From Casey Gibbs

Talked to Bobby Moore yesterday and he told me that Sonny had died last week at the Veterans Home in Springfield, Mo. I did not get any details, we sure have lost some great ones.

Casey




On Friday, November 14, 2008, at 12:20 am,Sonny Moore Passed away.

It was a peaceful and quiet passing, just another adventure for Sonny in his full and wonderful life.

He had a geat life, full of excitement and surprises and love, both from his animals and the women he has known.

He started out in show business at the age of 17 with a dog and pont act that he had purchased from Mrs. Curtis and Denny. A year later he also bought the Taxi Metor Mule Act, and in no time he was a very busy young man.

Then the War came along and he was drafted into the Army. He told them that the only training he had was working with dogs and ponies, so he was tansferred into the K9-corps, and a whole new adventure began.

He was paired with a beautiful German Shepherd that had been donated by a young nurse and her husband. His name was Captain and for the next three years, these two would never be separated. Cap was trained to smell out the enemy, just as a bird dog does with birds, and in this case the enemy was Japanese. Sonny and Cap served in the Phillipenes and Japan, their outfit was one of the first that went into Komoki Japan after Atom bomb, and the surrender. They met some wonderful people in Komoki and spent a few months there, before feing sent home.

Because it was the Army and rules have to be followed, Cap was sent back to the nurse that had donated him, but he was lonely for Sonny, and would not eat or drink water, so she decided that he would have to go back to his army buddy. Sonny was already back in show business, having picked up his dog act from his brother Dwight, who had been looking after his dogs, and working the act for him.

This started his career all over again, and off he went on different circus's, television, vaudeville, sportsman shows, and then an offer to travel to England to work the Bertram Mills circus, and a command performance before the Queen and the Royal Family. Prince Phillip was very intriqeued with Major the pony, and asked how old he was, and thought that it was interesting because he was quite old at the time.

After arriving home in the U.S. again, Sonny was in demand as the Dog Act that had had a command performance. He was on the Ed Sullivan show and other TV. shows that were popular at that time.

When I first Sonny he had just come out of the Army. Before he left for the Pacific, he married and had a son James. When he came back he had divorced Jim's mother, and soon met and married a lovely little girl named Pat. I lost track of him for a few years, and when I saw him in Ontario, he had been married to Jean. That is when I met him again, and in 1981 we were married for 27 years. And what wonderful years they have been. He will be missed so much by all of us here, and by his family, and my family amd many many friends in the show business world.

Happy trails to you Sonny from all of us.
Your loving wife, Pam Moore


Sonny is having a Military Funeral on Monday Dec.1st, 2008 in Springfield Mo. at the Veterans Resting Place. In lieu of Flowers, please send any memorials to the Dogs for the Blind, in San Carols Calif.



I would like to add that Sonny Moore Lived with our family for many years first in Burlington WI. and then in Fordland Mo. I always considered him my second Dad. He taught me compaction when training animals. When I was 12, Sonny taught me to train my dog act. I could go on all day talking about Sonny I just want to say I will miss him and we have lost a great animal lover/trainer. Have a safe journey Sonny.
Adam Hill