Joe Gatto makes his living pulling pranks and making jokes on TruTV’s ‘Impractical Jokers.’ But when he’s off the job, Gatto’s life is all about dogs. Currently, he lives in Long Island with his wife, two human children, and six dogs – for now. I say “for now” because Gatto consistently rescues pups, including seniors.
Gatto doesn’t just love his dogs; they inspire him. That’s why he wrote the book “The Dogfather: My Love of Dogs, Desserts and Growing Up Italian” while at his home during the quarantine.
A Quarantine Project
I’m sure many of you have found comfort in having your dogs with you during the quarantine. If you’re as lucky as Gatto and his family, you have six surrounding you. Gatto figured, why not write what you know? He explained to NY Daily News:
“I was at home with my family and have a house full of puppies, and my cousin mentioned that with all the stories I have about my dogs, it might be a cool opportunity to make a memoir of sorts. So it was a really fun quarantine project to conquer during these crazy times.”
Gatto did note that his dogs have really been milking having people with them all day. They know they run his life.
“The dogs have contributed to both the sanity and insanity of quarantine. It’s nutty when you’re in the house with them all day. They’re super-spoiled now. When I leave, Bessy told me that they won’t stay away from the door for a half-hour, hoping I’ll walk back in. And they all sleep in our bed, so I’m basically covered in puppies at night.”
Gatto’s book “The Dogfather: My Love of Dogs, Desserts and Growing Up Italian” comes out on Amazon Wednesday, September 2nd.
About The Gatto Dogs
Gatto and his family currently have six dogs, but even more have brought joy to their lives, and they continue to rescue. Six of the dogs have appeared in a sketch on the television show, ‘Impractical Jokers,’ so you might even recognize them already. The comedian also posts tons of pictures of them on his Instagram. (Look – I get it.)
Most of Gatto’s dogs are mutts under 20 pounds, and all but one were rescues. All of the pups are named after Italian desserts: Biscotti, Tartufo, Zeppole, Spumoni, Pignoli, Cannoli and Napoleon. Pignoli, the oldest, joined the family just last summer, August 2019, from Animal Haven.
The family also lost two elderly dogs: Mishkeen and Zeppole (a one-eyed Cavalier from a puppy mill.) According to Gatto, he frequently adopts senior dogs.
“I always have a rotating elderly slot where we let them live out their days comfortably. Now our oldest one is Pignoli. She’s 14 years old and just a beautiful little mess herself.”
Mishkeen’s name notably wasn’t inspired by a dessert, though. The late pup was Gatto’s first elderly rescue. “Mishkeen,” he said, was something his grandmother used to say that roughly translates to “Aww, poor soul.”
“Mishkeen was my first elderly rescue and had an epic tongue. He had no teeth [and] was 14 years old. He was an angry little elf, but was super cute and his tongue was always hanging out of his mouth, so there’s a huge spread in the book with just pictures of his silly tongue.”
Staying home isn’t ideal, but having these delightful pups around doesn’t sound too bad. Look forward to Gatto’s book to learn more about these doggies and how he saved them, and they saved him.
H/T: NY Daily News
Featured Image: @joe_gatto/Instagram
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