Athlete Dog Names

In the world of dog athletes, few may have been finer than King Buck. 

Born in Storm Lake, Iowa in 1948, the tiny black Lab was sold to Robert Howard for $50, as he looked to be a fine hunting dog, even as a pup. Unfortunately, King Buck’s earliest days were also his hardest, as he soon developed distemper after being brought home. Robert and his wife placed Buck in a basket and left him near the furnace for warmth, but at the time, the puppy could barely stand on his own weak legs. It took weeks of tending to him before he was finally able to stand but when he did, it was the beginning of an incredible ascent to pure athleticism. 

When the puppy was finally able to leave his basket and get out into the world, he was still weak from a lack of eating, but pushed himself anyway, showing Howard his resolve. Howard had owned several Buck’s before because it was easy to belt out and he liked how it sounded, but this puppy seemed different. Howard seemed to know early on that Buck would rank high in his class, or was at least a wishful thinker, so he gave the little black pup an even more regal title: King Buck. 

By the time King Buck was 18 months old, he had gained weight, muscle, and improved his health, despite the fact that doctors had advised Howard not to run him in the field, yet the dog seemed to show interest in it, so Howard began to get him immersed in the intricacies of hunting. He showed promise, so Howard entered him in field trials, some of which he excelled in, others in which he downright failed. But more than all else, he showed steady improvement, so Howard decided to sell him to Byron Grunwald, a man who could afford to run the dog in top-flight trials, for $500 with the stipulation that he would remain the trainer and handler. 

The pairing seemed to work. Although Buck was not perfect in marking, he was miraculous in just about every other field trial category, and after taking two second places in the Eagle, Wisconsin trial championship, many began to take notice, including Cotton Pershall, a champion-maker in all regards who would end up working with Buck and his next owner, John Olin, founder of Nilo Farms/Kennels. Over the next few years, each in their own part, they took Buck straight to the top, entering him in trial after trial unit he had amassed an incredible career over ten years, taking two national crowns and completing 83 of 85 series in a national championship competition. He seemed to be a natural and his remarkable consistency led him into both hearts and record books before finally passing a week before his 14th birthday in 1962. His legacy was enough to even get him placed as the first dog to appear on a US Fish and Wildlife Service duck stamp, and he remains the only animal to ever be featured that was not a waterfowl. He is still considered one of the finest dogs to ever compete in the sport.