Unconquered--A bit of History

From Richard F. Stratton (Pit Bull Gazette, May 1980) All owners of Bulldogs are being subjected to a blitzkrieg, with attacks coming from all sides.The motives behind the atacks are disgusting in nature,mainly designed to line the pockets of the promulgators.(The GEO Pit Bull issue outsold all previous issues, and the Human Society has been making so much money,I truly believe they would be saddened if the sport were stamped out. The hypocrisy of the humaniacs is incredible, for they must know that they will never stamp out dogfighting, and they must further be aware that their efforts are counterproductive, tending to drive out the most reputable people while actually stimulating the interest of the deranged.) Meanwhile,with the humaniacs flexing their new found muscles from the power given them by recent legislation, the world has truly taken on the appearance of an asylum taken over by the inmates. These are truly times that try men,s souls. And its a time to decide whether to lie low or fight back---a time to decide whether to abandon a valiant breed or resist tyranny.(Personally, I would rather fight oppression than join it!) It is also a time to get our own house in order.After all GEO did get a picture of a dead cat on a training machine, something I had never seen in over thirty five years of association with some of the all-time great pit dog trainers.(Ironically, the clowns that did that to the cat probably got the idea from those same humaniacs that have been peddling their ridiculous ,,bait,, stories for decades.)However, it may be time for a break. A time to draw strength from the example of ouer valiant breed. A time for a TRUE story about one of the gamest scratches ever witnessed. A story of a gread dog, outgunned, nearly destroyed, but absolutely indomitable. The dog was Toney( notice the,,old-fashioned,, spelling), purchased by Bob Wallace early in his career. Toney was a great-grandson of Searcy Jeff, and when later bred to Madam Queen(a daughter of Searcy Jeff),Toney sired King Cotton, an ace pit dog that(along with Toney)became the cornerstone for the Wallace bloodlines.Toney had won prior matches, and after this one he was retired to a luxurious life at stud. Toney had won his previous matches on heart, as he was not blessed with more than average talent in any category. No one ever dreamed, though, just how much heart this little dog actually had.At least,not until the match in Rulesville,Mississippi, in the early forties. Toney was matched into Slim Emerson,s Ted, a titan that was later to become famous in his marathon match with Corvino,s Thunder. When the dogs were released, Ted went immediatey into Toney,s shoulder. For those who are not aware, a broken bone is a rarity in dogfighting because pit dogs are plain hard to hurt. Bob had no way of knowing the shoulder was broken and not just temporarily disabled.Toney gave no hint of it, for his tail was up and wagging,and he always managed to have a hold some place. But, because of his handicap, Ted was ahead all the way. Toney occasionally obtained an advantage, but it was allways short lived,, however, his enthusiasm for the contest never faltered. Finally, Ted got into Toney,s other shoulder, and this time there was no doubt that the shoulder was broken. At an houer and forty minutes, Bob picked up Toney,thereby conceding the match. Torn by emotion and worried that he had left his dog down too long,Bob nevertheless put him down for a seemingly impossible courtesy scratch. Actually,Bob just wanted to see if he was interested in TRYING to scratch. Who could have dreamed he would actually make it! Slowly and awkwardly, but with an intensity and determination that brought the crowd to his feet, Toney started his arduous journey across the pit. Inching along, both front legs completely useless, Toney pushed with his rear feet. Two or three times he rolled completely over his back in order to correct his course toward his opponen when his obstinate front end had actually obstructed him. When after a full two minutes Toney finally reached his opponent, he had to be broken off with a stick! Bob, tears streaming down his face, picked up Toney and wrapped him in a blanked. The crowd stood and applauded for a full ten minutes. And Bob Wallace was not the only one who was crying!