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| Subject: Re: Food For Thought | |
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Author: Danger Author Host/IP: 63.230.16.203 |
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Date Posted: 10:03:10 03/01/06 Wed In reply to: FTJ 's message, "Food For Thought" on 19:41:55 02/28/06 Tue >About the Red, Red Nosed >Written by Richard F. Stratton >* Appeared in the January-February, 1975 issue of >Bloodlines Journal. > >Overvview. >No one really knows when these dogs first came to this >country, but the great breeder William J. Lightner >once told me that his grandfather raised them before >the Civil War. It is quite possible that they were >even here during the Revolutionary War. In any case, >it is clear that dogs of this breed came from various >parts of Europe, specifically Spain and Sicily. But >little is known about these earliest importations, >because nothing was written about them. (Books and >periodicals containing information about dogs were >rare in those days.) Their existence can be inferred >from artwork, however. The most famous importations >were from Ireland, and were generally made by the >Irish themselves after they emigrated to this >country.(The bulk of the Irish pit dog importations >coincides or closely follows the great Irish migration >that resulted from the famous potato famine.) Most of >the Irish dogs were small and very closely inbred, but >their gameness was proverbial-especially that of the >group of strains that was known as the Old Family. The >following article Ion the Old Family Reds (just one >segment of the Old Family bloodlines) is reprinted >from Bloodlines Journal. > >THE STORY OF THE OLD FAMILY REDS. It has always seemed >to me that the good old Pit Bull is a breed that is at >once primitive and futuristic. He looks no more out of >place in the ancient landscapes of 16th century >paintings than he does in the ultra-modern setting. It >is beyond my capabilities to imagine an end to him, >for every generation seems to supply a nucleus of hard >core devotees completely committed to the breed. In >any case, you can look into the murky past, and you >will find it difficult to discern a beginning place >for the breed, and, fortunately, the future seems to >threaten no demise either. > >Ours is a breed that has a definite mystique. Part of >it, no doubt, stems from the fact that it is an old >breed and deeply steeped in tradition. Old strains are >a particularly fascinating part of this tradition, and >the Old Family Red Nose is one of the better-known old >strains. > >The appearance of the red-nosed dogs always attracts >attention, but it takes a little getting used to for >some people to consider them truly beautiful. However, >no one denies that they radiate "class." >Characteristically, a dog of the red-nosed strain has >a copper-red nose, red lips, red toe nails, and red or >amber eyes. Some think the strain was bred for looks. >Others consider any dog that just happens to have a >red nose to be pure Old Family Red Nose. It is hoped >that the following will dispel such notions. > >About the middle of the last century there was a >family of pit dogs in Ireland bred and fought chiefly >in the counties of Cork and Kerry that were known as >the "Old Family." In those days, pedigrees were >privately kept and jealously guarded. Purity of the >strains was emphasized to the extent that breeders >hardly recognized another strain as being the same >breed. For that reason all the strains were closely >inbred. And whenever you have a closed genetic pool of >that type, you are likely to have a slide toward the >recessive traits, because the dominants, once >discarded, are never recaptured. Since red is >recessive to all colors but white, the "Old Family" >eventually became the "Old Family Reds." When the dogs >began coming to America, many were already beginning >to show the red nose. > >The "Old Family" dogs found their way to America >mainly via immigrants. For example, Jim Corcoran came >to this country to fight the world heavyweight >champion John L. Sullivan, and stayed to become a >Boston policeman. He sent for dogs from his parents >back in Ireland, and his importations and expertise as >a great breeder have earned him a prominent place in >American (Pit) Bull Terrier history. Many other Irish >immigrants also sent back to their families to request >for dogs, and the "Old Family" and related strains >became firmly established in the United States. > >At this point, there are several factors that are >somewhat confusing to a student of the breed. For one >thing, the term "family dogs" was used in two ways: It >could mean a strain of dogs that was a family unto >itself that was kept by a number of unrelated people >in Ireland, or it could refer to a strain of dogs that >was kept and preserved through the years by a family >group. However, the old Family Reds seem to be of the >first category. Another point that arises is that with >all these importations from Ireland (and there were >importations from other countries, including Spain), >where do we get off calling our breed the American >Bull Terrier! Well. ..that's a point! The breed does >not really belong to anyone country or even anyone >era! However, I don't believe many people are in favor >of changing the name of the breed even though it is >not strictly an American breed. For that matter, it is >not really a Bull Terrier, either! But the name >American (Pit) Bull Terrier has become part of that >tradition we were talking about, and I think most of >us prefer to keep it as a formal name for the breed. > >Back to the Old Family Reds. The first big splash made >by the red noses was back around 1900 when the great >breeder William J. Lightner, utilizing Old Family Red >bloodlines, came up with some red-nosed dogs that >really made a name for themsel ves. Now Lightner once >told me that he did not breed for that red-nosed >coloration. In fact, he did not even like it and he >only put up with it because the individual dogs were >of such high quality. Eventually Lightner gave up the >red-nosed strain when he moved from Louisiana to >Colorado, where he came up with a new strain that >consisted of small dark-colored dogs with black noses. >He had given up on the other strain because they were >running too big for his taste and because he didn't >like the red noses. > >At this point in our story we come upon a comical, but >highly-respected, figure in the personage of Dan >McCoy. I have heard old-time dog men from all over the >country talk about this man. Apparently, he was an >itinerant fry cook and not much of a success in life >judged by normal standards, but he didn't care about >that. What he did care about were Pit Bulldogs, and he >had a wealth of knowledge about the breed. His uncanny >ability to make breedings that "clicked" made him a >respected breeding consultant and a most welcome guest >at any dog man's house-even if he had just dropped off >a freight train! > >Always with his ear to the ground regarding anything >that involved APBT's, McCoy got wind of the fact that >an old Frenchman in Louisiana by the name of Bourgeous >had preserved the old Lightner red-nosed strain. So he >and Bob Hemphill went to that area, and with the aid >of Gaboon Trahan of Lafayette, they secured what was >left of the dogs. McCoy took his share to the >Panhandle of Texas and placed them with his associates >L. C. Owens, Arthur Harvey and Buck Moon. He then >played a principal role in directing the breedings >that were made by these fanciers. And from this >enclave came such celebrated dogs as Harvey's Red >Devil and Owens (Fergusons) Centipede. Hemphill >eventually kept only dogs of the red-nosed strain. >According to Hemphill, it was McCoy who first started >using the term "Old Family Red Nose" for the strain. > >Another breeder who was almost synonymous with the >red-nosed strain was Bob Wallace. However, Bob's basic >bloodline was not pure Old Family Red Nose. But in the >late 40's he was looking for the red-nosed strain in >order to make an "outcross." (Bob was a scrupulously >careful breeder who planned his breedings years in >advance.) Unfortunately, he found that the strain was >nearly gone, most of it having been ruined by careless >breedings. He managed to obtain seven pure red-noses >of high quality whose pedigrees he could authenticate. >The strain was subsequently saved for posterity and in >the 1950's became the fashionable strain in Pit Bull >circles. In fact, it was Bob Wallace himself who wrote >an article in 1953 called "There Is No Magic in Red >Noses" in which he tried to put a damper on the overly >enthusiastic claims being made by some of the admirers >of the strain. No more fervent admirer of the Old >Family Reds ever lived than Wallace, but he obviously >felt that the strain could stand on its own merits. > >Many stains have been crossed with the Old Family Reds >at some time in their existence. Consequently, nearly >any strain will occasionally throw a red-nosed pup. To >many fanciers, these red-nosed individuals are Old >Family Red Noses even though the great preponderance >of their blood is that of other strains. Sometimes >such individuals will fail to measure up and thereby >reflect undeserved discredit on the rcd-nosed strain. >However, as Wallace said, the red noses should not be >considered invincible either. They produce their share >of bad ones as well as good ones-just as all strains >do. > >As a strain, the Old Family Red Nose has several >things going for it. First, it is renowned for its >gameness. Second, some of the most reputable breeders >in all Pit Bull history have contributed to the >preservation and development of the strain. People >like Lightner, McClintock. Menefee and Wallace, to >mention just a few. Finally, as McNolty said in his >30-30 Journal (1967) "Regardless of one's historical >perspective, these old amber-eyed, red-nosed, >red-toe-nailed, red-coated dogs represent some of the >most significant pit bull history and tradition that >stands on four legs today." John that story is 31 years old, everyone has read it a million times. If you are that bored post on your board. What you're doing is screwing it up for people who want to learn the real history of OFRN dogs. [ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ] |
| Subject | Author | Date |
| Re: Food For Thought | Mike Norrod (67.177.152.140) | 18:42:51 03/01/06 Wed |
| Re: Food For Thought | FTJ (207.200.116.132) | 06:09:08 03/02/06 Thu |
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