The Stuntman and the Service Wolf: Gary Montana Robert and Sage
Gary 'Montana' Robert is a multi-award-winning stuntman and stunt coordinator who has worked on more than 700 TV shows and films from CHiPs and The Dukes of Hazzard to Forrest Gump, Platoon, Underworld, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, and Fast and Furious.
Prepare yourselves for a tale of courage, healing, and an extraordinary partnership between man and wolf. Our guest is none other than the legendary Gary 'Montana' Robert, a multi-award winning stuntman and stunt coordinator with a heart-stopping resume of over 700 TV shows and films, including iconic projects like The Dukes of Hazzard, Forrest Gump, and the Fast and Furious franchise.
But there's more to Gary than death-defying stunts and Hollywood accolades. After surviving nearly every injury imaginable and a grueling fight with bone cancer, Gary found an unlikely guardian in Sage, a service wolf with an astonishing ability to detect seizures before they occur. This has led to a life-changing bond and an inspiring journey as they've touched the lives of many, bringing smiles and healing, one interaction at a time.
Stay tuned as we dive into this incredible narrative, exploring the heartaches and triumphs Gary faced in the perilous world of stunts and his unique relationship with Sage, the wolf that forever altered his path. It's a story that challenges the misunderstandings surrounding wolves and reveals the poignant connection they can share with us humans. We'll discuss how Sage came into Gary's life, their mission to bring healing, and their campaign for kindness.
So, get comfortable, leash up your curiosity, and join us on this wild ride—literally—here on Pet Life Radio.
"Sage is an actual Alaskan Timberwolf. His story was quite sad, actually, quite heartbreaking to some, but turned out to be an incredible journey for him as much as me."
— Gary 'Montana' Robert
BIO:
Gary began his career, when he was just a teenager, and some of his early assignments had him doubling for actors like Robert Urich and Erik Estrada. Gary’s been set on fire. He’s been struck by moving vehicles. He’s flipped cars and jumped over other vehicles while on a motorcycle. Gary has engaged in barroom brawls. He’s jumped out of multi-story buildings and, for many years, held the high-fall record.
Gary is a three-time International Stunt Society Award winner and has been recognized with many other stunt driving and stunt coordinator awards. He has trained others in his own studio and the list of Hollywood stars he’s prepped for stunts on screen reads like a who’s who of the film industry. That list of A-listers includes: Tom Cruise, Jamie Foxx, Vin Diesel, Megan Fox, Jack Black and Charlie Sheen.
In a career spanning 35 years, Gary has broken nearly every bone in his body and he’s suffered more than one concussion. The end result of working so long in the profession he so loves is seizures. But now, a special friend—who came into Gary’s life when he was just a pup—provides ample warning when a seizure is about to hit. That friend is a beautiful, blue-eyed Alaskan timber wolf, named Sage, who is not only a trained service wolf but also a wolf actor and model.
Transcript:
[00:00:00]:
Pet Life radio.
Announcer [00:00:01]:
This is pet Life radio. Let's talk pets.
Donna Hailson [00:00:17]:
Montana Robert is a multi award winning stuntman and stunt coordinator who has worked on more than 700 tv shows and films from chips and the Dukes of Hazard to Forrest Gump, Platoon, Underworld, Austin Powers, the spy who shagged me and Fast and Furious. Gary began his career when he was just a teenager and some of his early assignments had him doubling for actors like Robert Eurek and Eric Estrada. Gary's been set on fire. He's been struck by moving vehicles. He's flipped cars and jumped over other vehicles while on a motorcycle. Gary is engaged in barroom brawls. He's jumped out of multi story buildings and for many years held the high fall record. Gary is a three time international stunt Society award winner and has been recognized with many other stunt driving and stunt coordinator awards.
Donna Hailson [00:01:09]:
He has trained others in his own studio and the list of Hollywood stars he's prepped for stunts on screen reads like a who's who of the film industry. That list of a listers includes Tom Cruise, Jamie Foxx, Vin Diesel, Megan Fox, Jack Black and Charlie Sheen. In a career spanning 35 years, Gary has broken nearly every bone in his body and he suffered more than one concussion. The end result of working so long in the profession he so loves is seizures. But now, a special five year old friend who came into Gary's life when he was just a pup provides ample warning when a seizure is about to hit. That friend is a beautiful blue eyed alaskan Timberwolf named Sage, who is not only a trained service wolf, but also a wolf actor and model. In this episode, we'll hear from Gary Montana Robert about life in stunt work and life with his dearly loved surface wolf, Sage. You're listening to on the road with Mac and Molly, and I am your host, Donna Halson.
Donna Hailson [00:02:15]:
So please sit, stay. We'll be right back with Gary Montana Robert after these messages.
Gary 'Montana' Robert [00:02:24]:
Sit, stay.
Announcer [00:02:26]:
We'll be right back after a short.
Gary 'Montana' Robert [00:02:28]:
Pause.
Announcer [00:02:33]:
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Announcer [00:03:19]:
Let's talk pets on pet.
Donna Hailson [00:03:31]:
Welcome back. You're listening to on the road with Mac and Molly on the Pet Life Radio network.
Donna Hailson [00:03:37]:
I'm your host, Donna Halson.
Donna Hailson [00:03:38]:
And joining us from his ranch on the California coast is Gary Montana.
Donna Hailson [00:03:43]:
Robert hi, Gary.
Donna Hailson [00:03:44]:
Thanks for being with us today.
Gary 'Montana' Robert [00:03:46]:
Well, good morning and thank you very much for having. Sage and I were quite excited.
Donna Hailson [00:03:51]:
Wonderful. Well, Gary, you've had quite a run of a life, and to try to get some kind of hold on that, I wonder if we might just begin at the beginning. I understand that you grew up in Long Beach, California, and that you were introduced to moviemaking at an early age by your dad. So would you tell us a bit about those early years? How did you get into this life that you have led?
Gary 'Montana' Robert [00:04:16]:
Well, thank you for your interest. And I guess in short, and I will tell the story, is I really couldn't sing or dance, so falling down just seemed like a pretty good thing for a career for someone like me. But, yeah, I grew up in Long beach, and at that time, we're talking the 70s. It was really a haven. It was the Hollywood of its time, really. We had shows such as the bionic man with B majors, of course, Starsky and Hutch, emergency swap. Now I'm really kind of aging myself a little bit. But them were big shows at the time, and they were all filmed right there in downtown Long beach.
Gary 'Montana' Robert [00:04:55]:
And growing up in elementary school, my dad used to constantly come to class and take me out of school. I don't remember the excuses, but I know he had plenty to get me out. And we would just go downtown and he would have me meet some of these stars. Somehow he had a way with them. And I just got a real early glimpse at tv and movie making at a young age constantly. And that kind of, I think, set the bug for me. And it went on for a few years, actually. And really how it all began, though, after taking an interest, I knew nothing about my stunt career to come.
Gary 'Montana' Robert [00:05:35]:
I didn't even know what a stuntman was other than evil Knievel, to be honest with you. But I met a gentleman by the name of Dar Robinson. Now, he passed away in the 80s on a film, but he became my mentor. I basically grew up with two brothers. My parents divorced early on, so I was kind of alone at that time as a young teen in Long beach and met Dar on a set and just kind of took me under his wing and we went from there.
Donna Hailson [00:06:01]:
All right, so how old were you when you got your first job, and how did you train for the work?
Gary 'Montana' Robert [00:06:06]:
I was 16 years old, and I just was on a set one day watching, not knowing what they were really doing. This was in Long beach, and introduced himself, took me under his wing. And for the next couple of weeks after school, I would race downtown to help him out, carrying duffel bags and little things. He just kind of took to me. And with passing time, he got to my mother and asked if I can spend some time on the weekends at his place on the Hollywood heels, a nice ranch he had. And basically, you know what? On the weekends, he would just teach me how to fall and tumble and real basic stuff. He took an interest in me and saw my abilities, I guess, physically, and just kind of gave me all the tools I needed. And when I was about 17, I really started working.
Gary 'Montana' Robert [00:06:58]:
I actually left high school. I got a 10th grade education because I wanted to pursue this. And about 17 years old, I got my first big break on a major film being shot outside Santa Barbara, California, called stunts, actually, ironically. And then a big break came for me at about almost 19. I guess it was on a little known show, well, not so little, I guess. It was called chips, starring Eric Estrada. And, well, I ended up being one of the stunt doubles for Eric on the show, doing some of the motorcycle riding and high speed stuff. And it just kind of grew from there, just never stopped.
Gary 'Montana' Robert [00:07:34]:
And I guess to this day, it still does, and it's still in my blood.
Donna Hailson [00:07:38]:
Can you take us through your years as a stuntman and stunt coordinator? And what other shows, what other films did you work on over the years?
Gary 'Montana' Robert [00:07:48]:
Okay, sure. Well, again, starting off as a young stuntman, I turned out to be kind of a phenome at the time. Just really excelled at it at a young age, I guess I can say, and not boasting or bragging, but I was envy of a lot of people, even to this day, that I meet my age, or give or take, because I happen to have been blessed to have worked on all the major shows at the time. Everything from Night Rider, the Dukes of Hazard, the 18, Airwolf, Street Hawk, Hardcastle, McCormick, Nash, you name it. I just paved the pavement with all the major shows at the time. Then we did some Steven Seagal movies, some major films at the time, from platoon to just about every major film that was coming up at the time we were involved in. I was just doing stunt work as a stuntman, started stunt doubling at later years regularly for some major actors. But I did everything from car work, crashes, jumps, spins, horsework, westerns, medieval, you name it, we've done it.
Gary 'Montana' Robert [00:08:51]:
As I gained that experience and I learned you transitioned into stunt coordinating, where you actually set up and design, hire the stunt guys and figure out how to do these complex things that you see on a script that comes with years of knowledge and experience. Like any trade or profession, you work your way up to that, and it just kind of snowballed into so many other opportunities, from designing action sequences to specialized props to vehicles for stunt work. But stunt coordinating certainly has its challenges and doesn't come without a lot of stress and headaches. Though I will say, going on about 35 plus years now in the industry, I can honestly say I've never really worked a day in my life. How can you when you're given the opportunity to travel around the world and play with all these expensive toys and get paid for it? So it's quite an experience, quite an opportunity for someone with no education and really no direction from father. At a teenage year, I basically was like running off with the circus and enjoying life and learning all the fun things that went with it. So it was a great time and it led to a great career.
Donna Hailson [00:10:03]:
I thought it was interesting that you happened to have your photograph taken when you were probably a teen, I would guess, with a couple of actors, Lee Marvin and Robert Yurich. And then you went on to stunt double for both of them. Is that true?
Gary 'Montana' Robert [00:10:15]:
Well, yeah. This is what's really funny and interesting to me. Again, it's just been the most colorful life anyone could ever imagine. But, yeah, Robert Baba, as I was allowed to call him, as I got to know him, was a fantastic, giving, loving man. Unfortunately, we lost him years. You know, he was one of the stars on an old series called SWAT. A lot of the listeners may, you know, he played one of the SWAT team members. And I remember being taken out of school because that was my favorite show at the time, of course.
Gary 'Montana' Robert [00:10:51]:
And my dad took me downtown, Long beach, and they were filming. And I actually have pictures with all these casty forest and Bob Urick. And forgive me, but I can't recall the other actors names, but I have pictures with all of them as a young teen. It was just amazing. And I was, I guess, 1413 maybe at the time, give or take. And years later, I get a call from some producers that were filming the show starring Bob Urick and want to meet a stunt double for, you know, the real funny part of the story is when I got to the set, I got to meet him. Of course, he didn't recognize me right off the bat. I'm a grown younger adult now, and my name always stood out.
Gary 'Montana' Robert [00:11:41]:
Gary Montana Robert or Gary Robert. And so one day I introduced myself on the set there we were having lunch. I'm going to be a stunt double sort of thing. And we got to know each other. You kind of want to hang around with those you're doubling so you can learn some of their mannerisms and stuff. And he's just a great, fun guy. And he know, you really look familiar. I don't know if it's just your name or what.
Gary 'Montana' Robert [00:12:03]:
I know you're a stunt guy now in the business, blah, blah, blah. So anyway, a couple of days later, I went back to set with the photo album and said, hey, bob, I'll show you something. So I opened this photo album, and there was all these pictures. Boy, he was just, like, just at all seeing these old pictures of him. Oh, my God, look at how young I am. He's looking at this one picture of a scrawny kid with high water pants that be me. And he's looking at it. He's looking at me, he's looking at the picture, and he says, wait a minute.
Gary 'Montana' Robert [00:12:31]:
Is that you? I said, yeah, it know. So here I am, the young kid in this photo, and years later, I'm in his shadows, his stunt bubble. Well, I got the same story for Lee Majors, Lee Marvin, on a couple of feature films he worked on and a number of other actors. So it was just quite an amazing coincidence of life and being at the right place at the wrong time, I guess. But, yeah, it was quite interesting how that worked out. So it's quite fun and quite exciting.
Donna Hailson [00:13:02]:
Could you share some of the. Maybe the highlights or low lights, maybe some of the signature scenes in which you were featured?
Gary 'Montana' Robert [00:13:10]:
Well, to pick one, it would be nearly impossible, I've always said, and I'm always asked, what's the greatest thing you've ever done? What's the most exciting stunt you ever done? And I always come back with the next, know, whatever that may be. I think the days with Night Rider and the Dukes of Hazard, of course, because everybody thinks about those shows. Cars flying through the air were some of the more memorable, for sure. Working on films such as Platoon back in the early part of my career, huge opportunity, seeing the transition from what movies were like to what they are today. There's just so many highlights. And I think one of the most important things for me that Dar instilled in me at a young age, and I'll share with you, is I was asked one time when I was young with Dar. Well, you know what we do? We're stuntmen. I'm a stuntman, so you know what that is.
Gary 'Montana' Robert [00:14:04]:
Evil Knievel, I guess. Well, not know. There's a lot of definitions, and one is to risk their lives and danger and all that, but really, the job of a stuntman is really to save a life, and that's that actor or actors that you may be doubling for or performing for. And so to me, that was a highlight, knowing I'm doing something so somebody else can get home safe. I'm not a hero. There's nothing really noble about that. That's the job. But I believed in it and I still do.
Gary 'Montana' Robert [00:14:35]:
So I think, for me, the greatest highlight is knowing, because I've never had kids. I was married for a short time, so I really never had that family. So being able to see somebody else get home to theirs, at the end of the day, that may not have walked away from a crash that went wrong and many have gone wrong in my career. I've been in a couple of comas and some serious injuries, and I look at it, that could have been somebody else better me. So I think the highlights really, Donna, are just knowing I did something not to bring some excitement and thrills to the screen, really, but to save an actor, our actors. And to me, that was very important because that's what Dar instilled in me. And how unfortunate that believing in just that is what took his. It's.
Gary 'Montana' Robert [00:15:25]:
It's a great career. So many highlights, so many shows, so many actors. I've got to meet Jackie Gleason, the red Fox. The list goes on and on. I just couldn't pick out one in particular. My stunts. From world record high falls of 220ft, 20 plus stories on fire to jumping cars over semi trucks and through semi trucks. Even my near fatal accidents, I guess, were.
Gary 'Montana' Robert [00:15:55]:
Well, I hate to say it's. But kind of cool highlights. So there's just a lot of great memories. And the heartaches are the fact that we do lose loved ones and those dear to us in this business. And, boy, I've been around that, unfortunately, we had a lot of mishaps. And daughter, of course, be the most tragic in my career, being my mentor and a father figure to me. But I've lost a lot of dear friends in this industry and them are the tough times. But if you're true to this profession and you believe in it, it doesn't change your mind.
Gary 'Montana' Robert [00:16:31]:
And if you have faith in the man upstairs which I do. I never worry about that. We just go on and appreciate the.
Donna Hailson [00:16:38]:
Next day what happened to, you know.
Gary 'Montana' Robert [00:16:43]:
There'S a number of things. And sadly, I was to be on the set. They were filming in Arizona. The film went through several different titles, I believe. Lastly, it was called Cyclone, I believe. Not a huge high budget film. Now, Dar was one of these spectacular stunt guys that tv specials were made of. This guy was a legend.
Gary 'Montana' Robert [00:17:05]:
He did the most amazing things. A true showman above anything else. This movie wasn't one of the highest or the biggest films he's ever done, but nonetheless he was on it. And he was doing some speed runs on a motorcycle. Really wasn't part of a dunce scene at the moment. And again, I was to be there, but I was on another set filming on another project and he cornered a little bit too fast at high speed on the motorcycle. And they were doing this basically for camera tests, running some tests for the camera. So sadly it wasn't really part of anything in particular.
Gary 'Montana' Robert [00:17:44]:
So it's kind of a needless accident and that's exactly what it was. Lost control of the bike, won over an embankment, flew through the air 50, 60ft below and landed in some rocks and suffered some major internal injuries. It was just a very tragic accident. Something like that would have never been foreseen by him because this is a man that jumped from one airplane to another without a parachute, leaped over 1000ft with a cable off the tower, one of the world's largest towers. This guy just did some amazing stuff. And for something this simple to come and bite you and get you, that's the scary part. And that's what we really, a lot of times underestimate. It's the easy, simple things that will get you.
Gary 'Montana' Robert [00:18:29]:
And in this case it really was. And it's in that way in my accidents too, for that matter. Some of the things you take for granted that you can do pretty easily turn out to be the most dangerous things. So for him, it was just a really sad, bad day at the office. It struck all of us very hard because he was a legend of stunt guys. He's just done it all. So it was just a very sad accident and it really didn't need to happen. But it did.
Gary 'Montana' Robert [00:18:54]:
And it was something that struck a chord with me. It allowed me to tighten the belt a little tighter and buckle down on how we did things. And when I got to the point of coordinating, I always used ours accident as an example of what we need to prepare for. And that's the simplest things because that's what's going to get you. It was just a really unfortunate accident and that's all it was. There was nothing that could have been done differently or changed.
Donna Hailson [00:19:20]:
Well, now, all totaled, you've appeared in more than 700 films and tv shows, is that right?
Gary 'Montana' Robert [00:19:26]:
Yeah. That's quite amazing in itself. Combined, from the biggest films to date to smaller films to independent films. But yeah, I've had 700 total films. And combined, I've probably wrecked over 3500 cars and I don't know how many bikes I've motorcycles. Funny thing is, when I'm driving on the road and there's a car that cuts in front of me or something, I always say to myself, this is what I do for a living. And if I see an accident, I say, well, I've been involved in over a couple of thousand, just never in by accident. Mine are all on purpose.
Donna Hailson [00:20:07]:
You did this over 34 years?
Gary 'Montana' Robert [00:20:09]:
35 years now, yeah, actually started training, actually worked and started training at about. Just before I was 16 years old. I started doing live shows, of course, with Dar and small projects, little independent things. My very first gig actually came, I believe, let's see, 1977 or 1978 on a tv series which again, was kind of a hit at the time called BJ and the Bear Ray gave again, traveling the country, little monkey. And that was my first really tv break. Just did a couple of small stunts in there and I've never looked back as much as I try to occasionally some of the memories are a little painful, but, yeah, 35 years, 700 films.
Donna Hailson [00:20:58]:
Could you mention some of the films on which you've worked as well?
Gary 'Montana' Robert [00:21:02]:
As far as films, we've done everything from Harley Davidson, the Marble man, good guys were black, Chuck Norris done the mission Impossible movies, Transformer, Fast and Furious, Tears of the sun, black hot, know the list goes on and on. Brave heart, saving Private Ryan, Tropic Thunder, which is everybody's favorite as soon as I talk to get out. And again, we have just been able to work with some of Hollywood's biggest actors and actresses. And as I got the experience, I was their coordinator and trainer, prepping them for movies, teaching them to do their. We, uh, we definitely managed to carve a niche for ourselves, not just in stunts, but as technical advisors for military and action scenes and training the actors and actresses to do their roles. We've done quite a bit.
Donna Hailson [00:22:00]:
You've mentioned really how dangerous the work has been, and I imagine that this job has had to have been punishing on your body. In an earlier conversation you and I had, you noted the number of broken bones that you've suffered over the years. And can you tell us something about those injuries?
Gary 'Montana' Robert [00:22:24]:
Yeah, unfortunately, I remember them like they were yesterday, but, yeah, I have had so many injuries. But it's not because we're clumsy. By no means. It's the nature of the work. It's like a football player or a race car driver or a bull rider, which I've done that, too. It's not a matter of if, but when it's going to happen. You can't race cars and not crash. You can't play football and not get hurt.
Gary 'Montana' Robert [00:22:51]:
You can't do stuff and not get hurt. And in the process, I have broke my back three times, my neck once. I've been in three comas the longest, 42 days. I've had 40 plus broken bones. Many of them rebreaks compound fractures. I've had a little over three dozen concussions, nearly ten plus open skull fractures where my skull is actually cracked. Yeah. And you know what? It just was part of the job, and it didn't scare me off.
Gary 'Montana' Robert [00:23:20]:
In fact, I can honestly say I remember being younger and a little older, where we would have a cast on an arm or a leg and we'd actually saw it off and wrap it up with ace bandages and duct tape and go right back to work. It is very brutal and very punishing. Again, it's not because we're clumsy or we don't know what we're doing. It happens. You look at some of the older shows, Dukes of hazard, as an example of night rider. These shows in the 80s were pretty primitive. Our cars weren't like anything like today. We didn't have all but a roll cage and a simple harness system.
Gary 'Montana' Robert [00:23:54]:
Now, these cars are built to withstand NASCAR punishment. So it was pretty brutal at the time. When you crashed a motorcycle, there was no CGI. You really crashed a motorcycle. And I've crashed bikes into cars doing 90 miles an hour, flew over the hood and hit the freeway and tumbled down the asphalt. And again, that's just part of the job. If you're going to do this kind of work, you better be ready to pay the price.
Donna Hailson [00:24:20]:
Well, today you suffer from seizures, and I'm wondering if those seizures are the end result of a specific incident or an accident.
Gary 'Montana' Robert [00:24:28]:
Well, yeah, sadly, there are some long term effects that can catch up with one that you don't really think about and that they don't tell you, they being the doctors, in time, what medication can do to your organs and your bodies. You think you're indestructible and nobody really tells you, cautions you, other than arthritis you're going to have. Well, yeah, unfortunately my career was blossoming pretty good even as a mature veteran. But health issues snuck up on us and a few years ago I had a brain aneurysm went undetected. A clot basically, that went undetected for quite a while. It was definitely due, looking back now and professionals, medical professionals saying, yeah, you can't have as many concussions as you had and not suffer something like a boxer. You can't get hit in the head, not expect something over the years. Well, I did have one, an aneurysm.
Gary 'Montana' Robert [00:25:27]:
And, well, that left me basically in a stroke position, not able to talk or walk for quite some time. Quite scary, actually. Very heartbreaking to me because I was mentally aware of what was going on and to look back at what I did for all these years, the punishment finally caught up with me. So after I recovered from it and was walking and talking a bit better and slower but getting back to normal, I started trying to get back into the work. It didn't sway me, didn't deter me. It just made me stronger. But it did leave me with seizures starting to develop and come on. Which took me to my next adventure and highlight of my life.
Gary 'Montana' Robert [00:26:08]:
Really sad as it was and as painful it led to probably the best part of my life to this day. Yeah, it has its moments. And again, it's one of those things I would say to anybody getting into this. And I ran in a very successful sun school and I tell the students, this is what you got to be prepared for if you're going to get into this profession, know what you're getting into because this is what can happen. So my career injuries definitely without a doubt played a major role in what I'm suffering today. So you just got to accept it and deal with it. And now I have help with that, with a very special friend.
Donna Hailson [00:26:48]:
Well, and as you say, there is a special friend who has come into your life, and that friend is named Sage. And in the second segment of her program, I'd like to focus on that relationship. Let's now take a break and when we return, we'll turn our attention to sage wolf, actor and service wolf.
Donna Hailson [00:27:06]:
So folks, please sit, stay.
Donna Hailson [00:27:08]:
We'll be right back after this pause.
Gary 'Montana' Robert [00:27:14]:
Sit, stay.
Announcer [00:27:15]:
We'll be right back after a short pause.
Announcer [00:28:00]:
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Gary 'Montana' Robert [00:28:45]:
Let's talk pets let's talk pets on pet Life radio.
Donna Hailson [00:28:48]:
Petlife Radio, Petliferadio Comberwolf. Would you take us through his history.
Donna Hailson [00:29:05]:
And tell us how he came into your life? He's a beautiful, beautiful wolf and I wonder if you might describe him for us as well and tell us something about his nature and how old he was when you met, and perhaps you can give us a sense of the connection that you share.
Gary 'Montana' Robert [00:29:19]:
Well, thank you. There is no doubt Sage is very special and gosh, how do you describe crazy? Perfection, I guess, but I can. Sage is an actual alaskan Timberwolf. His story was quite sad, actually, quite heartbreaking to some, but turned out to be an incredible journey for him as much as me. Sage was 13 weeks when I found him, when I got to meet him, and Sage was actually in a sanctuary, born himself with kidney and liver issues as a pup and therefore his pack rejected him, which they would do in the wild. Now, I've been around wild animals all my life, including wolves. I worked with them in films and bison and lions and tigers and bears and all that stuff. I've been attacked by them many times in films, so I knew just how challenging it would be and they could be and a lot about the wolves.
Gary 'Montana' Robert [00:30:16]:
And I became a bit more of an expert after taking them on. But in short, really, I had some contacts in Alaska that gave me a call one day and said, hey, we have basically an orphan pup here it's rejected by its pack and we can't reintroduce them. This is just not what they do. We are not in a position to raise them and sadly, most sanctuaries aren't, especially when pups are born with illnesses because of the expense that goes along with them and they're just not financially prepared for that challenge. So I hate saying this, but unfortunately a lot of them have to be put down. And sassy Sage was one of those. And so I got word of it. I happened to have permits and license and everything else that was required to have such a creature just because I could.
Gary 'Montana' Robert [00:31:04]:
And I did have those and went to go see him and oh my gosh, if you were to look at his Facebook photos and his new website coming up and see his pup pictures, how can you deny? So basically I went and saw and met him, saw his dad, who was, oh my gosh, 170 plus pounds of a wolf, quite big. And here was little sage. Well, basically, Donna and listeners, I decided to take him on and bring him back at a cost of about $250,000. Just first year of our own money to rehab them. This is why places just aren't equipped to do it. It is cost. Not really knowing. I just didn't have any kids, no family, saved my money, had a great life, great career.
Gary 'Montana' Robert [00:31:50]:
I could do it, so why not? The good Lord gave me the abilities, care for this animal, I thought. So I did, and it was a struggle. This little poor wolf who was always going to be underweight and under everything, misunderstood. And I took him on and got him as healthy as we can with some experts and that's pretty much how we kind of met. But that first year was such an amazing bond. I've been around wolves and they really are geared to attack and so I had to establish that with him. I can see all of the wolf instincts kicking in, but yet he wasn't that wolf that he should have been. And I felt really bad, but the options were for him not to exist.
Gary 'Montana' Robert [00:32:35]:
So I had to do what I could to give him a normal life, but yet a wolf life. I had to feed him and treat him like a wolf, but yet treat him like my best friend. And boy, he really appreciated because he just became so connected to me. It's just been incredible. A lot of experts can't even explain the connection we have. There's just something there. So all that love and care and attention and allowing him to be himself really paid off, which led him to be something very special for me that he was never meant to be.
Donna Hailson [00:33:06]:
It's interesting that in some ways, when the two of you met, you were both a bit broken, right?
Gary 'Montana' Robert [00:33:12]:
Yeah. And that's part of the fun story and the sad story to people. I was already busted up and physically hurt. I have my own other health issues, too, that I've been dealing with, and it's actually come back to haunt me again. We just discovered. So I've had my shares. I was already getting sick, didn't have the full effects of some of my injuries, but I was already feeling it. So basically on my own, I kind of retired a little bit from the business.
Gary 'Montana' Robert [00:33:44]:
So when I met up with Sage, I was the lone wolf, and he was a lone wolf. He was ill, I was ill, and we kind of just made this amazing bond and traveled the country together. And, my goodness, he can feel the love and I could, too. And we basically saved each other. And that's really the story in itself. In itself, is how we just saved each other.
Donna Hailson [00:34:06]:
Well, you took him in and you helped him heal, and in return, he has done the same for you. He eventually was trained to serve as an assistance wolf or as a service wolf. Can you tell us something about that, how that all came to be and what that's meant for you?
Gary 'Montana' Robert [00:34:23]:
Yeah. Thank you for asking. Yeah, that was quite amazing. It was never meant to be this way. Number one, he's a wild animal, and first and foremost, I want to make that very clear, he is not domesticated. I'm always asked. Let me back up real quick here. Always ask, oh, my gosh.
Gary 'Montana' Robert [00:34:38]:
Because he has fans everywhere and he stops traffic wherever we go and we go to a lot of places. Well, how did you domesticate this guy, this wolf? Well, first of all, he is not domesticated. He is a wild wolf. The difference is he taught me how to live in his world. He domesticated me to how he lives and what his needs are. That's the most important part I've learned to most, if not all, wild, exotic animals or wildlife, got to let them set the pace, and if they're going to let you in, they're going to let you in. If not, that's just the way it's going to be. Well, he made it very easy to bond with.
Gary 'Montana' Robert [00:35:14]:
He made it very easy for me to understand his needs. So when my needs became apparent to him, he knew that right away. So what happened is I had him after my prior and after my major head injury developed and the seizure started. And it was made very clear by doctors that you're going to need some help. Gary, again, I don't have any family really now, or kids and never been around anybody. And it was made clear that you're going to be having these seizures. Gary, you're healthy in every other sense for the most part. But there are animals that are trained for this.
Gary 'Montana' Robert [00:35:54]:
They have seen eye dogs, they got companion animals, and they have dogs, canines, that detect seizures. And this is your great candidate for it. And that was fine and dandy, but I had this crazy idea. I said, well, that's kind of neat, but I have a wolf. Is there any way I can get some help in getting this wolf trained? And of course, jaws dropped. What? No, can't do that so well. Can't is a four letter word, a bad word to us. So that just inspired me more to push a little harder, and I was determined if a canine can do this.
Gary 'Montana' Robert [00:36:27]:
And I started doing some homework on facilities that teach and work with service animals for patients and what makes them special and what do they do and how they train them. And it's like, well, it's a wolf of Canaan. All dogs come from Canaan. From the wolves. Anyway, I don't get it. Well, for most people, it was a liability issue. They equated this to taking a bear or a lion somewhere. It wouldn't do it.
Gary 'Montana' Robert [00:36:52]:
So that kind of pumped me even more. And I do know, and I did know, that wolves sense of smell are ten times greater than a typical canine. Their senses are so much greater in every respect. So I just knew there had to be a way to do this. And, well, months went by of trying contacted facilities throughout the United States, and they were all interested. But all said, no, this is just not going to happen. Even animal trainers in the film industry, you can't take a wolf and do anything like that. You can't even get him to do what we want him to do for films all the time or half the time, let alone medical services.
Gary 'Montana' Robert [00:37:31]:
Well, again, we tried and with no success. But faith was always really clingy to me, so I knew there was something special. I got sick a few times. And surprisingly, and not so surprisingly, he was right there in alerting me in different ways. Well, we just needed a little bit of push. And about seven months or so later, we got that push from a call from Europe, somebody that heard about us through the pipeline, through the medical fields, I guess. And, you know, we believe we could help you. We work with animals here, and I have worked with service animals and some exotic animals, and I think we might be able to do something for you.
Gary 'Montana' Robert [00:38:10]:
Well, I have to say, european medicine is pretty advanced, even in the canine and the animal world. They're just more open to things I've learned. So we spent nine months overseas and basically sage got an education on what it's like to be a service animal for a seizure patient. He learned and worked with others and me and boy, it was a struggle, but it was so easy at the same time. And in know he was able to really start picking up on me. And my seizures, their sense of smell is so great. And that's what they pick up on from a patient like me is your body, your endorphins change. Everything changes.
Gary 'Montana' Robert [00:38:52]:
I've learned all this and they can really pick up on that. And Sage was really king in on that. He was just amazing with it. So we came there, we got all the certificates to show that he is very capable and very legal to own and to have, which is very rare, but also that he's very capable in the professional medical field to assist me. So he is licensed and documented and all the fun stuff and all the cool things he needs. And his own little vest, which he's so proud to put on because when he wears that, he knows he's working quite cool. But now he's able to detect my seizures about 20 minutes prior to them happening, give or take a minute or two. And it's quite amazing because he's done that a few times already and most recently, which was amazing on our way back from Arizona recently.
Gary 'Montana' Robert [00:39:42]:
So he turned out to be very rare in a number of ways. We can't find another real wild, exotic animal that can do this that we know of. And we've been around now, and his eyes, number one, separates him from other wolves. Turns out he is so special. And only the good Lord above, I believe, is the answer to that. But he is unique and very kind and loving. Wolves are so misunderstood. And that's the blessing of having this special wolf is sharing people.
Gary 'Montana' Robert [00:40:14]:
It's been amazing.
Donna Hailson [00:40:15]:
Well, wolves are such maligned creatures and everything from ancient fairy tales to some of the movies today just depict them as these dangerous predators and the very idea of training and keeping a service wolf is challenged by probably a lot of people, I would guess. And would you want to address that controversy and maybe just reiterate, I guess, why Sage was such a good candidate for this work?
Gary 'Montana' Robert [00:40:40]:
Yeah, and you're right, there is a lot of controversy. In fact, it's just funny. Just the other day, I believe it was yesterday or the day before we were at a market. And of course, we stopped traffic wherever we go. And some lady overheard me telling another that this was a wolf because we always have to identify him as such, and he has that on his vest. And the response was, why would you do that to a wolf? And, well, give me a second. And she thought it was a husky malmute mixer or whatever. And my response is, why would you do that to a canine? That's the worst thing you want to do in my book, is to have a hybrid.
Gary 'Montana' Robert [00:41:14]:
And I know them too well. But Sage was one in a million. There's no doubt. There is just no one that's going to convince me otherwise. I did not choose this life for him, really. It happened. I think anybody that was in a position, financially or otherwise, to see Sage as he was as a pup and that had any compassion for an animal. And my love of my life, Stacey here, and I just love animals.
Gary 'Montana' Robert [00:41:43]:
We got a house full of all kinds of animals. You couldn't deny this animal, no matter what you were going to do, whatever it was going to take. And knowing about the wolves, I knew that they can only be trained to a certain extent, if at all. They're escape they. If not pack animals, they're loneables, hence the name. They want to do their own thing. Well, Sage never expressed that as he was growing up. And again, I just could not see something so majestic being put down.
Gary 'Montana' Robert [00:42:14]:
So he had all the right makings. I knew wolves had the intelligence. They are not, as you just mentioned, they are not like what they're portrayed. They're not the big, bad wolves. How many times have we heard of a bear attack? Okay, bison attack at the national parks. Bobcats, lions, pit bulls, german shepherds, poodles. They're most likely going to be bit by a pool in the park than a wolf in the woods. I assure you, guarantee you that.
Gary 'Montana' Robert [00:42:41]:
You do not hear of that. They're just so misunderstood. They're beautiful, majestic, private creatures that just want to be left alone. They hunt for survival and for their family, in a way. Is that what we do? So they're no different. I try to educate people in that. Again, wolves have that sense of ability. They are a packed animal.
Gary 'Montana' Robert [00:43:02]:
They're not like coyotes and other related animals. They are really geared to family for the most part. They want to be together. So Sage took to me as that, and I took to him as that. So we had that bond early on that made the perfect candidate for a companion for me, medically. He just picked up on my needs with his sense of incredible smell. Now, I don't exploit him. I don't do anything with him in negative way.
Gary 'Montana' Robert [00:43:36]:
Entertainment stuff just happened to be. And it was out of necessity in some cases, being honest. But I learned having him and having him in public was a great way to bring education and awareness to the wolves. So it turned out Sage has been an ambassador unofficially and a great one at that. He has every attribute that makes him perfect candidate. When you see him in public, he is just so docile and calm and ladies at the table, under the table at restaurants and he just knows what he needs to do. I care for him. I love him like you can only imagine, and in turn, he returns us.
Gary 'Montana' Robert [00:44:17]:
But again, people just don't understand. They think it's absolutely wrong. He should be in a cage. He should be in a sanctuary. You can't. It's just not going to happen. That's not a life. And never was for him again.
Gary 'Montana' Robert [00:44:29]:
I really didn't pick this destination for us. It just kind of happened and we went with it and now we share it.
Donna Hailson [00:44:36]:
Well, now Sage has added wolf actor and model as well to his resume. Is that right?
Gary 'Montana' Robert [00:44:42]:
Yeah. That's quite funny in itself. Now I knew I had somebody very special. The time we spent on the road from Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming, this was probably the most traveled wolf in the world and around the world, for that matter of know, recovering a little bit. I was traveling. I kind of retired. We're leaving Colorado and I still had all my contacts in the movie business. I directed some films on my own studio lot.
Gary 'Montana' Robert [00:45:08]:
I've done so much where I had so many contacts and people knew I was retiring and knew Sage and I, and just taken by our story, I wanted to, you know, a lot of producers and directors of mine past would come up and say, hey, you know what? I know you got this wolf. I know somebody that meets a wolf in a shoot is your wolf actor. No, he's really not. But I figured, you know what? If this guy could learn to save me and be the companion that he has turned out to be, at that point, I just bet he'll be very trainable, if I can use that word. And sure enough, I started working with him. Now, I worked around animals, as I said, especially canine handlers and trainers for films and all that. Basically take the same concepts you would a canine just multiply it times 20 times greater and patience. And it worked.
Gary 'Montana' Robert [00:46:03]:
So he got his first gig, actually a small independent film, unfortunately. Unfortunately, he got to play the big bad wolf, which is pretty easy for him, even though he looks beautiful. But, yeah, I started working with him and I started doing some small features, a couple of small tv things, some commercials. He's really suited for print work, so he does a lot of modeling. He's just absolutely stunning. And it's funny, once you get in front of a camera, camera, he poses. He really knows the cue. I got him to learn certain commands and certain words.
Gary 'Montana' Robert [00:46:33]:
He has a vocabulary about 100 words. He understands perfectly. So, yeah, he is quite the actor and model spokesperson. I spokeswolf for his kind, Stacey, beautiful love of my life now, and his new mommy. And she owns 2ft stores, animal pet stores here in California. So Sage is becoming quite the door greeter there and special events. We just love showing him and sharing him. So he's done quite well.
Gary 'Montana' Robert [00:47:03]:
And honestly, I mentioned earlier out of necessity, and I don't mean it in any disrespectful way towards Sage or what we do, but having him does come with an expense. There is no doubt. This is not the cozy, warm, fuzzy life. It is a tough life, a beautiful life. But Sage has ongoing medical needs, as do I. There is no doubt. I was just diagnosed with something even more serious that we have to deal with now. And that's okay, we will.
Gary 'Montana' Robert [00:47:33]:
But having Sage work a little bit and me work as his handler and trainer has allowed us to make life a little bit easier for our bills as medical because they are ongoing. Sage has ongoing kidney and liver disease. And unfortunately, his life will be cut a little bit shorter than it could be living a life like this. So we're able to offset some of those expenses by some of his opportunities he gets. And at the same time, it allows me to share him with others. So it's a win win for everybody. But he does seem to enjoy.
Donna Hailson [00:48:06]:
How old is Sage?
Gary 'Montana' Robert [00:48:07]:
He is going on five years old.
Donna Hailson [00:48:09]:
Still quite young.
Gary 'Montana' Robert [00:48:11]:
Yes, he is. And in the wild, actually, that could be the extent of their life. They are prone to diseases, injuries. They don't have a whole lot of predators in the wild, but they do have their share. Most of them succumb to injuries that don't heal and infections and things like that, illnesses of different sorts. So they do have a very short life in the wild for the most part. In captivity. Sanctuary zoos.
Gary 'Montana' Robert [00:48:36]:
Boy, they can 15, 1617 years, maybe just a slight bit longer. They can have quite a good life if they're taken care of. Now, in Sage's case, again, being with kidney and liver, it has stunted his development and his growth like it would an actual person. So he's a fraction of the size he would be and the weight he should be. But we manage it quite well with good diet, a good balance of real meat, real food, as he would in the wild, to lots of good exercise, to good living, to medical treatment. He has ongoing, so it definitely is a challenge. And when he's there at the vet, I'm right there with him day and night because he has to spend days in there. And I've been going for some recent treatments for my illness, my latest, and he's right in the hospital with me.
Gary 'Montana' Robert [00:49:24]:
So it's kind of a neat, sad story, but a neat story. It's really sweet.
Donna Hailson [00:49:28]:
You seem very much the perfectly matched pair and especially being able to understand and appreciate in each other the pains and just the challenges, the physical challenges that you both have. And yet you've really managed to connect, it seems, on such a very deep level. And it's inspiring to hear that story. And I think it's such an important story, especially today, when wolves have been so maligned and when they face so many challenges in the wild. It's so wonderful to be able to hear a story of how a wolf can be appreciated and left to be a wolf while at the same time being one who can come alongside of a human being and make such an extraordinary difference in his life as well. I wonder, as we close out our time together, if there's anything else that you want to be certain to.
Gary 'Montana' Robert [00:50:19]:
Boy, I love this opportunity to share with you and the listeners about sage, more so than my own career. But I just want people to really understand that what we do now, Sage and I, is for everyone else. And we've learned that we have had people cry that meet us, that meet sage, those in wheelchairs, the elderly, kids, men, even. Sage is so powerful. The wolf is a very powerful healing creature. It's not a tool. By no means he's a creature, but he's a beautiful gift. And we're constantly offered money by people.
Gary 'Montana' Robert [00:50:59]:
Let me help you. All I ask, share a smile. Because look what it did for you, sir. Look what it did for you, ma'am. Look what it did for your child in that wheelchair. Share a smile. And that's what sage does. He can actually smile on command.
Gary 'Montana' Robert [00:51:12]:
So he shares a smile. So the only thing I would leave anybody with, be kind to each other. There's a lot we can learn from our four legged companions if we let them. And if you're open to the love that they're willing to give you, which a lot of animal owners and lovers have experienced. I'm sure your listeners out there, they have seen me through some tough times. This wolf has seen me through my hardest. I'm dealing with bone cancer right now. Form of it a very difficult time of my life.
Gary 'Montana' Robert [00:51:40]:
Heartbreaking some days for me to try to get around. But who's beside me smiling saves my wolf. I don't let it slow me down. And I just want everybody else to know that a smile and love of whatever your animal is can do so much more healing than any medical profession can. And I just want people to know that share a smile and if they want a smile from sage, go to his facebook and soon to be website, look him up and you'll have the time of your life. He's got all kinds of things we love to send out, no obligation. We have porgraphic pictures, we call them all kinds of fun stuff. But really we just want people to understand that sage is happy.
Gary 'Montana' Robert [00:52:23]:
This wolf is happy. He is not suffering. I did not take him out of anything whatsoever. I enhanced his life and he enhanced mine and that's all that matters. So there's some that may not agree tons more that do. Bottom line is he's happy and healthy and has the best time of his life. He has his own goats, his own horses, other dogs, siblings. He's living the life, I assure you, a fantastic life and hopefully soon a tv project we're working on, maybe that's another story for another time.
Donna Hailson [00:52:54]:
Thank you Gary for being with us. You have quite the story to tell and we're grateful you shared that story with us today. If folks have any questions or comments about this program, I'd invite you to email me at the address noted on my show blog that's found on pet Life radio's homepage. And as always, I hope you'll come along next time as we head out on the road with Mac and Molly.
Announcer [00:53:17]:
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Timestamped overview:
00:00 Stuntman Gary Montana and his remarkable wolf.
06:06 Mentor in Hollywood taught me film stunts.
08:51 Transitioned to stunt coordinating, designing and coordinating stunts.
10:51 Downtown Long Beach filming, meeting Bob Urick.
13:10 Vast career in stunts, hard to pick.
17:44 Tragic accident due to underestimating simple danger.
21:02 Stunt work for major films with A-listers.
24:28 Medication side effects led to brain aneurysm.
29:19 Sage, the Alaskan Timberwolf, was a challenge.
30:16 Rescued rejected pup by using expertise.
34:38 Bonded with wild wolf, living by its needs.
38:52 Sage detects seizures, is trained and certified.
40:40 Controversy over wolf or husky malmute mixer.
45:08 Actor trains wolf, challenging but ultimately successful.
48:36 Boy has health issues, lives a good life.
51:40 Animal smiles bring healing and happiness.
Key topics and bullets:
**Introduction of Guest and His Background**
- Overview of Gary 'Montana' Robert's career as a stuntman and stunt coordinator
- Mention of iconic TV shows and films
- Discussion of his experience and training under Dar Robinson
- Outline of Gary's role doubling for famous actors
- Awards and recognition in the industry
**Impact of Stunts on Gary's Health**
- Detailed account of injuries sustained throughout his career
- The aftermath of injuries, including seizures
- How these injuries led to the presence of Sage in his life
- Gary's ongoing battle with bone cancer
**The Story of Sage, the Service Wolf**
- Introduction to Sage's background and significance
- Sage’s unique abilities to predict seizures
- The bond between Gary and his service wolf
- The healing effect Sage has on various groups of people
**Gary and Sage's Relationship**
- The deep connection and understanding between Gary and Sage
- The story of how they saved each other
- The challenges of Sage’s growth and health
- Gary's advocacy for wolves and changing perceptions
**Controversies and Education about Service Wolves**
- Addressing the skeptics and critics of having a wolf as a service animal
- Public reaction and the incident at a market
- The rarity and uniqueness of Sage's abilities
- The certification process and acceptance of Sage as a service animal
**Closing Remarks**
- A thank you to Gary Montana for sharing his and Sage's story
- Invitation for audience engagement with questions or comments
- Promotion of Sage's social media for uplifting content
- Upcoming features and episodes on Pet Life Radio