Lost a good one today...RIP Monkey

[crackerc]

I buried my best friend this morning. He turned 17 last month. He just got to where he couldn't stand up. Had been having trouble getting around for several months. Had cataracts and was deaf. Still, it was the hardest thing I have ever had to do.

I don't think I have been on here for a couple years, but wanted to let the old guys on here know that Monkey had finally reached the end of a long and enjoyable life.

For you guys that don't know me or Monkey just search Monkey of Crackerc and see some of the pics posted over the years. Monkey was a once in a lifetime dog for me. Ran loose his whole life, hated people (he and I never liked a lot of people!), and was a Hell of a HOG DOG. A one out kind of dog that didn't want or need any help. Was just as good solo as with another dog, maybe better. 

He and I caught literally hundreds of hogs. Private land, public land, special hunts, made no difference to him. Have had him bay hogs behind groups of dogs, in the middle of deer hound races, bay hogs laid up that other dogs walked by, just the whole package. I have seen him catch a hog and as soon as I legged the hog he would relay. He has caught 3-4 hogs out of a group like that several times. And these were on places that were hunted hard, not dumb hogs. He was very fast. If he caught a big hog and I legged it, I could just tap him on the head and he would turn loose and stand there and watch. If the hog got up on it's feet, he would re-catch it as he thought I was losing control. As long as it was on it's side he would just stand there and pant. Wouldn't even bark.  And once it was tied, he was done with it. You could leave it there and go hunt. He would never go back to it. You could load live hogs next to him in the dog box or tied on the 4 wheeler and he would never even look at them. I swear he had more sense than most people I have met!

Plus he went everywhere with me. A stranger could not touch the truck or 4 wheeler if he was on it. Ran loose his whole life and kept the honest people honest around the house.

I hunted him until he was about 12 years old. He was having trouble getting around the woods and had slowed down a lot. After he and Spur bayed a big barr in a thick cutover on a 43,000 acre deer lease on a late Sunday afternoon (I was alone on the place), and I had to shoot the barr 4 times with a .44 magnum to kill him, I figured that was a good hog to retire him on. Barr had 4" on one side and 4 1/4" on the other. Could have gone south quick.

So I quit hunting him and he has run loose and been pissed about not being able to go hunting since!

He was a Hell of a dog, my best buddy, and will surely be missed. Lots of memories in 17 years. RIP buddy, I will see you again one day I am sure.

[WayOutWest]

Sorry to hear that, I believe he may be that once in a lifetime dog. That is a good long life for a dog. Doesn't make it easier. My condolences!

[t-dog]

Hell of dog Cracker! Sure hate it for ya. At least now he can run, see, and hear and the hogs in the happy hunting grounds are in trouble!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Cajun]

It's hard to lose a good dog, even harder when they are those kind of dogs. You have a lot of good memories and he led a good life.

[Shotgun66]

Man Crackerc I hate it for you. It sounds like You and Monkey shared a special bond. The longer I live, the more I realize how rare those type of relationships are. A dog like that earns your respect and becomes a true partner. Sounds like he was a true blessing and enriched your life. He also lived an outstanding life for a hog dog. RIP.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[BA-IV]

Mark I sure hate to hear this. I always enjoyed reading about Monkey.

You still raising some dogs off him and your line? How you been doing?

[l.h.cracker]

Monkey was a fine example of what a Cracker Dog can be he had the looks and ability sure sounds like he lived a full life Rip Monkey.

I remember you had a really nice female back then as well you spoke highly of if I'm not mistaking.Did Monkey reproduce himself ever? How's your dog's doing these days?I always enjoyed your stories on your dog's.Sorry for your loss.

[jsh]

RIP Monkey.

That story says a lot of good things about you as a hunting dog owner.

[HIGHWATER KENNELS]

Man they dont come around often enuff in a mans life..   Glad you were able to spend alot of yrs with him man,,  sorry for your loss but glad that they still make em like that for all of us dog hunters to cherish.. 

[cajunl]

I enjoyed our hunts together. I also enjoyed hunting with that mean ass S.O.B.!

Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk

[crackerc]

I want to think everyone for their kind words and condolences.  I have had two GOOD hog dogs in my life, Dixie and Monkey. And a whole lot of SH*T Eaters!! When you get a good one, that just stands out from the others, and you push that dog, and they just keep stepping up the level of their game, you know you have a special dog. The others fall by the wayside or just never get it all together.

Unfortunately I have never been a big puppy raiser. I never bred my Dixie female as I hunted her 3-4 nights a week, year around. Even when she was  in heat as I was on a private ranch with no dogs around but mine and I hunted her alone. I have had coyotes mess with her when she was out hunting , in heat, and she would just came back to me. Sometimes those coyotes didn't make it back home as I kept a rifle in the truck!

Monkey was only bred to two females in his life. My old Spur dog (now 15 years old) is the only offspring of Monkey I have. I wish I had bred him more, just never had the females I wanted to breed and most guys that wanted to breed to him, just didn't have the females that I felt were on his level. I have always been a believer you breed a dog to get more like them. And breeding them to a dog with less ability is not the way to do that.  Not to say there aren't other good dogs out there, as there are. I have hunted with a couple dogs that I really liked.

Dixie and Monkey were not alive at the same time and I often wondered how those pups may have turned out if I had bred them together. Dixie had more nose and winding ability, Monkey had more run to catch and desire to stay on a rough hog. Rarely would either dog quit once they started a hog. Not many people ever hunted with Monkey but he was ideal for the way I hunted. He might not have suited everyone, but he put hogs on the dog box for me , consistently, for over a decade.

Again, I appreciate everyone posting a reply. I now have a little black dog about a year and a half old that I have started hunting, that is bred like Monkey top and bottom.  He gets out and hunts and hustles, but does not seem to be near as rough as Monkey was. I don't hunt much in the summer anymore, but I will put him in the woods this coming fall and winter and see what he is made of.

If anyone can remind me how to post a pic, I will post a pic of him. I don't even remember how to do that!   I must be getting old!!

[NLAhunter]

Hard to lose them kind sounds like he had long good life catching hogs though

Sent from my Pixel 5 using Tapatalk

[TheRednose]

I remember reading many posts years back about old Monkey, he def sounded like a great one.

RIP Monkey

[warrent423]

Bury him deep and keep breedin them rough Mark.  Find dog, bay dog, catch dog, help dog. All a bunch of horsenumber 2. Back home there are only "Cur" dogs and they had better be able to do it all by themselves 

[Austesus]

I’ve ready many of posts about Monkey, and always enjoyed the stories. Sounds like he was a once in a lifetime hog dog that lived a long and full life. RIP Monkey


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Judge peel]

Hate to hear that bubba. I remember reading about him yrs past. It’s kinda crazy how much a silly ol dog can mean to us. I like my dogs more then most people I know


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[crackerc]

I would just like to thank everyone that posted on this thread. It is kind of crazy how you get one dog that just has the whole package and you just seem to click. We always knew what the other was going to do. I had Monkey almost a third of my life. That's a long time. HE was always ready to ride, whether it was going to hunt, going to get feed, going fishing, he liked it all. He especially liked it when I went out to eat at night as he either went along and waited in the dog box for what I didn't eat, or if it was too hot to take him, he would be waiting at the gate for me when I got home. He KNEW when I went out to eat...somehow. He was way too smart.