Wallace: The Underdog Who Conquered a Sport, Saved a Marriage, and Championed Pit Bulls–One Flying Disc at a Time

by Jim Gorant

Those of you who have read The Lost Dogs, and followed Jim Gorant’s history of the pit bulls that were rescued from Bad Newz kennels will recognize the author’s thorough and heartwarming efforts to tell yet another story of a very well-known pit bull.

I first encountered Wallace (and his human pals, Roo, Clara, Josh & Jen) in 2006 when a fellow disc-dogger and dog trainer suggested I get my own dogs involved in canine disc. I spent hours watching videos on YouTube of the current pros in the sport, studying their moves, observing how their dogs learned and executed skills, etc… If a person can actually claim to “know” anyone via the internet, I felt like I knew the folks involved in canine disc, and have continued to recognize, observe and support their efforts over the years, though my dogs and I opted to stick with the backyard variety games, rather than compete.

I was really excited to read Wallace’s book when it came out, pre-ordered it, and eagerly awaited it’s arrival by mail. I read it in less than 24 hours.

I didn’t realize I knew so little about the dog (and his family) that I was familiar with thanks to the internet. What a story!

Initially, Wallace was an intelligent puppy with a very high drive, acquired by a police officer who intended to train him for Schutzhund (ring sport). Unfortunately, that officer didn’t have the time needed to devote to such an active dog, and Wallace entered the shelter system, where he quickly was found to be unfit for such confinement. Left on his own and to his own devices every day, after becoming accustomed to some very active play, Wallace began to deteriorate. His future became grim, as the shelter didn’t want to assume the liability of him.

Fortunately, Wallace was championed by some great people (Roo and Clara, among others) who happened to know a lot about dog behavior and recognized his potential. It was a long road to his release from the shelter, but his advocates were dedicated, and once he was free, they set about doing everything in their power to set him up for success- and quickly realized he had great potential as an ambassador for pit bull-type breeds everywhere. What followed is a detailed account of his life and adventures (and misadventures) on his way to becoming a World Champion, not only in the sport of canine disc, but also in weight pulling.

Jim Gorant has done it again- his excellent work, thorough research and engaging way of writing has represented Wallace and family in a great light, and done bully breeds everywhere proud. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know Wallace, Roo, Clara and other recognizable members of Wallace’s extended family from the beginning.

This book brought back memories. It was so much fun to read about people I’m familiar with in the disc dog world via YouTube- everybody who is anybody is in this book. Seeing the names of folks like Roo, Josh Grenell, Ron Watson, Danny Eggleston, etc… in print made things that much more real for this reader. I didn’t know Wallace was so perilously on the edge of not having the life he’s been blessed with- there are definitely some tear-jerker moments, though mostly tears of joy.
Readers should be aware that, in the time since the book’s publication, Wallace has been discovered to be suffering from hemangiosarcoma- a life-threatening cancer for which their is no cure. It was discovered soon after the book’s publication, when Wallace collapsed at a book signing. Wallace was rushed to emergency care, where he was found to have a tumor on his pancreas, which was bleeding. He was stabilized and spent a few days recovering before returning to his hometown, and receiving some second opinions from his own veterinarians and specialists. His condition is untreatable, and he’s been estimated to have “3-6 months” or “1-10 months”, depending on various updates to his Facebook page. It’s a sad addition to such an awesome book, but what a great life Wallace has had. He was given a chance, and his life has been made the most of. This dog truly has been blessed and has given everything he’s received in return, a hundred-fold. Wallace and his crew are definitely deserving of having a book written about them, and what a great message this book conveys!
Best of all I love the sentiment that echoed throughout this book, from one dog person to another: if you could, you would give it all up, just to have one more good day with your dog.

I can’t wait to read more from Jim Gorant- I’m hoping he writes about former Bad Newz kennels pit bull (and Wallace’s little brother) Hector next!

–Jennifer Casula is a group fitness instructor living in Texas with her husband, two turtles, three dogs and four cats. This summer, the family (minus the turtles and cats) enjoyed two camping trips to Inks Lake State Park.