back from this whole ordeal
34:01
and we
34:02
did a tribute video to him and had a
34:04
t-shirt campaign.
34:06
>> So, right, yeah, after shortly after we
34:09
got back and I thought, you know, let's
34:12
[snorts] turn this really hard time into
34:15
something positive.
34:16
>> Yeah.
34:17
And I we knew
34:19
how many fans the beagle had on our s-
34:23
our channel and the social media.
34:25
And so, I said,
34:27
let's make a t-shirt
34:29
and we'll sell the shirt and all the
34:31
funds will go to the Lincoln County
34:34
Humane Society.
34:36
And I just thought, "Oh, you maybe maybe
34:39
we'll raise a couple thousand dollars
34:41
and we'll just be so great."
34:44
Yeah.
34:46
Guys raised over $16,000
34:48
in t-shirts. Yeah.
34:50
>> [snorts]
34:51
>> I can remember when we took that check
34:52
to him and
34:54
that young man Oscar just started
34:55
crying.
34:56
And he said, "Thank you." I said, "Don't
34:58
thank me."
34:59
I said, "You can thank that beagle
35:01
and these
35:02
wonderful, loving, caring fans that we
35:05
have all over the world."
35:07
And folks, that's that's what you can do
35:10
for each other when you love someone
35:13
and you trust someone and you want to
35:15
give someone something from your heart.
35:18
And what is that? It doesn't have to be
35:19
money.
35:20
It just has to be kindness, goodness,
35:24
just help.
35:26
We're like ugly crying. This is uh
35:29
um
35:32
>> [snorts]
35:32
>> What what would you If you had to say,
35:33
what was the biggest lesson that the
35:35
beagle taught you?
35:37
I think number one is
35:40
I'm going to get up every day. It's
35:42
going to be the best day I had.
35:44
Even when he was so bad, I can remember
35:46
the last video he was in and he was
35:48
having troubles. He was sort of
35:49
wobbling.
35:50
But he was going to get to eat.
35:52
That was his biggest thing.
35:54
>> It's the simple little pleasures. If we
35:56
go out thinking today
35:58
we're going to
35:59
accomplish what we set out to,
36:02
you know.
36:02
He may not get got to eat a steak that
36:04
day, but he got two or three bites, you
36:06
know, and it's
36:08
I think if there's one thing that he
36:10
could tell to people that never got to
36:12
know him is
36:14
first of all, be happy.
36:16
Second of all, take a lot of naps. He
36:18
loved to nap. Third,
36:21
steal food off the table. Whatever you
36:23
need to do to get by, chew your house,
36:25
but also just love life.
36:28
And don't give up on anything.
36:31
Because life is short, folks. We're
36:33
never promised tomorrow.
36:35
So, make the most out of today.
36:38
Wag your tail, catch a rabbit, hunt like
36:40
it's the last day you got, and love like
36:42
it's the last day you're going to see.
36:45
And we thank y'all so much from the
36:47
bottom of our hearts.
36:48
Um
36:50
I I hope you know that this is
36:52
genuine caring love for y'all, too. That
36:55
we love y'all. I think that's what the
36:57
biggest lesson is that he taught me was
36:59
that you don't know the impact that you
37:01
have on people.
37:03
Um just from when we did that and all
37:07
the thing the the t-shirts you bought or
37:09
you donated it
37:11
uh privately to the Humane Society in
37:13
his honor.
37:15
And then we got so many comments, you
37:16
know, like we just loved watching him.
37:18
We tune in. He made us smile. He made us
37:20
feel good. You don't know the things
37:23
that you do, even the little things, are
37:25
having such a big impact in making
37:27
people happy. So,
37:29
I think that's what his message was for
37:31
me. Yeah.
37:32
Um
37:33
There's
37:35
a lot of things in life that are going
37:37
to happen when you go down the trail.
37:41
But if you'll let Jesus walk beside you
37:43
on one side and a dog on the other,
37:46
you got her made, folks. You got her
37:49
made.
37:50
>> [laughter]
37:52
>> Uh this is uh
37:55
This is good.
37:56
You know,
37:57
uh
37:58
there's a guy told me one time said men
38:00
don't cry.
38:01
I said real men do.
38:03
You know, real men with hearts.
38:05
But folks, we thank y'all from the
38:06
bottom of our heart.
38:08
If you have a pup or you got a favorite
38:12
creature in your life, let us know.
38:14
Yeah. I want to know the name. Send me a
38:16
picture. What size socks does he wear? I
38:20
I even if it's a mop. It's okay. Just
38:23
send you know, comment comment and let
38:25
us know about your fur baby.
38:26
>> Yeah. Um
38:27
thank you for letting us tell our story
38:30
and for joining us along this this
38:32
journey. It's meant a lot and you all
38:35
were so supportive during that that hard
38:37
time. So, we can't thank you enough.
38:39
But, please um please like this, give us
38:42
a comment, share this with your friends.
38:44
Um we're we're just having so much fun
38:47
doing this podcast with everyone. So,
38:49
>> sure catch so your regular videos are
38:51
still out every Wednesday. [music]
38:52
>> Yep. But, it is with great pride that I
38:55
tip my hat and I salute all the
38:57
servicemen and women and all the
38:58
veterans that have kept [music] that old
39:00
flag a-flying. We commend you all we do
39:02
and we keep you in our thoughts and
39:04
prayers.
39:05
Rest of you, God bless you each and
39:07
every one. We'll see you down on your
39:09
podcast trail. [music]
39:18
>> [music]
39:20
>> Pioneer.
#People & Society