Dennis Grisco(1940-2022)

Chicago native, Dennis Grisco, was born to Jerome and Anne Grisco (nee: Whtiney). He was the seventh child of their ten children. They moved to Los Angeles, California when he was thirteen years old. Grisco graduated from Belmont High School and finished five years at Los Angeles Trade Technical school with a Plumbers Apprentice certificate as well as receiving a trophy for perfect attendance while simultaneously apprenticing under his father. Grisco and his brothers had a passion for birds especially falcons. They would learn and practice falconry whenever the sky in Los Angeles had open space for falcons to catch their prey. He additionally drove to Alaska with a friend. They resided off the land in a cabin. Their activities would be dog sledding, animal trapping and scaling cliffs. He returned Los Angeles a few years later to visit his family. He did receive money to return to Alaska, but met Rosalina Martinez. His plan changed when he had a telephone call from a bird breeder with his hawk to work on a cinematic film. Grisco and his hawk went to work on the set where he ultimately found his career as a cinematic and television animal trainer, especially involving reptiles, cats, wolves, cougars, alligators and mostly domesticated dogs. Grisco and Rosalina later retired to Idaho on a massive land of breeding falcons and raising pigeons to train captive birds.