Champ

2007 - 2023

It is with a very heavy heart that we share the news of the passing of our beloved Champ at the age of 15 years, 5.5 months. He was the absolute most amazing companion, therapy dog, and brother to Hera, Athena, Jacques, Mac, Phoenix, Zeus, Marcus and Simba.

Champ was a pit bull with a purpose. He came to us unexpectedly when we went to the shelter for a cat. Before we could even enter the door, he greeted us with his big, happy smile. We took him for a walk, fell in love and adopted him on Super Bowl Sunday 2008.

The pact we made with Champ as a young, 5-month-old puppy was that he could never, ever, ever hurt anyone since he was already misunderstood and judged as a pit bull. We would tell him to be “gentle and kind” even if others were mean or trying to hurt him.

In 2012, at the age of 5, Champ became a certified therapy dog and started to partner with Jen in her work as a licensed mental health counselor. He had the ability to connect with people in a way that even sometimes us humans cannot do. There is no way to measure or calculate the positive impact that Champ has had on this world, but we know that there are so many, more than we can count, who joined us in loving him.

True to his promise, he was nothing other than the most gentle and kind dog we could have ever possibly imagined or been lucky enough to have as part of our family for the last 15 years. He welcomed his cousin Cooper who bit his ankles relentlessly, Hera and her kittens, Jacques as a pushy little puppy, Mac with all of his quirks and our horse herd. It touches our hearts the way that he reached so many in such a special way and changed the minds of so many about pit bulls.

We will love you and miss you forever, Super Bowl Champion D’Agostino. We are eternally grateful for all that you have done and all that you continue to do to spread messages of unconditional love, acceptance and empathy in your kind and gentle way that surpassed all of our expectations.

From the bottom of our hearts, we love you and will miss you, always and forever.

Thank you, thank you, thank you
🌈🙏🐶☘️☘️☘️🐶🙏🌈
❤️🧡💛💚💙💜
9/1/2007 - 2/13/2023