The Color Of Gameness

This has probably been seen by many already, but, IMO, it's a great read, and deserves to be reread.


The Color of Gameness by Richard F. Stratton

It is hard to believe now, but I do remember as a youngster how I couldn't quite understand the more experienced pit dog men's preoccupation with gameness. I was more impressed by flash, agility, and talent. My thought was, " Give me the talented dog and let the other guy have the dead game dog!" Now, I know that I am getting old, because I worry about the younger Bulldog men being so preoccupied with barnstormers and not giving sufficient commitment to gameness. There is consolation in the fact that, if these young guys stick around long enough, they, too, will come to appreciate gameness.

I'm going to have more to say in a later article about the nature of gameness and just why it has always been deemed so important by the experienced pit dog man and is even treasured by people who simply want a Bulldog as a pet. For this issue, I simply wanted to discuss color.

Almost all dog men develop a preference for a favorite color in their favorite breed; however, that preference is always quite changeable–depending on what color their most recent favorite dog was. There are some misconceptions, too, about certain dog men favoring a particular color. For example, most people think that Bob Wallace had a particular predilection for red, red-nosed dogs. As a matter of fact, he did greatly admire the Old Family Red Nose line, as his original strain was partly founded on it. But his greatest all-time dogs were Searcy Jeff, Toney, Pistol Pete, Hillbilly, and Madame Queen–all of them brindle dogs. Only King Cotton, who was white, and Curly, who was red and red-nosed, deviated from the brindle pattern among his all-time great ones, so, although Bob certainly appreciated the red ones, he liked the brindles, too, because so many of his good dogs had been that color. One of the last dogs I got from him was Wallace's Star, a black-faced brindle female.

In addition to the fact that dog men develop a preference for a certain coloration, some of them develop a prejudice against a given hue. One pit dog man, who probably just as soon wouldn't be named, swore up and down that he never saw a game red nosed dog in his life. Now his favorite stud dog, and possibly all-time favorite dog, is a red-nosed dog.

I have heard dog men claim that only certain colors within certain strains were game. Some genetic traits can be linked like that, but I think gameness is far too complex a trait to be linked to a specific color. One dog man, who liked black dogs, even cited some scientific evidence which linked a dark eye to the "fast-twitch" type of muscle cell. Examples to support the speculation were the cheetah, a very fast animal, with a black stripe running through the eye, and certain other fast predators. I was unimpressed by that part of the evidence, as I was familiar with many predatory animals, some of them of the ambush type, who all had that line through the eye. To me, it always seemed that the line through the eye was an adaptation toward camouflaging the eye. Prey animals are very much aware of eyes, and it helps predators to have their eyes partly concealed or made to look smaller. Still we have had plenty of good black dogs, including one of my all time favorites, Grand Champion Hope.

At the other end of the spectrum, that most knowledgeable of dog men and a very valued friend, the late Howard Heinzl, never cared for black dogs, and he insisted that black was not a Bulldog coloration. Believe me, I never argued with him, but black is depicted in extremely old pictures of Bulldogs, and, besides, black can come from other colors, from buckskin crossed with cinnamon red, for just one combination. Some of Howard's favorite dogs were white, as some of his best had come that way. His Polly and Dutchess were examples of that. Also, Howard's favorite all-time dog man was John P. Colby, and old "J.P.'s" favorites had been his Pincher and Galtie, two white dogs with black spots.

As for Tudor, he liked any color, as long as the dog was a good one. The only exceptions were the red, red-nosed dogs. Not that he couldn't appreciate them, but he didn't like the color. He admitted that Centipede was truly a great dog but lamented what a shame it was that he was one of those "yellow-eyed, red-nosed dogs." Even Lightner, perhaps the single person most responsible for the emergence of the red-nosed line, told me he never liked the looks of them and got rid of them because of that and because of the fact that they were running too big. How ironic then that this very coloration became a badge of distinction during the era of Wallace and Hemphill and O'Neal, not to mention Jim Williams, and remains so unto this day!

As for me, I know I have the reputation of liking the Old Family Red Nose dogs, and I do as a strain, but they are not my exclusive favorites. I think some of the prettiest dogs are the tawny red colored dogs. If they are well built, this coloration makes them look like young mountain lions. I also have a particular preference for pied dogs, like Dibo's grandsire, Gimp, and Jimmy Boots, not to mention my own Hoover dog, who was a beautiful animal in his youth. Now, like me, he is beginning to lose his beauty!

When I was a mere thirteen years old, I studied the Armitage and Colby books, and I developed favorite dogs in each, and they were almost always brindle. Galvin's Pup was a particular favorite, and he is still my ideal of what a Bulldog should look like. Brindle has always been a traditional Bulldog coloration, even though some other breeds carry it (and they may very well have gotten it from crosses with Bulldogs), but it is usually not appealing to the general public. The point is, though, that there are different types of brindles, with different hues and shades. I prefer the gun-metal grey type of brindle, with a black face–but, surely, even the general public would like the looks of Galvin's Pup!

In the final analysis, though, it isn't the color that counts. You have to be around these dogs a while to realize that gameness is their essence. That is what you build upon; everything else is gravy. So, as for color, I think we can safely say that they come game in all colors. For that reason, I don't care about the color. Just color mine game.

 

Good post Suki!

Isn't it interesting to find that although it is oft said "color doesn't matter" that even dogmen of old liked or disliked dogs based on color. I also find it quite interesting that a great in the breed thought blacks were mixed & that an experinced gamedog fancier favors blue brindle as his favorite color!

Go figure. lol.

 

Personaly, I dont care for solid white dogs. However once upon a time, I shelled out 2,500.00$ for one.

 

very good read suki!!

 

Yes, thats a good post for sure because its from Richard, he is one of the all time great if it comes to ouer beloved kind of dogs....he is a thoroughblood Bulldogger^^

 

as always suki great post,i always liked reading his books and sections he wrote in the mags.he was also a great person to talk to and about as much of a gentleman as you could ever have the pleasure of talking to.

 

I like brindle too. People have their favorites. Brindle seems kind of camoflaged for hunting things. I have several other colors.

 

bump, soak it in

 

his books are what inspired me 15 yrs ago to get my first bulldog

 

I rememer when he would pop in here every once in awhile.I have always enjoyed his books ,have one beside me now on my nite table.

 

i have all books of richard... real apbt book... the world of the american pitbull terrier. it is a nice one.... you can learn see to much things.. i am happy to be have his nice books.... just look what a rednose was and what he is now..... everyone call a pitbul with a red nose ( rednose) rednose was other than what he is now.... it was a nice bloodline..... was difficult to get a real one !

 

Same here,his books also inspired me round about the same time and ended up with my first Bulldog.The only book im currently missing from my Richard F Stratton APBT collection is The Truth about the American Pit Bull Terrier.These books are getting expensive and hard to get a hold of.Anyone wanna sell a VG condition copy of The Truth about the American Pit Bull Terrier PM me.

 

If I were to choose on color alone I would go with all brindle. My childhood best friend was an all brindle pit, he was that once in a lifetime dog we all have. My current one is 99% white and that will be my last all white one as she developed the same skin problems that most all white dogs develop. I love the look of black too, but once again if/when I go to get one I will get whichever female I take a fancy to, regardless of the color.:dogstare:

 

I love Strattons work. I have a majority of his books. He's really been instrumental in my education of the breed. Which only increased my love even more.
"Just color mine game" I love it.

 

That line should be put on bulldog/APBT shirts. This was the most education post I have ever read.

 

How is stratton these days he must be nearly 80yrs old, hope he's still going strong

 

Great Read!!!!

 

i love the read i personally have always been partial to brindle's tricolors and black dogs but if i saw a game dog that was green i guarantee id still feed it

 

Color of gamenes is not the right way i belive RS should have labeld this wrighting.
Color choice is been disided out of preferense of performance!!! of ecseptional individuals, AND far back in history its a geografic thing.
(altho i myself do aprisiate and loved RS work when young. I do belive he is off on many ocasions. because he was never involved as a sports man and a breeder. There are many things he simply could not know ore feel to make corect asumptions. Never the less i belivie his work was instrumental in giving the breed in its intyer a boost and understanding about wat this animal is all about)

people forgot and ore simply DONT KNOW that the Red Nose strain know as the Old famely reds was a IRISH strain.And back then(some still do today) The Irish and English HATED echother.

The English refused to breed to irish dogs . the rezen why the old famely red nosed dogs came around was due to the lack of crosses and isolation of this strain back then in ""Cork Ireland"" where it hase been said to come from. it coloration ""was"" known as a pigmend default secu loss. afther the great Patato faminin in Irëland http://www.123helpme.com/view.asp?id=45034
The Irish masifly Imigrated to this new country called the USA. The Irish took there dogs with them, and there hate for the English was one of the rezens that started the battle grounds for the wat later been knows as the American game dog!!. other Irish/English battles that are known in the usa from that time period is the ""billy The kid history to only name a wel known documented piece of history"". im sure people can come up with lots of more aczamples.

Anyway here is where the diferend FAMELYS of game dogs came and ore divelopt from. PRIDE had lots to do with it!!. it was about proving your truth against the other.

Anyway Altho Earl Tudor like others had many diferend colored dogs in his life and stated that Colby ,s dogs where the best
(iventho that many stated and labeld him as a puppy peddler because he sold ""his"" famely of dogs to the publick and every dogman being Irish ore Englishthat was intrested), in a Interviuew with a magazine with Danny Burton ""he"" clearly stated that Earl Tudor,s FAFORIET dogs where the HENRY dogs they where big headed black dogs with RED eyës and they where crazy to fight . ( the Pelican brief)
"" Gamenes hase NEVER been linkt to color,However QUALTY was and still is !!!!."" mij 2 cents

 

Intresting read.....