The Way Things Used To Be... (cross post)

Recently an old friend asked me, "why do you have such an interest in fighting dogs?" if you ever asked yourself that question, you know that when you truly have the answer you know a lot more about yourself. in trying to explain it to my friend, i realized that for me, it all comes down to gameness.

i think Gameness was what attracted the old time dog fighters to the Pit bull. i think Gameness is the attraction, for that small hardcore element that has been known to set them down for money even today. true, some people call them gamblers, but there are plenty of ways that offer faster action then bulldogs.

i also don't think you have to be a dog fighter to appreciate that Gameness; as evidenced by a new breed of fancier who keeps the dogs for show and companionships. of course, every Pit bull has admired the power, agility, stamina, and biting of a well bred Bulldog; but these qualities are also present in other breeds. i've heard knowledgeable people say an airedale bites harder then a Bulldog and it's probably true. it would be awfully hard to beat a walker or bluetick hound for stamina; and just watch a german short hair quartering a field if you want to see a beautiful exhibition of fluid motion. but when it comes to single minded drive and persistence, and indomitable will to be master, nothing on earth compares to our american Pit bull terrier.

when a dog fighter had a dog "open to match", he only specified the weight not the breed. now, if a man could have won the money with any other breed of dog, you know he would've used it. but in many years as a fancier, i've never even heard of a another breed of dog being used in a fight. that's because regardless of their physical attributes, they cant compete with a bulldogs will to win. true over the years we have developed a dog with some pretty impressive equipment, but without the Gameness he is just another pretty face.

i realized in talking to my non-violent lady friend that trying to describe Gameness to some people is impossible. it's like describing how something tastes. if you haven't experienced something just like it, words cant convey the thought.

my friend however, has an advantage over most people because of her work. she is a psychologist who counsels people who have terminal illnesses. we talked about her experiences with the way different people Handle their adversity. she spoke with pity of those who, having learned of their fate, breakdown completely becoming incapable of continuing their day to day lives; crying and sobbing; a burden to themselves and their families. invariably, she said the end comes sooner for those people.
she spoke admiringly of some of her "favorites", they were persons who although they knew the prognosis, either wouldn't accept it, or they wouldn't let it change their outlook on life. they went about their daily lives, sometimes with more vigor then before, not giving up, even though the handwriting is on the wall. my friends, that's gameness!
harking back to the days when dogs were fought in the Pit. when an owner has conceded a long hard battle in order to save his dog, he frequently asked for a Courtesy Scratch to prove the Gameness of his dog, even though he had lost the fight. he may have made a good Scratch, but if at the end he had been lying "out of holds", not trying to win, then in my opinion he wasn't as Game as some, regardless of how many scratches he made.

Gameness is not the willingness to fight, it's not the courage to get killed by a better opponent. it's the will to win!
nothing tests that will to win more then the instinct for self-preservation. in the Pit bull, we have one of the few examples of an animal whose will to live is consistently suppressed by his will to dominate and to rule whatever ground he's standing on.

sociologists have told us for years that the primary instincts are for sex and survival. well take a look at man. how many men have died for their women compared to the number who have died for their country? as for survival; there are a lot of bodies lying in the fields, ditches, and forests of the world that belong to men that wouldn't run. of course we're not always that brave. there was a time in our culture when we were tought to aspire to be, but i guess thats even fading.

in spite of that, i believe that every human being that walks the earth admires Gameness when he recognizes it. some of us even seek it out. we look for it in sports that tests man's courage. we find traces of it in race horses, wild animals, and to a great degree in gamecocks. it has nothing to do with being a tough guy "who will fight at the drop of a hat". it's when your getting whipped that you find out how Game you are.
the same is true of a Pit dog. you don't know how Game he is until you've seen him in trouble. it don't matter how he bristles when you walk another dog by his chain, or how quick he was to take hold o f the neighbors cock-a-poo. as a matter of fact, i don't believe that the overt aggressiveness of a dog is at all relevant to how Game he is. for example, i've had the honor to own a dog that came from the bottom to win a big fight in over 2 hours with no turns. the loser died and the winner was only saved by timely Shock therapy. i would say he was reasonably Game. yet, it was not uncommon to see him romping with Cur dogs that strayed through the Yard. many Game, Game dogs would not a fight Cur dogs. on the other hand, many very Game dogs were like kegs of dynamite. they would explode when they saw anything with hair on it. some rank curs that would Turn and run the minute they were topped, were the same way, and still others couldn't look a good Bulldog in the eye. initial aggressiveness just doesn't seem to relate positively or negatively to gameness.
now aggressiveness in battle is something else again. a Game dog will Keep his hold and whats more important, he'll always have a hold. when called on to Scratch, whether he runs across or walks, he'll be leaning into your hands when you Turn to face his opponent. he'll Keep his eye on the dog and Scratch straight into him without turning his head. he'll aggressively take advantage of every opportunity to hurt his opponent.
but when it comes to dogs, why partner, theres only one. he's not defending his children. he's not backed in the corner defending his life. he cant be ordered to do battle. his tail is up, theres joy in his heart. he's only going to whip you because your standing where he wants to stand. HE FIGHTS BECAUSE HE "IS".

Farmer

 

that is the greatest post i have ever read truthfully it almost brought me to tears i have never had the honor of seeing a true game animal but that story is exactly what i love about this breed and i trully belive there is no other animal on this earth that has the heart of a truly game dog. i am no dogger but i do apreciate the men who gave us this breed because if it was not for them people would not of ever had a chance to own a truly game dog

 

nice post...when was it originally published?

 

Thanks. Not sure, found it on a diff. board.....

 

bump bump bump

 

That's a good read , and it shows what many people see in this breed , and why we all LOVE and should strive to be just as half as game as some of these dogs .

 

That was beautiful :'( .......absolutely beautiful. APBT for life! May the game dog live FOREVER!!!

 

thats a great post! summed up my thoughts very well,i was attracted to this breed for its gameness as its something i greatly admire in any creature and would aspire to myself and intend to test myself at some stage, i never have and never will fight a dog matter of fact my dog could be a cur but id still consider a cur apbt more game then the majority of breeds,i think man will always have admiration for a creature who stands there ground no matter what and fights til the end

 

That was written by Ralph Greenwood.

 

Great post! I get excited when I see a Bad Ass APBT. Especially when it is standard. So many RE crosses out here. What other animal has the stance and the confidence as a APBT

 

two thumbs up. That was a nice read my friend.

 

This article was actually published by the great Ralph "TheFarmer" Greenwood back in 1977, inside the Pit Bull Gazette. Just reading it makes you wish that you could have been around those caliber of dogmen, doesn't it? I know that's what it does to me! We all have an obligation to not only the breed, but the late, great dogmen of old to carry on in the tradition of preserving what they bled, sweat, and shed tears to bring to the table; GAMENESS! Thanks for the post. It was then as it is now, priceless!

 

What a great testament to the breed and those behind it. It's a damn shame some want to end this great legacy under the guise of "advocacy".

Thanks RC for that.

 

"but when it comes to dogs, why partner, theres only one. he's not defending his children. he's not backed in the corner defending his life. he cant be ordered to do battle. his tail is up, theres joy in his heart. he's only going to whip you because your standing where he wants to stand. HE FIGHTS BECAUSE HE "IS"."

 

Trully great read. Thanks for that post.

 

Fantastic article, thanks for sharing!

 

Good read red

 

The doctor working 36 hour shifts during residency, gameness, the bussinessowner busting his hump and sacrificing everything, gameness, being born in a trailer and working your ass off for 40 years to have a nice house and family, gameness, overcoming the hell of alchoholism and or drug adiction to lead a productive clean and sober life, gameness, taking ass beating in the dojo for 7 years to get your black belt, gameness.

Gameness is pretty much, IMO, the single most important ingredient for success in this world.

 

Game dogs are the best but still things are off kilter these days
I feel people are fighting dogs that don’t want to be in the game
Many of these dogs would love to never fight and just be a family pet .
Wile back in the day maybe a higher ratio of true fighters existed to be in the game The pictures of dog abuse I see now a days tells me some thing is not proper I saw a u tube of a guy who sharpens his dogs teeth or stories of gun powder to make them angry
I do admire the game concept and am thankful for it but what the heck is going on now a days.

 

good one bump bvump