Ted Nugent Sheds Tears Over His Dog’s Death, Yet His Announcement Still Draws Backlash

In a new episode of his Spirit Campfire Podcast on Real America’s Voice, Ted Nugent mourned the loss of his dog but faced backlash for his words.

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The rocker’s dog, Happy, died recently. He spoke about it a week later, saying:

“It’s been a week since Shemane [Nugent] and I said goodbye to Happy. I know he’s just a dog. And today I just took his collar off my neck, and I put it on the cross. He was great. I didn’t think I was gonna cry again, but what a dog. What a haunting partner. What a kicker, K9 maniac passionate. Friend, partner,  companion, protector, provider, pet that Happy Jackson was. Twelve years, I’ve had the most amazing life of a person could ever dream of. I’m so lucky. Every day, I thank God for this American dream I had.”

People Slammed Nugent For His Statements

Still, people in the comment section criticized Nugent for his words. They especially referred to his saying ‘just a dog’ for Happy. One person wrote with a sad emoji:

“No such thing as ‘just a dog,’ Uncle Ted…”

Another individual agreed by saying:

“He’s not ‘just a dog’; he was a loving member of your family. It’s painful when we lose them.”

Other shared a similar feeling:

“No, he’s not ‘just a dog.’ He’s your comfort, your friend, your side-kick, your peace. God knew we needed animals in our lives. You were blessed with him.”

His Past Controversies About Animals

The singer faced backlash for his words on animals in the past as well. In March 2022, he defended himself against the backlash for his love for hunting. Nugent said:

“Yeah, I like to kill deer. I kill a lot of deer. I gotta kill a lot of deer. I barely killed enough deer this year. I think I killed 79 whitetails with my bow and 138 big game animals with my bow and arrow. Back straps for the masses. All I want out of everybody is, ‘Thank you, uncle Ted, for reducing the car collisions and the destruction of agriculture, habitat, and the increase of disease.’”

In 2021, Ted blasted animal rights activists by calling them liars and scammers. He said hunting, fishing, and trapping are how people get food.

You can watch his video from the podcast here.