07/10/2025
Reginald P Pibble (aka Reggie, Big Bull, Big Reg) lived a beautiful 15+ years, with over 13 of them filled with love, purpose, and inspiration before he gained his wings.
He was my unicorn dog, every dog, no matter how spicy, was calm and accepting of Reggie. He was quite literally the best dog and a shining example of this beautiful breed.
Mike fell in love with Reggie from a photo of his big beefy behind curled up in a cat bed on a rescue’s website. He pretty much adopted him without asking me!
We probably shouldn’t have adopted him. We were renting and I could *not fathom* being a three-dog house (let’s all have a good laugh at that!). We were also trying to figure out our footing in life and adding a deaf dog to our lives was probably not the best idea. But, as with most things, the universe knows best.
Reggie was WILD when he first came home. He absolutely refused to kennel train. In fact, when kenneled (or confined in any way) he made a sound that I can only assume is akin to that of a dying orca whale. We did none of the things we were supposed to do. We didn’t do slow introductions. We 100% let him sleep in the bed the first night. We let him and Abbie wild out and just be crazy young pit bulls. He drug me off a trail and into the woods during a pit bull meet up / pack walk. He yeeted a young girl who ran at him full force into her yard. He treated every walk like a weight pulling competition. He was a mess.
We tried a training class and we, collectively, failed miserably. The trainer yelled at him for “not listening,” Mike yelled at them for being stupid, and that was that. We were 100% helicopter parents! But he was super smart, so we worked with him solo thinking he would be an awesome therapy dog – a deaf dog that could meet deaf kids! But he failed his CGC 4 times because if anyone other than his mom touched his feet, in any capacity, it.was.on!
We settled into him being Reggie the house dog until we saw a plea for a young pit bull that needed an emergency foster. Crumb’s came home and Reggie’s path was clear – he was a nanny dog! That was the beginning of our rescue life, where we fostered 100+ puppies, dogs, momma dogs, and dogs of the street dog variety before, with the help of some of my favorite (and brilliant) students, we launched our 501c3, Reggie’s Friends.
Through RF, we did SO VERY MUCH. We rescued or helped rescue over 3000 dogs (and a few cats) before I quit counting. We fed hundreds of dogs and cats and helped countless families after Hurricane Harvey with our donation drive. We funded the spay/neuter of over 100 pit bulls through the grants we were awarded. We showed the world how amazing the pit bull breed is and connected with people literally around the world. RF also brought nearly all of my favorite humans into our lives and expanded the circle we call family across the country. We did REALLY GOOD WORK.
Aside from being the public face of the rescue, Reggie was the core and the heart of our pack. He was adopted by dad, and in the early stages of Mike’s mental health journey, I fully believe Reggie saved Mike’s life. But while he was dad’s bud, but he was mom’s BEST FRIEND – my constant companion for over 13 years. He was my rock when Jake, then Crumbs, then Abbie earned their wings. He reminded me to keep going when the rescue days were hard, because all dogs deserve the life he had. He just made me really, unbelievably happy. I never took a midnight bathroom break alone. He would lay in front of any door I had the audacity to shut behind me and wait for me. He would lay with me while I worked and find the least convenient spot possible to settle in while I was working on any project. He was my constant.
He watched over his pack in his life and I know he’ll do the same from the Bridge. This week I have gotten so many messages from families who adopted from us and it has been the most beautiful reminder of the amazing legacy my sweet Reggie leaves behind.
I miss him more than I can explain, but I am so so grateful that the universe game me the opportunity to be his mom. 🌈💔
