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First Match

Discussion in 'APBT Bloodlines' started by Fritz, Jan 8, 2015.

  1. Fritz

    Fritz Big Dog

    I had just moved from L.A. to Texas and brought a dog with me I was going to match for my friend Roland Kincaid. In his seventies, Roland wasn't up to it himself, and so he'd enlisted my help. The dog's name was Princess. She was a good looking brindle Roland had just bought from Patrick, his Bolio stuff.

    So there I was at a convention in Dallas. But there was a problem. Princess had gone off her feed, been throwing up, and she hadn't eaten in the two days previous to her match. (I don't know what caused it. I had done my best for her.) Roland had come out to see her fight, and learning of her problem, was reluctant to match her. He'd rather have given up the forfeit.

    A bunch of us stayed at Gary Hammonds' place the night before the matches (there were to be seven in all, six between males and only one between females.) That night I tried feeding Princess again, and was elated to see her eat half of what I gave her. I remember Gary Hammonds standing behind me, watching, and being flabbergasted at her meal before the match. I'd blended up some celery stalks, an avocado, some brewer's yeast, and a bit of flax seed oil for Princess. It looked like green pudding. Ha. And as I said, Gary was flabbergasted.

    So there we were on location, tables of food and drink set up -- and everybody was there. Carver, Mayfield, Bobby Hall, Clouse, all those guys I'd only heard about.

    But again, Roland was reluctant to match. Hell, so was I. But Princess had at last taken a bit of food. And she fired when she saw her opponent leashed fifteen or twenty feet away. I started thinking it might be all right after all.

    We were matched into the Fowler brothers. I forget their dog's name. When I told them of Roland's reluctance, they hit us with a similar story -- said their dog wasn't up to par either. They really wanted to go on with it. But I told them the truth: It was up to Roland, not me.

    Still, that didn't keep me from trying to talk Roland into matching. I figured he needed a more dependable opinion than mine, green amateur that I was. So I went to Mayfield's trailer to ask his opinion. He told me he'd bet on any dog that looked as in shape as Princess did -- and so I had a bit more ammo to hit Roland with. At last he agreed to go on with it.

    The Fowlers didn't want Gary Hammonds as referee because they considered him and I to be friends. They wanted their own friend Bert Clouse to referee, and I said that was all right. I met Clouse, a really tall man dressed all in black and looking like his face would crack into pieces were he to attempt a smile. Truly, he struck me as a character only Stephen King could have created. Ha.

    Then it was time to wash the dogs. I won the toss and volunteered to wash first! That's how green I was. Luckily, Don Maloney was nearby to make a face and guide me aright. The Fowler's were pissed at his helping me that way, of course -- but I'll be forever thankful to Maloney for looking out for me that way. I didn't know him, I'd never met him -- but I'll be forever grateful to him for that favor, may he rest in peace. On that day and at that instant, he chose to be a friend to me -- and I don't care how many other men's wives he'd slept with. (I believe one of them finally shot him, but that's beside the point.)

    Dogs washed, the fight was on. Both dogs looked strong, and five minutes into the match I knew it was going to be a tough one. Man, I'd never seen dogs fight in mouths like that, not before, not since. I'm not going to go into any more detail than that.

    At the hour and a half mark or thereabouts, the Fowlers' dog quit, Princess the winner and best in show among females -- among all two of them. Ha.

    Gotta say, Patrick was overjoyed for sure. Not only had Princess won, but so did her litter mate brother owned and matched by Don Maloney.

    What a day!
     
  2. Game4Glory

    Game4Glory Banned

    Cool stuff man! All those guys being there is really cool. Id be shaking like a dog $hitting razor blades Id be so nervous lol. Looks like you stood the test of time and can be one of those men in the elite group now. Hats off to you. I wish I knew a 10th of what you know and had a smidgen of memories like that myself. A new guy like me could only wish for such. Thanks for sharing Fritz.
     
  3. mccoypitbulls

    mccoypitbulls Underdog

    a day to never forget - thanks for sharing the history with us all.
     
  4. treezpitz

    treezpitz CH Dog Staff Member

    Great story, thanks Fritz.
     
  5. Fritz

    Fritz Big Dog

    I was a little nervous, but a beer or two fixed that. Liquid courage. Ha. Truth told, I've never been able to consider myself a real dogman, never counted myself on the level of some of the men mentioned. I was in the dogs less than five years, not there for the long haul. I only matched six, won four, lost two. I couldn't stand to see my dogs too beat up. In one of my losing matches, when the other handler was purposefully slow in handling his dog, letting the damage continue -- I handled his dog for him, actually picked his dog up and handed her to him. The crowd gasped, had never seen or heard such a thing, and the referee started to say something -- but I conceded the fight, telling the other man, "That's how you handle a dog."

    And then I worked so hard to save her, my Dusty, and was up all night with her. And I knew that if she died I'd never match another one, not ever again. My conscience would have done me in otherwise. I couldn't have stood it, a dog's dying on my account.

    For these reasons, again, I don't really count myself among "proper" dogmen. I was there, yes. I participated, yes. But where it came to the dogs, my deepest friends in life at the time (maybe even for all time), I'd have been considered a wimp in the eyes of my fellow dogmen. My strongest contribution to the dogs, it turned out -- turned out naturally enough -- was to write about them and to honor them in the way I knew best: on the page and for others to read about. Hell, that's what I'm doing even now and at this moment -- writing about them again, writing about that almost mystical relationship we men and women share with this special breed of ours.

    So before you go counting me among some certain dogmen who dedicated their whole lives to the dogs, not just a mere few years like I did, you might consider what a wimp I was in comparison to them. And that's the truth, sure nuff. (Smiley face here.)
     
  6. BLUE8BULL

    BLUE8BULL CH Dog

    ....luck,,maybe...???..personally if a dog ain't right,,,don't let anybody tell ya other-wise ..spec; if it's your dog..you know how they act more than anybody else there,,and if ya feel they not acting right give it up for another day..because ya could end up kicking your self in the ass..????...ya might find it hard when every-one around saying it look ok to me/etc...but..?????..as fritz says when your green back then ya want to show what ya have,,but people might have more respect for ya if stand up for what ya feel/know what is right for your dog at the time....but it happens to all i think at some-time or other..good read.....
     
  7. BLUE8BULL

    BLUE8BULL CH Dog

    .....FRITZ...it makes ya more a dog-man,,thinking that way,,ie; you knew when your hound had enough,,,i know some could be very close to tell back then ..but if you knew,,that made ya a better dog-man,,,so hats off to ya...SIR....
     
  8. blueboy

    blueboy Big Dog

    What's a proper dogman? I don't consider a person who leaves a dog down to take unnecessary punishment when it's obvious it can't win a dogman.
     
  9. mccoypitbulls

    mccoypitbulls Underdog


    Very humble and honest post. The lack of the huge ego some have is very welcomed by by, speaking for myself. Hats off to you Sir.
     
  10. MCS

    MCS CH Dog

    X2 much respect Fritz
     
  11. mccoypitbulls

    mccoypitbulls Underdog

    correction - can someone please fix that damn 2 minute window - ??
     
  12. Fritz

    Fritz Big Dog

    Thanks. Nice being considered humble, but I'm really not -- just truthful. I've probably got a bigger ego than most. But especially for a writer, truth trumps everything. It's sort of like the praying process, truth being sacred. I mean what kind of writer tells lies? It defeats the whole purpose. I'm a writer, not a politician! Ha.
     
  13. BLUE8BULL

    BLUE8BULL CH Dog

    ..did ya write a few different books as-well..???...good thing to be able write a few storys and memorys down in book form...g-luck with em..
     
  14. niko

    niko CH Dog

    Thanx for he stories fritz:)
     
  15. Fritz

    Fritz Big Dog

    I've written a batch, not all of 'em dog books:

    Amazon.com: Fredric Maffei: Books

    Thanks for asking.
     
  16. 305APBT

    305APBT Big Dog

    Thanks for sharing as I too enjoy reading your posts/stories keep em coming brother.
     
  17. mccoypitbulls

    mccoypitbulls Underdog

    Here they keep re-wtiting the history books.... crazy but true.... but point well noted, and true enough -
     
  18. mccoypitbulls

    mccoypitbulls Underdog

    wow - totally cool and great to have a link. Going to add that to my list of books...which is long - we need to create a bulldog library - - so we can barrow and return them, send them to the next person, that would be cool. A game-dog Library for us all..
     
  19. Fritz

    Fritz Big Dog

    Now there's an idea. I don't think it'd work with actual physical copies -- but it could certainly work by email. Hell, one can send the file of one's own book to whomever one chooses. The downside to that, of course, is that one would never receive a dime in return for having spent a whole year writing the thing. Ha. Most of us are, I think, protective of our favorite books and don't particularly care to part with them. How's it go? "Never a lender or a borrower be." But that's pushing the envelope, I think. Hell, follow that adage and there'd be no such thing as libraries. And where would we be then?
     
  20. Setxdogo

    Setxdogo Pup

    Fritz,I really enjoy your post.Keep'em coming.I'm with you on most of your thinking.Thanks again.
     

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