We have some very sad news to report for fans of Gold Rush. Miner Parker Schnabel revealed earlier today that his beloved black lab Dozer has died.
“Well…. Dozer passed away,” Parker began a caption accompanying an Instagram photo gallery of Dozer. “He always had a toy and a wagging tail and was always there when someone needed cheering up (normally me),” Parker fondly recalled.
Dozer was just nine years old, which is relatively young for a lab. How did Dozer die? Was he attempting to chase yet another bear off a claim? “He must’ve had a heart attack or aneurism,” Parker revealed in his announcement, “so it was peaceful anyways.”
“Not easy, he’s been my #1 companion for 9 years and we’ve been through a lot together,” Parker concluded.
Parker followed up his initial Dozer post with a gallery of photos and video clips of Dozer in action:
The Gold Rush Instagram account commented on Parker’s announcement: “A great companion and the best mine pup anyone could ask for. He will be greatly missed ♥️”
Gold Rush executive producer (and host of The Dirt), Christo Doyle, also commented. “Jesus, this is awful news,” he wrote. “I am so so sorry. Not much harder.”
Christo later posted a photo of himself with Dozer on his own Instagram account. “RIP Dozer,” he wrote in the caption. “So sorry for your loss, Parker. You gave him the best life a dog could ever have.”
Dozer has his own profile page on Discovery.com. His position is “bear deterrent” and here is his bio:
Dozer is a 5-year-old Labrador-German shepherd mix and originally joined the Schnabel family as a gift to Parker from a friend in Haines.
As his name suggests, Dozer is at home on a mine site and is very adventurous. His favorite activities are either chasing sticks or eating steak. He does both with boundless energy and enthusiasm.
Dozer is a perfect warning system for bears; he courageously chased one off the claim last year.
Rest in peace Dozer.
Asa Hawks is a writer and editor for Starcasm. You can contact Asa via Twitter, Facebook, or email at starcasmtips(at)yahoo.com
