Written by Julie Murray

Every now and then, you get to meet someone who is the definition of cool, fun, magnetic, rebellious and kind.  It’s a one in a million chance but then again, Richard “Box” Bachschmidt was a one in a million guy. He was the voice of Charleston for almost 15 years on 105.5 The Bridge - as recognizable and as ingrained in our city as sweetgrass baskets and church steeples.  Sadly, we lost Box in June and things will never be the same. In this issue, Lowcountry Dog pays tribute to Box and remembers all the good times, rad music and general awesomeness he gave to this city.

I first met Box when I worked at a local animal shelter and had to take a dog to the radio station for a short segment promoting the adoptable animal of the week.  You could tell how much he loved animals the second I walked into the booth - he immediately got down on the floor and let the pup give him kisses. His face just lit up.  I don’t know if I could have thought of anything more adorable than a hardcore tatted up DJ melting like butter at the sight of a wiggly butt puppy. Box was a huge advocate for the rescue community and I could tell that he would have taken home each and every animal I brought in if he could.  

His relationship with the animal rescue community in Charleston was long-standing and well known.  Not surprisingly, the second time he came into my life was when I ran into him at one of our adoption events earlier this year and introduced him to our LCDM publisher, Brian. That began a fast friendship and before I knew it, Box and Brian were making big plans for the future - events, radio spots and partnership ideas - all in their quest to help homeless animals.  It’s not often you see two big burly dudes who love metal bands sitting around talking about their love and compassion for dogs - you could just see the ideas and sparks flying in the air!

In typical kind fashion, Box agreed to emcee our annual May The Dogs Be With You event held at the Firefly Distillery out on Wademelaw Island.  The turnout was amazing, thanks in part to Box’s popularity and spreading the word to his fan base. That day, he seemed to be in heaven with all of the dogs surrounding him and many fans approached him for photos and to shake his hand.  That was the last time I saw him and it is a truly great memory of a great guy.

Box, we know you’re somewhere rockin’ out hard to Slayer while being cuddled by a massive pile of puppies.  We miss you - thanks for all you did for our rescue community and for being an amazing point of light in our city’s history.  xo