RIP - Turner's Tinker Bell

She was a very handsome dog and looks to have been a very happy one too. I am sure he will be sorely missed. Sorry for your loss.

How sad....

Thank you lovemypits. Sadly, no I decided not to have a necropsy done as she was already buried by the time I received the phone call. I trust the person she was with explicitly and they are actually a member of this forum. Money wasn't the issue as one of my best friends is a licensed veterinarian here in South Carolina and could have performed it for free as he does offer it at his clinic's. I talked to him for at least two hours and decided not to. Why? Honestly, Tinkerbell's grandfather Turner's Blue Razor Blade was in a full keep and would have been shown the very next day had he not died giving his life saving my daughter for being bitten by a snake. I had weighed Blade right before putting him out on his chain to get some fresh air and he was exactly 32 lbs. wit no body fat whatsoever! Long story short, my daughter went out to bring him in and he refused acting all crazy running from her (on a 20ft chain) and wouldn't just go sit by his dog igloo house as usual when told to be unhooked and leashed to be walked back inside. When my daughter came in and told me I was actually in the shower and said, well I'll get him or wait until your mom gets back from the bank and she will. A few minutes (2 or 3) later when my wife came home and my daughter told her she needed to go out and bring blade in, my wife found him stiff laying next to his dog house and immediately ran back inside to me in the shower screaming "BLADE"S DEAD"! I ran out of my house butt naked to him and picked him up, at first thinking it was a heat stroke and ran him back inside to the shower to cool him down. At this point my oldest son has my vet on the phone who is at my house in less than five minutes. It was to late I sat against my toilet but naked as blade took his last breath of life and part of mine with him. After a full count, a water moccasin or moccasin's has bitten blade at least 13 time on his face, one of those bites almost took off his whole nose. It was just dangling there, hanging and in my panic I hadn't noticed it however, my vet did and told Paula to go out and look for a snake. She found one alright. A water moccasin almost six feet long. Roark Ferguson of Roark's Reptile Safari here in Charleston said he'd never seen one that big in my area. My wife found it when she picked up Blade's igloo dog house and leaned it up on the privacy fence like we always do when we bring him back in. When she picked up the house it jumped at my daughter and bite the back of her LUGS left foot boot but didn't break the skin. My wife was able to kill it before it struck again. All we can surmise is that (because of the digging marks on the ground (something Blade never done) was that he knew if my daughter hooked him up to come inside that she'd pick up that dog house and get bit. He gave his life for hers. In my book, that the truest meaning of DEAD GAME. There isn't a day that goes by I don't shed a tear for him, and proudly, ALWAYS will. As far as snakes go, they say where theres one theres two, and two days later Blade's son Rascal was bitten and killed by a 30 inch water moccasin, what we feel was the mate to the one that killed Blade. I farmed Diesel (Tinkerbell's Sire) as a pup and was fortunate enough to get him back. Other than Diesel, Turner's Blue Razor Blade II a.k.a. Junior is the only living son off of Blade I have left and IMHO the best son off Blade. His "show" career was cut short, number two due to a bad lot of Heartguard that almost cost me my entire yard and bankrupted my vet/friend due to law suits and the manufactures not standing behind their guaranty. I immediately put my dogs back on straight ivermectin. I knew better, took the Heartguard because it was free from my vet since I was taking care of his dogs too, yet paid the price in the end. NEVER AGAIN! Turner's Blue Razor Blade II a.k.a. Junior tested positive for stage 4 heartworms and it took 4 treatments of immiticide to save his life. The damages the heartworms did to his heart and respiratory system are irreversible thus, he is now retire to private stud on my yard only. Sorry to all who've asked, nope he's not open or ever will be. Our hope and dreams was to bread Tinkerbell on her next heat back to Junior. Now, well... Kay sa ra sa ra. What will be, will be. I have bred Junior though with amazing results to his aunt, Turner's Blue Lady Bella... his Sire's full bellymate sister twice. Those litters have given me fawns, black & whites, tri's and even red-red noses (DNA-P on file with the ADBA).... sadly I've only gotten one blue pup each litter and those are females. Both remain here and always will on my yard. I'd hoped to continue Blade's legacy however for those of you who don't know, my wife Paula suffered a massive heart attack in September and underwent surgery at Roper St. Francis Heart & Vascular Center (Hospital) in Charleston, S.C. where Dr.'s thought they had repaired the damage (puncture) done to her heart that we now know was done her former cardiologist that performed a heart cath on her back in 2005. Paula also suffers from Wolff Parkinson White syndrome and Postural Tachycardia Syndrome (heart defects) so her surgery was very serious. If you've ever met Paula then you know that she has been the driving force beside me in the fight against BSL here in South Carolina long before we ever started the ADBA sanctioned club (CAROLINA APBT OWNERS ASSOCIATION) here in the Lowcountry. Paula's first surgery was 9 hours and 43 minutes long and her second surgery was 22 hours and 5 minutes long. Never before have I prayed so hard as I did during those surgeries. As for my wife of 23 years, the mother of my 5 children, the woman who has fought BSL on the frontlines with me for over 12 years and never once complained about it or scooping the poop the battle finally over. I have resigned as the ONLY Registered S.C. K9 Lobbyist solely dedicated to the American Pit Bull Terrier. For to many years I've put these dogs ahead of my personal life, letting the love I have them overshadow the love I have for my family. No more. I will always have my dogs but fighting for the rights of others to own this breed who stick their head in the sand when it hits their home town, caring their weight, NO MORE, THE END! My wife unfortunately will spend this Christmas undergoing another heart surgery and I'd like to ask for all of your prayers. Remember everyone these dogs ARE a big part of your life, but NOT YOUR LIFE! Don't ever loose sight of that.

Please excuse and Thank You for indulging my rant
CHATNJACK

Jack Turner

Sorry for the rant lovemypits. I guess after rereading all of what I just typed I should have just said... Kay sa ra sa ra. What will be, will be. Its over with now and my family comes first. Thank you very much for all of your condolences.

God Bless
CHATNJACK


Jack Turner

RIP Tinker Bell.

lovemypits wrote:

What a sad story How brave of your dog to give his life to save your daughters. "I hope you don't think I was suggesting foul play where tinkerbell was being kept", but more of a reason to find out what happened is all

My prayers will be with you and your family during the holidays. Please keep us updated with your wifes progress.

No, not at all as far as the foul play goes. In fact Tinkerbell's Uncle (Turner's Buster Spike) who I actually still own is still on that yard as is her bellymate brother who has been since he was 10 or 12 weeks old when they purchased him from me. I've know them a long time and can count the number of dogs I've ever sold to the public in my life on two hands, including Tinkerbell's brother Finley. Sadly Tink & her brother Finley were only two of a litter so now there is only 1 dog in the world bred like Finley because as of right now I have now plans to do any future breedings because of my wifes health issues. Thank you for all of your prayers and a very Happy Holidays to you and yours!

CHATNJACK

Jack Turner

Hey ChatNJack I'm sorry for your loss of such a great family member.. I also comend you on keeping everything else in a positive light. God bless you and your family & I truely hope everything works out for you all in the end.

Sorry for your lose ChatNJack, not sure were your located, but i'm assuming with a snake bite in November you live somewhere in the south like myself, look at your local feed & seed or tractor supply store, and see if you can find some snake repellent pellets to put around your yard. Once again very sorry for your lose.

I love Turner's dogs so this story hurts