Skidboot.

• Gordon Stark
  October 24th, 2006 at 7:15 pm

  This is to teach people that other animals
  are people too. We are all the same one,
  inside.

• SammyTheSnake
  October 24th, 2006 at 7:38 pm

  Not me, I’m a dog.

  Woof

  Cheers & God bless
  Sam “SammyTheSnake” Penny

• Lea
  October 24th, 2006 at 8:09 pm

  that is the sweetest thing ever

• Moon
  October 24th, 2006 at 8:18 pm

  They could have cut it down to about 3 minutes without all the “homespun wisdom”. Geez.

  CORNBALL!!!

• duda
  October 24th, 2006 at 9:56 pm

  i wish he could fly

• SKIDBOOT
  October 24th, 2006 at 10:18 pm

  Um no, we aren’t all people. Skidboot is a dog. I’m a human. And you’re an idiot.

• stacyj
  October 24th, 2006 at 10:33 pm

  Ohhh, that was so cute, what a good doogie. And I have a confession to make: that video left me -utterly- touched and all choked up.

  I am cornball, hear me sniffle!

• Auntie Occident
  October 24th, 2006 at 10:47 pm

  “They could have cut it down to about 3 minutes without all the “homespun wisdom”. Geez”

  You obviously don’t come from Texas. “Homespun” is official state treacle.

• Auntie Occident
  October 24th, 2006 at 10:49 pm

  “Um no, we aren’t all people. Skidboot is a dog. I’m a human.”

  That’s funny, because you act just like an asshole.

• k
  October 24th, 2006 at 11:16 pm

  “Um no, we aren’t all people. Skidboot is a dog. I’m a human. And you’re an idiot.”

  Wow, what a jerk. He’s the idiot for assuming that humans aren’t also animals.

• esoterroriffik
  October 25th, 2006 at 12:08 am

  After watching this I hugged Blue, my blueheeler, cause he’s just like Skidboot- yes he is. Oh you’re such a good doggie yes you are!

• Zawhi
  October 25th, 2006 at 1:53 am

  After I watched this I was almost crying (because honestly, the whole going-blind thing thrown in the middle completely threw me off) and my coonhound came over and put her paw on my leg…

  Apparently more than one dog can understand people.

• Kyle
  October 25th, 2006 at 3:40 am

  The voice over guy sounds remarkably like satan.

• toobdiks
  October 25th, 2006 at 3:42 am

  Was nobody but me bothered by the fact that all of these “tricks” consisted of the dog doing something and THEN his owner said the command AFTER the dog started?

  Well trained owner.

• ImNoMrNiceGuy
  October 25th, 2006 at 4:09 am

  Kyle, talk to Satan often?

  toobdiks, maybe your computer screws up the audio in the video, giving it a delay.. Otherwise you just aren’t watching close enough. The dog has been on national TV on more than one occasion. I don’t think that something like that could slip by a national audiance. I don’t think a guy like that would be improve the dogs movement as tricks that quickly… He doesn’t seem like he’s the brightest crayon in the box…

• CDS
  October 25th, 2006 at 6:37 am

  Most blind people have dogs to guide them, Skidboot will have a ‘guide man’

• trilln451
  October 25th, 2006 at 9:04 am

  An important thing to note is that this dog was considered to be a nuisance until one person figured him out. I had a foster dog last week who was a nightmare for me because I was not set up properly to deal with him. Our rescue found another foster volunteer to take him & he’s doing very well with her.

  No Bad Dogs!

• ted
  October 25th, 2006 at 9:49 am

  Geez. I couldn’t find the interesting stuff; the rest was so cloying. Yes, the announcer sounds like Satan from South Park.

  No, we are not all the same inside. If we were, we’d be transplanting dog organs into humans by now.

  Dogs aren’t people; dogs are dogs. It’s great to have a pet, and to love your pet, but let’s not anthropomorphize them into something they’re not.

  Yes, humans are a type of animal. But that doesn’t automatically make animals people.

• Rebecca
  October 25th, 2006 at 10:49 am

  Animal parts ARE used in humans. Why are some folks so threatened by the thought of loving and respecting animals?

• Vadena Julian
  October 25th, 2006 at 11:16 am

  I think it was great. I love dogs and people. Some people are such BLOGS…….

• Daniel
  October 25th, 2006 at 11:34 am

  Dog are dogs. People are people. Dogs are people. People are dogs. Get it? Animals don’t even come into it.
  What kind of stupid name is ’skidboot’ anyway? Who would call a person that? It seems a shame that the only dog that can understand English is given such a stupid name. Poor little fella.

• Danielsucks
  October 25th, 2006 at 11:38 am

  I actually suffer from caninisitous which means that I am slowly becoming more and more like a dog. It is insensitive people like Daniel that make my life hell.

  I am dogman hear me roar. I mean bark.

• Jeff
  October 25th, 2006 at 12:37 pm

  Hahaha the funny thing is that you could only teach a dog to do ALL that stuff by beating it pretty damn hard.

• NK
  October 25th, 2006 at 1:20 pm

  What a nice story. I thought the guy was very good as well - I enjoyed his philosophizing - I thought it gave the whole piece an extra dimension that was very nice.

• Jodi
  October 25th, 2006 at 1:55 pm

  Now that is a real Cowboy and his dog! I loved this so much it brought tears to my eyes! Thanks

• Doc
  October 25th, 2006 at 2:57 pm

  I can’t believe how insensitive some people can be. This story was a wonderful example of devotion and love. Animals are so smart, it is the human that is dumb. Dogs give love unconditionally, even when abused. We have a 20 year old Blue Point Siamese cat that is unbelievably smart and no, we didn’t beat it to train it. The story touched our hearts and we all shed tears in our household.

• sberrens
  October 25th, 2006 at 3:30 pm

  I loved the story! I can’t wait to get home and hug my Newfoundland “Grizz”

• Jessi
  October 25th, 2006 at 4:19 pm

  I loved the clip - when I get home from work I am going to give both my dogs a big squeeze!!! I guess it just goes to show that dogs have great potential, and we as dog owners should appreciate them and encourage them. They’re more like kids than you think!!

• dead_red_eyes
  October 25th, 2006 at 4:43 pm

  YAY for Skidboot !!!!!

  BOOOO for all you hatin’ bitches.

  And 23. Jeff …. you’re an idiot. I’m sure you’d learn some tricks if someone beat the shit out of you, you asswipe.

• Skidboot
  October 26th, 2006 at 12:08 am

  Imma be alright I can make it on my own.

• Miriam Yarden
  October 27th, 2006 at 3:59 am

  Extraordinary! And my, oh, my - what a lot of petty, envious people are out there!

• Ruby
  October 28th, 2006 at 4:07 pm

  Skidboot is a bright bright dog. And David is the kind of country Texan that you fall in love with the minute you meet him. Skidboot knows that too.

• nickelmom
  November 10th, 2006 at 12:53 am

  I’ve once or twice dog-sat for people who had never bothered to talk to or try to train their dogs. Stupid people. I’ve never had a stupid dog, they’ve all behaved better than my children. My dog understands english perfectly well, Thank you.

• Alison
  December 2nd, 2006 at 9:53 pm

  hey ‘daniel’ (oct 25 entry), DUH. a skidboot is a piece of equipment used on western show horses, whose fetlocks are vulnerable to burns if they stop too hard. (stopping hard is a Good thing.) skidboot is a darling and appropriate name for a dog who lives in texas, the heart of quarter horse country.

• jack russell terriers
  January 4th, 2007 at 7:48 pm

  Why are people so angry? I had the pleasure of meeting Skidboot and David, and it was a real treat to see them work together!! I agree with the other comment, David is a person you instantly like. His wife is lucky to have him. I also saw David on Pet Star with his trained horse and you know what, He and the horse were having fun that’s what it is all about. Don’t be jealous that Skidboot gets more action than you!

• I LOVE SKIDBOOT
  January 4th, 2007 at 7:54 pm

  why you all dissin skidboot?? he is way cooler then any of you will ever be so lay off, DONT HATE APPRECIATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

• Dillon
  January 11th, 2007 at 7:44 pm

  Skidboot rocks! Woof, woof for Skidboot!!

  Dillon D Dogg

  Check out my page on Dogster: http://www.dogster.com/pet_page.php?i=279682

• Tom
  March 29th, 2007 at 12:36 pm

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDNl3Z87ylg

  We were not ready to start our blog just yet but this needed to be mentioned. Skidboot, an amazing dog, has left us. This was an outstanding example of the relationship between owner and dog that faced many an issue and overcame them through effort.
  We have put together a brief tribute to Skidboot and David named “Skidboot Has Left Us” on YouTube along with a link to the Texas Country Reporter segment.

  Skidboot was neither a Briard (a herding dog of French origin) nor a Gordon setter (a birddog) that we will be writing about in our blog. He and David are an excellent example of that wide and diverse world of partnerships between man and dog that we will also explore.

  I first met Skidboot and David at the State Fair of Texas in the late 90’s. It was amazing even then to see the close partnership between them even then. I remember last fall when their story seemed to be everywhere on the internet as well as TV. One of the best segments was the Texas Country Reporter piece by Bob Phillips .They appeared with Leno, Letterman, Oprah and many others. Internet hits were over four million.

  The segment points out how Skidboot was not an easy dog to handle in the beginning (a trait that can also be found in both Briards and Gordons). It took work on David’s part to bring out the best in Skidboot. The segment also pointed out that the dog was going blind and the future was uncertain. Monday (3/26/07) David was talking to one of the Dallas radio folks with his “bittersweet news” – Skidboot was dead but now he could see and frolic with the likes of Lassie and Rin Tin Tin.

  David will not be alone in missing his partner, Skidboot - millions of others will also!

  Tom
  BriardsTexas

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