Joe and Mickey running in the Derby

Joe DeLoia was born in 1917 to an Italian family that lived in Swede Hollow, East St Paul, Minnesota. He trained War Dogs in WWII and in the 1940’s was commissioned by the then ‘Duluth Chamber of Commerce’ to begin a kennel in this beautiful Twin Ports northwoods community.

He and his bride both settled in for over 60 years of service to the training of dogs and their owners. The Duluth Retriever Club held an honorary picnic for their Mr. Joseph Samuel DeLoia, MC’d by author Sam Cook in August of 2000. The DRC presented Joe and Lorraine with a driveway entrance street sign at the gate of the club which says: “Joe DeLoia Drive”.

I am simply honored here to be asked to write a news story about this legendary dog man. So many before me have written articles about Joe DeLoia. Magazines such as: Outdoor Life (1979), Sports Afield (1973), Fins and Feathers (1974), The Retriever Journal (Feb/Mar 2007), Sporting Classics (Sept/Oct 2008) and the Duluth News Tribune plus Joe D. is featured in: Photos from: “The Handbook of Amateur Retriever Trials” 1951 to 1961, and ‘too many to mention’; other sources. On our website: www.bwcalabs.com you can find copies of these articles, pictures and newsclippings from over the years; an archiving project still in progress.

Mr. David D. Elliot, the Godfather of most of our training techniques, was a personal friend of Joe DeLoia’s. Mr Elliot was instrumental to the placement of Penney of Wingan, owner Joe DeLoia. Penney was the mother of 1956 NFC Massie Sassy Boots (see: the front cover of RFTN May 2003). Joe DeLoia was the breeder/trainer/handler of Boots in the early years. He and Art Massie use to train Boot’s together at Shagawa Lake in Ely, Mn when Boots was just a pup. Joe always kept a pup for his own personal hunting dogs out of these bloodlines, up until his last personal hunting dog: Jolor’s J J (6/11/91 to 6/19/05) I was ‘the highest bidder’ and acquired JJ as my own in 2001 and he is the father, grandfather or great grandfather of most of our labs here at BWCA Labs; so it was appropriate that he passed away on Father’s Day, 14 years and 8 days of age from natural causes. An excellent representative of his breed: JJ was capable of going hunting with you, the day before he died.

Joe Deloia - Basgen-Photography

If I am to write about a man I can think of nothing better than to express his own words:

“A Good Dog Makes a Trainer Look Good”,

“No Man is Self Made”,

“Because of all the wonderful friends that the Labrador Retriever has brought into my life, I count myself amongst the richest people in the world.”

“I Don’t Hate Anybody, but I May Forget a Name.”

“If I’m Not in My Family’s Hall of Fame then I Need Not Be in Any.”

“If I Choose to Be Your Friend, There’s NOTHING You Can Do About That!”

~Quotes by Joe DeLoia

Over the years, people had often requested; that Joe DeLoia would write a book about dog training. His response would be: “How can you write about something you can’t describe? Besides, as soon as I’d put it in writing; a new dog would come along and I’d have to change that technique!” Those of us, and there are many, who were so fortunate to spend time with Joe ‘down by the pond’ know exactly what he meant by that.

What a guy! I am so honored to co-own the AKC Breed Specific Registered Kennel Name of JOLOR with Mr. Joe DeLoia ~ simply because he wanted me to have it…how could ANYONE turn down such an honor..not only his last personal hunting dog, but also his name.

Margo’s name won’t be spoken of; but the name of Duluth’s – Joe DeLoia - will be talked about for years and years to come by so many people who know Joe much better than I could ever have hoped for; destiny had us meet far too late…right Joe? We could have gotten into ’so much trouble together’, wouldn’t that have been fun? and….”If you can’t have fun at it, why do it?”

Someday; we’ll all have a dance together in front of “The One who ‘truly’ Deserves All the Credit.” The Joe DeLoia Story today, behind the scenes, is: “A cabin…at the far end of the lake…you know; up the left side of the lake”. This is where you will find a gentle man holding a harmonica in his hand, playing ‘Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head’ to a black lab who is resting his head on Joe’s thigh; exhausted after a day’s hunt…if you’d like, he’ll meet you there for he has something very special to tell you.