"EVIL DOG"....

haha, I was riding around one day just north of Leeds and found a vehicle parked at a RR crossing on some USX land not open to hunting. I called Leeds PD to run the tag and they informed me it belonged to a local drug dealer and be careful.

I backed the truck up and sat down to wait. Several hours later three men approached the vehicle, walking down the RR tracks. I walked out on them, secured their guns, and told them to sit down against a concrete wall maybe 20 feet away. I sat Taz ten feet in front of them and gave her the "watch" command...I told them she's bite them if they ran.

I walked over to the vehicle and started to search the back where they had put the guns. No drugs, but the guns were stolen. I wasn't paying much attention to the men because I left Taz watching them. I looked over and that damn dog was laying on her back, all four feet in the air, looked asleep. I walked over there and yelled at her, she rolled over and looked guilty as all hail.

I asked if they knew what she was doing??? I told em she was pretending to be asleep so they would run and then she could bite them.....

One of em told me she was one EVIL DOG....and so the Taz legend grows. LOL

I understand what yer saying but the judge took Tazs "testimony" as the truth and convicted the guy. Sometimes ya just have to try a case to see if it will fly. Other courts in other jurisdictions and states have found the same way on appeal. I'm pretty sure with my documation we would of won an appeal.

David Mobley and I were on Lake Purdy in a small johnboat one day, checking fishing. We approached three men on the bank fishing. I left Taz in the boat and went to check two of the men, David went to the other guy, maybe 30 yards away in sight.

First guy had no license, and no ID at all. I told him to give me his SS number and called the Trooper office on my cell phone to run it. Dispatcher came back and said he had TWO warrants for bank robbery, considered armed and dangerous. I just smiled and said thank you...backed up three steps...and put my 40S&W right in the center of his chest. Big chest. This guy was 6'5" and 300 pounds. I told him he was under arrest for bank robbery and to turn around and drop to his knees.

He just looked at me and backed up to the tree behind him and said I couldn't take him. David saw the commotion and came over to help. This guy wasn't going to go without a fight...or shooting. Dangitman....

I looked at Taz, she was on HIGH ALERT and whining like all get out...I just waved her on. She slid up beside me, all intent on the bank robber. Ya'll KNOW what he asked...."does that dog bite?" I said hell yeah and she is fixing to bite you. She was staring him in the eyes.

Now ya'll picture this....TWO grown men with guns, sticks, spray, and he IS going to fight us, no doubt. He looks at Taz and asks what it was I wanted him to do?? I said turn around and kneel down and put your hands behind your back, he did so immediately. I cuffed him, and called for transport from Jeff Co SO.

Man is going to fight TWO armed men and is scared of a 65# dog??? I sure was glad....

That's a good one!!!
I'm really enjoying these stories.

Great stories to hear. I love em!

I hd Taz with us one night on the newly formed Cahaba WMA, we were at the slab. We met a VW van coming out and stopped it. IT was, I swear, straight out of a Cheech and Chong movie. MJ smoke pouring out of the windows.

I asked the driver where the dope was as I'm looking at cans, cookstoves, food, and all manner of junk in the van. I ask him straight up where the dope was. He denied having any I told him I would have to get the dog....

He laughed out loud and said "Game Wardens ain't got no damn dog".....and laughed again....

He quit laughing when I hand signaled Taz to come and sent her to find the dope. Took her like 4 seconds and off to the jail we went. Some of us were not laughing all the way there, but that fella did laugh about it later on.

Great stories Fred and the ones about Taz ! Enjoying reading them while stuck in a dang Hotel room.

I kept meticulous, detailed, records of every incident Taz participated in and every training session she did. I kept records of every case she worked on, and esp those I could not of made without her help.

The third year she worked she made around $30,000 in collected monies on cases I could not of made without her, not counting protecting my butt. I went to Montgomery to ask for a dog for every District, just like every dang state around us had at the time. Notnohellnonowaynothappening...doyouknowhowmuchthatcostssonganddance.

They did recognise her and send folks to see me that needed a tracking/drug dog. Far as I know she has been the only dog recognized by Montgomery as a working K-9.

In the five years she worked with me I had ONE man raise his voice to me(told story), and not one person ran from me, no matter the situation or circumstances. Not one person.

Her presence was even felt in other counties she never visited. LOL We were near McCalla one day in dove season, late in the day, when Darrin Clifton in Walker Co called and asked if I had Taz with me. He had a fella run and hide his gun, then left the area and returned. Darrin wanted me to come find the gun.....

I asked if the guy was standing there. Darin said yes, there were several folks standing there. I told him to put the radio on speaker and I told him I was headed that way. When I got there and found the gun that man was going to jail, no ticket. The runner yelled, "tell Troy and Taz to stay in Jefferson Co, and I'll go get the gun now"...and he did.

That picture of her and the spike is pretty awesome. Not something you see everyday.

Taz sounds like one outstanding dog!! Thanks again for sharing these great stories Fred!

Dog trainers always tell you to never send a dog into a situation it has not been trained to handle, to train for any and all circumstances one might find oneself in.

Got a call one night about a van riding Sicard Hollow Rd and shooting, prolly 1am er so. I get up, get dressed and get in the truck with Taz and wife(twice as mean as I am) and head out. As I'm driving down Sicard I meet the van, I spin around and blue light him....he won't stop...not fast, just won't stop....suddenly the drivers door open and the driver catapaults out and down the road, leaving the driverless van to hit the ditch. The driver is stiff legged bouncing like a cartoon down the road with me right behind him. Taz is beside herself!!!

The guy finally wrecks into the ditch, rolls, and starts to run up the embankment into the woods. I send Taz. She hits the windshield dead center. I send her again...again its the windshield. Line of sight ya know.LOL

I finally grab her and throw her out the door, she takes off straight at the driver, crosshairs on his back. Gonna be real ugly. He sees her coming and falls down crying like a baby. I call off the dog at maybe five feet. I'm out and tell him to come down the embankment..he refuses...and I tell Taz to "get him"...this is NOT a bite command and she understood it well. She hit him dead center of the chest and rolled him over. I told him next one was a bite...and he came down.

I got him cuffed as a SO unit arrived. Deputy held my guy as I got into the van with Taz and eased back down the road, looking for the other guy. There was a dead deer in the van also. I made a long pass and didn't see anything, turned around and nearly made it back before the second guy burst out of the ditch and ran towards the van and safety....haha I kept rolling, wanting to wear his arse out some before he got in the van with me . He had a rifle. After 60 er so yards I stopped and he caught up and leaped into the passenger seat yelling go go go. I planted the bbl of my Beretta in his left ear and shoved him against the window, telling him not to move that rifle that was pointed my way. I called the deputy and they came up and secured his rifle and cuffed him.

They were drinking wiskey, beer , and smoking weed...and shooting deer....

I met Troy and Taz several years ago when he still lived in Cahaba Heights. I went to his house to sell him some Floor Mats for his truck, out of a Ford I had gotten rid of that was the same model as his. Super friendly guy and beautiful dog, very friendly too. Troy warned me though about raising my arms if I was close to him. I think I walked around talking with him and looking at deer mounts with my hands shoved in my pockets the whole time!!

Squeaky, she was the best I've ever had the pleasure to know. She prolly knew 70 human words, I rarely gave her any commands. I'd turn to tell her to do something and she would already be there, as if she read my mind. And she changed her demeanor as soon as I put her badge on, different dog when working, no play, serious all the way.

Here is Taz with a handgun she found after it was thrown out of the truck window by some fellas night hunting. They had no gun in the truck when we got them stopped maybe 400 yards from where they shot. I took Taz and told her to "find"and walked her down the road. We went a couple hundred yards and she circled and lay down, her "alert" sign that she had found something. There the gun was under the leaves out of sight. We would not of found that gun without her....

Once again Troy - thank you for sharing those terrific stories.

I hate to ask, and if you don't want to post it I'll understand - but, what became of Taz?

Taz retired with me in 2005 and lived until 2013 when she passed on.

here she is playing in the snow in 2011 maybe?

You were both lucky to have each other - again, thank you for sharing so many stories the last couple of nights. They've certainly put a smile on my face.

Troy thanks for the great stories. A great book could be made from your experiences. I read a book about a gamewarden in the Everglades when I was a youngster, not sure of the title but it was good. Thanks too for your service protecting critters and people!!

Good stuff!!

Troy thank you for being so open to sharing not only your exploits as a warden but those of Taz as well. This stuff would make a great book.