How it looks to me

Many dogmen you meet start by telling you how many years they have had bull and terriers. I got my first one at the age of nine years old all of 31 years ago. All this proves by way of thinking is that I like dogs and mostly that I am getting older. the hottest dogman around arizona right now is a man by the name of Charlie Spencer who started about four years ago, he won three or four good ones with his 48 pound Toby dog and the one man to beat him so far is was Ken Barney at 36 pounds. Ken has had itbulls for about two years now and will match one at the drop of a hat. Both Spencers Toby and Kens 36 pound dogs were bred by Ed Ritcheson, Ed lost three in a row trying to beat dogs from his own breedings with dogs he would by from all over the country. From here on Ed tells me hes using his own.
Another dogman bound to be heard from is Clearance Hagger, his wife is as much as a fan as he is.He had two dogs stopped here in rolls and will shake hands with you afterward and thank you for culling his kennel and helping cut his feed bill as he put it.
We've all seen old timers at the game that would pout and make excuses when one would quit. The old timers that did anything wouldnt have to tell you how many years they have had with the bull and terriers as you read about them in the records.
I think John P.Colby tops as a breeder, the rolls I saw when i was up at Colbys place
in 1936 were beter than half the matches i ever seen in my life. John P. called them turn ups. It was hot around boston so any action was kept quit. Alot of people who didnt know anybetter said John P. never set one down. Three deadgame Colby dogs I have had were Sport, Buddy and Hobo. I think I have some good ones know but to say a dog that is still living is deadgame is wishful thinnking. None of these three dogs ever mad a turn in thier life or before they left it. I have over a dozen old Colby pedigrees around the house and I cant find one of the dogs in them that Pete Sparks mentioned
in a recent copy of bloodlines, Im sure he was mistaken. Back in about 1933 in chicago, Bruce Johnson introduced me to Chuck Doyle whom at the time had a brindle bitch with a bad hind leg that was about to whelp. About a yaer and a half later we matched a 38 pound dog we bought from Jim Corrington agianst one of those pups. We had old Sandy in about fair chain shape after all this rookie Doyle couldnt beat us wise old heads, he didnt miss it but I think it took about twenty minutes. Doyles dog just waved old Sandy around like a flag, and he started looking over his shoulder so Bruce threw in the sponge. Doyles pup wasnt even warmed up yet.
...part one of three...

 

I beleive Earl tudor is in a class of his own, as a dogfighter. I have heard of men being tops in the buisness, but if they come close to Tudors record they must have been matching dogs on another planet. When Tudor and art Nemecheck ran a pit, they won 23 UKC fights in one month, thats more then myself and alot of other guys had in a lifetime, win or lose. It wasnt too long back that Tudor had a challange in bloodlines to match three dogs for a thosand dollars, with him losing the thousand dollars if he didnt win all three gos. Tudor made the first UKC champion and John P. Colby bred him. Earls wife Flo was just as a good judge of the dogs as he was and probably the worlds best cook. A fan out here told me that John P. or his sons never saw a convention, I dont know what that proves, niether did the Farmer brothers of chicago, Rip Ryan, George Armitage or Red Considine and they were all fair dogmen. Armitage taught us all a little about making it out here. he said a match well made was half won. Just before Armitage arrived outhere, Wiz Hubbard matched Hube Yates. It was a bitch fight. lady vs Trilby and Hube was spotted 9 pounds and Wiz lost about five hunred dollars but picked up his bitch to save her. Armitage never fought many dogs in his life but he sure matched them carefully. He thought Clarks tramp was the best that ever lived. tramp was pure Colby.
We have a bunch of dogs out here right now, the oldest of them being five years old and two of them have won at the convention in old mexico and so far they are outstanding. This Spencers Toby is one of them and Ritchesons Lark, Peggy, Monkey, Jeep, Pete and Shiner are a few more of them that stood the test and are stand out pitdogs. Five years ago I figured they would fall apart, as did for alot of people and some ofcoarse quit as any line will, but for a new cross, Ed breeds them back in and sure gets some outstanding pitdogs. He got his first ace Jeep by breeding his Jack Meeks Mouse to Hubbards Gimp. He than bred Jeep to Hubbards Sissy and raised the best bitch Spotty who is either the dam or granddam of all aformentioned dogs, thier sire was Spike. A dog Ed bought from Al Brown, so this old rugged cross is part Meeks breeding and part Feeley, and half Al Bowns Spike. Spike also had some Feeley blood in his background.
One of the best dogs I ever saw was a rednosed dog from Clas Conklin in lennox south dakota. I dont hink his rednose had anything to do with the size of his heart, Though I have seen and have had rednosed dogs that will quit like a turkey. when I start breeding for a color Ill sure call them staffordshires as thats what they will be in a couple generations. In reading through several back issues of bloodlines there are alot of good looking dogs at stud with captions telling how they can fight, Ive yet to see an ad with what is alot more important is a record of his sons and daughters have fought or maybe a copy of his breeding. Leading horse magazines always list the achievements of the stallions as not all good performers are are good sires. Braddock and Billy Sunday were two great dogs in the pit, but never sired any outstanding pups. I have a eight year old 40 pound Colby dog Kayo farmed out with some friends, he is the sire of Adams Bothcher who won in one hour and fourty minutes in mexico, I wasnt ther at the time but have film of the fight . Bothcher went uphill four pounds and beat a good dog holding on the nose for thirty minutes which is longer than most dogs will fight. They were both deadgame dogs and proved it. Botchers dam was a little cross bred bitch that quit in about ten minutes. I tried to talk Adams out of breeding her to Kayo, but he did and raised some good ones.
Old Kayo is by Colbys Tinker and out of Colbys Scarlett, he lost his teeth early but stoped two bigger dogs that Phil Iavlkner shipped from california in thirty minutes each, thier names were Tar baby and Timmy. He also stopped a dog that Black and Bill Anderson had called the Chicago dog in little over 32 minutes and with no teeth he went twenty minutes with Lark. The best fifty pound dog we ever had outhere and no one else ver cared to roll anything with Lark. Leo White came out and wanted to see Kayo go, now the only black mark on Kayos record should be on mine.
...part two of three...

 

Before Ed Ritcheson and I were partners, I matched Kayo into a black dog Ed had that I didnt think was much. Kayo had poor wind and I thought knox gelatin before the fight would give him some extra push, he wouldnt drink the beef broth I put it in, so I mixed another packet of gelatin in about a half int of goat milk and it sure chocked the old boy down. He gaged and slobbered the first five minutes ans kept coughing up big strings of flem. Eds dog wasnt hurting him so i let it go for about 56 0r 58 minutes and it was Kayos turn to scratch and he waddled a couple steps gasping like a fish and was counted out but he didnt lay, down, sit down or tuck his head in the corner like a cur usually does. I picked him up and set him outside the pit, he was really wobbley and the whites of his eyes were red but he didnt flop down and rest. when ed carried the black dog past him to his car, Kayo staggered after him. I sure wasnt proud of my conditioning and i made sure to make it up to the old boy, he's got a rael good home up in the mountians with some swell people and he has the run of thier house and yard. I wont say any living dog is deadgame but I think a lesser dog would have curled up and died after the going over that Lark gave him. A few of his better offspring are Ken Barney's Sadie,
Stuart Adams Honest John, General, Botcher and I have a 46 pound son of him that will dog named Colonel.
...I have a pure Lightner stud named Lightners Tony, I am sure Bill didnt keep him around for just a pet but I will wait about six monthes or so to brag about tony as the dozen or so pups that Ed and I haveby him are a little young to set down hard but they all act extra good and are hot to go. Its hard to get two or more people to agree on anything, I imagine that would even apply if they raised sheep. Well bulldog people are no exception and are more hard headed than most groups.
I think it would be quite interesting if alot of fanciers from all over wuld write in thier opinons on the best dog, best conditioner and best handeler, etc.etc...
I am sure it would create quite a bit of interest.
...When Art Shinler from detroit conditioned the smith brothers dog agianst Bruce Johnson and myself, he did a top job. Red Considine had Lena in as god of shae as a dog could be in chicago when she beat Berneros Jackie in about 1932, Jim Curry had his Midas dog about right as they get that Spider dog some boys brought from texas to lexington in 1936. But i still have to pick Earl Tudor as he is really crackin as the boss of em'all. IF YOU MATCH HIM AT A GIVEN WIEGHT, YOU CANT HAVE A DOG THAT IS JUST A LITTLE BETTER THAN HIM AND WIN. The best dog i ever owned is Colby's Buddy. The roughest dog was Ritcheson's Lark. The one i would hate to go up agianst most is Tudor's Demon about ten years ago. I havnt the paper or the time to tell you the curs I've had but I am sure we all get them and it makes THOSE SCARCE GAME ONES WORTH ALL THE MORE! I've got dogs tied to dogs at my place, any over a year old have been out at least a half hour off the chain and i call them half honest and think in shape they would be worth a bet, with all the other dogs of all ages and the care involved, the job gets a little old after thirty years, but I guess i'll have them thirty more if I live that long... signed...Howard Heinzl...tempe arizona...1955...

 

Great read!

 

Very nice read....

 

Thanx.I love the historical accounts of yesteryear.

 

are there any good colby dogs left?

 

I actually stopped by his place like almost 40 yrs. ago coming from Texas to the Pacific Nor West. Wish I would have been smart enough to carry A tape recorder!! Did take A few pictures, go'n through A bunch now, go'n to put them to dicsc after the holidays.

 

Would love to see the pics to accomodate your great stories and history with the breed, Thanks agian....

T.L.Williams was one of the Reverend Heinzls understudies and has shared quite alot in his books...