African Sporting Dog Journal

27/12/2024

Historical

Interview with STP

* 24 Champions and 5 Grand Champions *

How did you get Started with Pit Bulls?

STP: Back in the late 60´s my partner ### and I were into gaurd Dogs. We belong to a sh*tzhund club in South Jersey. We had a Bouvier and he went out in 1970 and we bought a Staffordshire Terrier. We were always interested in attack work and the Staffordshire loved it. At six months old he´d do a long hit and he loved the bite work. Around 1972 we met the late John Kicak and eventually got the telephone number of the Sporting Dog Journal and Started getting that magazine.

Where did you get your first Pit Bull?

STP: We got a dog from Jack Kelly that was sired by Fiorilla´s MOOTZIO, who was sired by Fiorilla´s Red KING a 2x winner from a Tudor x Corvino bloodline and out of Kelly´s DANCER who was a litter mate to Kelly´s CH. DRUMMER.

Did you get to Match him?

STP: No, she was a house dog. I got the next dog from Charles Sykes, who was out of Sykes`CHERRY and she was a litter mate to Sykes´SAMPSON, the dog that won over CH. Rascal.

At that time did you have anyone to look up too?

STP: We used to go over to Jack Kelly´s place. They had a spot in New York and on Sunday mornings we´d go over there and they would roll dogs and occasionally have some matches. We met Andre Giroux, Ozzie Stevens and the dog men from Rhode Island like Indian Eddie and Joe Goffart.

How did S.T.P originate?

My partner ### and I were the the originators. Then we got freindly with Mr. T and became partners with him and then Solo became a partner, he had been part of the Uptown Boys. Solo left the partnership about 1980 but the name stuck and we stayed S.T.P all these years.

You guys owned a lifetime of good dogs, which did you think were the best?

STP: Gr.CH. BUCK.. Gr.CH. JOHN BOY; Gr.CH. CANDY; CH. MAGGIE; and more recently Gr.CH. LUKANE.

Who are some of the best handlers and conditioners you have seen in the game?

STP: James Crenshaw, always sees to have a dog in exellent condition. Ozzie Stevens. The late Barney Fife and Ben Calloway always had their dogs in great condition.

What were some of the best matches you ever saw?

STP: JEEP X HOMER; BUCK X SANDMAN;. BLACK GIRL and JUMBO GINA were first time out dogs but were tremendous dogs.

When it comes to Match dogs what style do you prefer?

STP: I like a dog that work anywhere he has to. A well balanced dog with talent, speed and good natural air.

Do you think traveling with a dog to a Match has a big effect on a dog?

STP: I don´t think it has much effect at all, unless the dog gets car sick or really stressed.

How do you go about choosing a judge?

STP: Some one who is experienced dog man and has Judge several shows.

What about giving up weight? Would you take the forfeit and go on with the match?

STP: You should never give up weight. If someone comes in over you should take his forfeit. If the other fellow is only slightly over you should take his forfeit and agree to a new match.

You have been competing for over 30 years and won in times from 30 minutes to 3 hours. Which do you consider your best win?

STP: BUCK´s win over SANDMAN, no doubt.

How did that Match between two Grand Champions come about?

STP: BUCK was retired 6x winner and four years old and we Started to do some breedings with him. Ricky Jones was the big man in the South and we were doing pretty well in the North. There was some talk about who had the better dogs, The North or the South. We called Ricky and said let´s do it and he was ready. Both dogs were close to six years at the time of the match.

Do you have any suggestions when it comes to conditioning?

STP: I like a manual, slat mill, strength work and hand walking. Road work is good but we never did a whole lot of it. We prefer Treadmill work to anything else.

When looking for a stud dog, what qualities do you look for? Since I have been in the Game and with all the resarch I have done, has bred to more Champions and Grand Champions. Do you guys really believe in your slogan, P/"Performance is everything when it comes to a stud dog?

STP: Yes, performance and the bloodline to back it up. When it comes to breeding performance is right at the top, but it is also important that the stud come from a proven line.

What do you think works better, Inbreeding, Line Breeding or complete out crossing?

STP: We always practice what I should call "Loose Line breeding" with the emphasis on good dogs. I don´t particuarly care fore Inbreeding and will out cross a good proven to a good dog as long as both come from good bloodlines themselves, even tho they are unrelated.

I´m going to mention a few bloodlines, would you eleborate on their performance and producing?

STP: I only know what I read in the magazines and what I hear. I´ve heard CHINAMAN = FRISCO dogs are rough but I have never matched any and really can´t say. JEEP + RASCAL dogs? JEEP was obviously a great producer but I never seemed to have much luck with that bloodline.

You had some success with "BOYLES" dogs. Can you tell me something of the ones you have had?

STP: Over the past 7-8 years we have had some very good Boyles dogs. They seem to be very well rounded dogs, with high ability along with Gameness and a lot of intensity. They are early starters and one of the best bloodlines that I´ve seen over the years. We had Gr.CH. CANDY and CH. BLACK PAZMANIAN. We bred PAZ to MISS RAGE, to CHINA GIRL a daughter of BUCK and we got some very good dogs - CLEAN MARY, BAD ROSEMARY and MARY LOU. ROSEMARY had the hardest mouth that I´ve ever seen.

Gr. CH. BUCK was your favorite dog, but it seems you never had much of the Patrick bloodline?

STP: BUCK was the hardest dog to beat that we ever had, but at that time there wasn´t a whole lot of Patrick dogs in this part of the country. Consequently most of the breedings made with him are out crosses and he still produced real well.

What about the Red BOY x JOCKO bloodline? It gave you two Gramd Champions and several Champions. Was that your favorite bloodline?

STP: Over the years we have probably had more success with Red BOY x JOCKO than anything else we had. Dogs like Gr.CH. JOHN BOY, CH. TORO, CH. CLYDE, CH. SASSY, Gr.CH. LUKANE. They were all tough, durable dogs.

What advice would you give to young dog men just starting out?

STP: Be objective. Don´t be kennels blind and be the toughest Judge on your own dogs. Believe what you see, don´t add or subtract anything more then what you see.

Nobody has ever had your record of 24 Champions and 5 Gramd Champions. Do you think anyone will ever tie or break that record?

STP: Probably. But it will take a lot of hard work and dedication.

You have accomplished everything you wanted in the Game. Do you feel you would like to retire?

STP: Nope. I'm going to compete till I can´t walk.

05/01/2024

BENNET CLAYTON AND GR CH ADAMS&CRUTCHFIELD'S ART 7X R.O.M

04/01/2024

ASDJ DOY 2023 - ANGOLA
RUSSIA KENNELS 2XW BIS POCO POCO

https://pedigree-database.cz/details.php?id=495241

04/01/2024

ASDJ DOY 2023 - SOUTH AFRICA
KENNEL 27'S (& KAMIKAZE'S) GRCH 5XW RAT aka RATTEX

https://apbr.net/details.php?id=103973&gens=6

04/01/2024

03/01/2024

ASDJ DOY 2023 - NAM
KOMBAT'S 2XW KIORA DOY 2023

https://apbr.net/details.php?id=109629&gens=6

10/09/2023

Your Thoughts?

04/09/2023

Who would you rate as RSA top 10 kennels Retired and active?
TTK
DGK
SEADENSUN
MEGABITE
K27
BOUNTY
UNITED
KUDU
BHK
Bad Boys (Grch Bugsy crew)

23/08/2023

FANTASY & REALITY
By richard f. stratton

There is a place for fantasy in this world. A lot of stories would be pretty boring without a little poetic license. Thus, we have cop shows on tele- vision that are entertaining because more hap- pens in one episode than happens in the life time of a real life police officer. The same is true of spy shows. Spooks are more record keepers and information seekers than anything that is seen in the movies or on television, but even I enjoy these sheer fantasies, with “Burn Notice” being one of my favorites. Let me say here, parenthetically, that I had some experience with intelligence work (very little, but some) during the Korean War when I served with the 11th Airborne Division (now inactive) at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. A big unit course in foreign policy taught after my military discharge by a former CIA functionary started me toward the very jaundiced view that I now have of intelligence work in general and the CIA in particular. But my point is that spy shows are still fun to watch—even if they are sheer fantasy! The very cynical H. L. Mencken once commented that we must allow a man his fantasies, such as his wife being beautiful and his children intelligent. And I agree, but I think it is often important to orient ourselves to reality.

That is the case with some misconceptions about dogs in general and our breed in particular. As the writer of a number of books on the breed that became very popular in this country and others, I feel a certain authority, as well as a duty, to set the record straight. Getting Awayfrom Game-bred Lines: the Pitfalls I have no objection to other breeds being bred for appearance, but there are problems, even with them. Look no further than the Neapolitan Mastiff. I have watched this breed change in a mere decade or two. I have very little interest in them, so I only watch as a casual observer; however, the breed has become a monstrosity. (I’ll mention here that it is a show dog axiom that writers don’t say negative things about other breeds. I have never adhered to that. Lies are told by writers about our breed all the time, so I don’t mind telling the truth about theirs). One of the rationalizations for breeding for ugliness is that breed must look downright hideous in order to be a good guard dog. Well, maybe so, but i suspect there health problems attendant to such an appearance. But the breed looked different just a few years ago, and the claim is made (as it so often is) that this is an ancient breed. It is worth making the point here that this really was once a game-bred dog. Of course, it never approached the APBT in that regard, but it sure looked a lot better when it was bred along those lines! Back to our breed.

American Staffordshire Terrier
I know that I said in my books that this was basically a different breed. I still think that is a valid position, as selective breeding has made a difference. However, it is a complicated situation, as some famous APBT breeders registered their dogs with the AKC, too, which made them technically Am Stafs. Corvino was one example of a well known breeder who kept his dogs dual registered. In fact, Going Light Barney’s sire, Corvino’s Bo**er, was registered as an Am Staf, but he was a pure Corvino dog! Still, it could be argued that the breed is from the same bloodlines as our dogs, and that would be true. It is just that the selection process began to diverge along about 1936, when the breed was officially recognized by the American Kennel Club. There is a certain amount of politics among show dog folk, and it was involved in the naming of the breed (for the AKC). The Bull Terrier was already an ensconced breed with the AKC, and it was known as the “white cavalier” and the “canine gladiator.” Devotees of that breed, as we can imagine, were not all that happy about having the real deal being admitted to that registry. And they most certainly didn’t want it to be called a “Bull Terrier.” Our breed had been known as the “American (Pit) Bull Terrier” by the United Kennel Club and as the Pit Bull Terrier by the American Dog Breeders Association. (An interesting point is that several individuals of the breed had been registered as Pit Bull Terriers with the American Kennel Club early in the 20th century. I had been ignorant of that fact until Louis B. Colby told me that his father and a number of other fanciers registered some dogs by that name.) When the English show version of our breed, the Staffordshire Bull Terrier, was admitted to the AKC in 1971, the Staff people here were offered the original name that they had wanted, “American Pit Bull Terrier”—and they refused! They had apparently become used to the name that had been forced upon them. Bulldog Those who have read my books may recall that I have speculated that our breed is the most representative example of the old time Bulldog. That is the theory that best fits the evidence, which I won’t bother to repeat here. But the question is: Where did the show Bulldog come from? Sometimes fanciers refer to the show Bulldog as the “English Bulldog” in order to distinguish it from our breed, which has always been called “Bulldog” in conversations among experienced fanciers. What makes the astounding difference between the two breeds? I would submit that the power of selective breeding is demonstrated here. For over a hundred years, the show Bulldog has been bred for a bizarre human-like appearance, and this is the result.It gets confusing, since there are two Bulldogs. Both breeds have been used in crosses to create other breeds. The pushed-in nose or brachycephalic appearance is easily attained by selective breeding, so there is no need to speculate that a cross was made with the Pug or some such breed (that is not as old as the Bulldog) to get that effect. Undershot and short-nosed specimens turn up in nearly every breed. All that is needed then is to select for that trait, and the transformation only takes a few generations. Because the show Bulldog is such a monstrosity and is generally short lived and difficult to birth, some people would like to outlaw the breeding of them. I most certainly would never advocate that; however, Bulldog people are ill advised to claim the “Bulldog determination” and “Bulldog courage” that obviously harkens back to a time that they were closer to our breed. It is sheer fantasy to think otherwise.

Bull Terrier
I think the history of the terrier being crossed with the (show type) Bulldog does really apply to this breed, but the idea that the breed was ever used extensively in the pit is pretty much a fantasy. Back before I had to get my telephone number unlisted, I used to get a lot of calls from all sorts of people, including one Bull Terrier person. He claimed that the Bull Terrier was still the premier gladiator of the canine race but that they had successfully kept dog fighters from getting their hands on their breed. When I told a knowledgeable dog scholar about that, he nearly choked on his own laughter. But there is nothing wrong with fantasy if you don’t forget that is what it is. Unfortunately, that happens far too often. I have a certain affection for the “white cavalier,” but it would not be in my top ten of favorite breeds. (I’ll give you that list some day!) I think Bull Terrier people made a mistake to bring in a colored Bull Terrier variety, as the white ones look better, in my opinion. It was through the generosity of Colonel Wilbur Barnes that I was able to research the 19th century literature on dogs, as he had an extensive collection that he allowed me to peruse. As two of the very few people that had gone over such literature, we had some interesting conversations about the interpretation of various aspects of it—although we were both agreed that all of it was suspect.

Pit Bulls
Several decades ago, Dog Fancy solicited an article from me about the various Pit Bull breeds. In that article, I explained that the term “pit bull” was a catch all term that was loosely applied to several breeds, including the Bull Terrier. That was one reason so many Pit Bull attacks were being reported. But another was that any dog attack was more newsworthy if it was a Pit Bull. While I discouraged using the term “pit bull” in my article, I have to confess now that we nearly all use it with people. They aren’t used to the term “Bulldog” being used to refer to our breed, and “American Pit Bull Terrier” is a real mouthful. People are pretty much used to “pit bull” referring to our breed, but they are still very much confused about the breed—in many ways!—and the pit bull name still gets loosely applied to other breeds, including the Bull Terrier, but just not as much. Blue Dogs and Bully Dogs I have been asked by a number of people to denounce the blue APBTs as being a fad of the neophytes, and it pretty much is. The modern blue dogs are often the ones with an aggressive disposition toward people—and we most certainly don’t want that! One reason for that situation is that it is the newcomers to the breed that think the breed should be people aggressive or just a tough dog all the way around. In all fairness, I should say that the blue dogs are not entirely the newcomer’s delight of the month. Like the Old Family Red Nose strain, there were once dogs that were so colored that were renowned gladiators. However, they were more sporadic and didn’t evolve into a strain that was bred by a number of influential breeders, as was the case with the OFRN line. In the interests of full disclosure, Howard Heinzl mentioned to me that he had met an African- American man who had a strain of blue dogs that were as game as they came. One reason he told me about it was that the man’s name was Stratton! The Bully dogs are so removed from the appearance of most game-bred dogs that they seem headed in the direction of the Neapolitan Mastiff. They look tough, but I suspect that most of them couldn’t get out of their own way. And most seem to have very poor stamina. I worry that they would get mixed with a line of game-bred dogs.

Conclusion True enough, there is a place for fantasy in the world. It is great for story-telling, and it is fun in other ways; however, the danger is that we lose our orientation to reality. We need to occasionally orient ourselves to the real world in every way: science, foreign policy, and politics, not to mention personal relations. We are always looking for the real American Pit Bull Terrier. It is my firm opinion that we get the best of all possible dogs if we get the game-bred American Pit Bull Terrier. That way we get the smartest, most healthy, and most versatile dog—perhaps the best of any breed! (But, of course, I am prejudiced.) One thing is certain. We get the real deal and not some fantasy.

02/08/2023

Why Do We Love Our Game Pit Bulls? By Tom Garner

Ever wonder why so many of us are drawn to and build our lives around the pit bull? There are a number of reasons why people gravitate to these animals. My list would certainly include; A) an appreciation of their physical/ athletic excellence, B) their unrivaled capacity for unconditional love of humans, and C) the pit bull’s unparalleled gameness, i.e., "the willingness to self-sacrifice in order to achieve an objective." The latter of these, gameness, attracts fans to a degree that far exceeds what we would expect to see from a simple intellectual appreciation of a good principle at work. A good, game dog is revered on a level that can best be called “spiritual”.
Why does gameness hold such a fascination for us humans? The attraction is so powerful and so widespread, it defies logic and sense of proportion to suppose that there is not some powerful, innate, instinctive human-nature mechanism at work here. I think we must look deep within our minds to find the root of our appreciation of this behavior.
Historically, the construct defined by "gameness" has played a huge role in the survival of the human species. Take away our “willingness to self-sacrifice in order to achieve an objective" and mothers would not lose sleep to nurse their babies and fathers would not risk physical injury to defend their families from aggressors. Parents would not rouse themselves from inadequate sleep to go to work in an unpleasant job day after day without a powerful ”feel good if you do, feel bad if you don’t mechanism” in place, directing our behavior. With just a moment's reflection it is easy to see that gameness happens all over, is played out on small and grand scales in our daily lives and gameness is essential to the survival of animal species of all kinds. Even a mouse or a bird will risk life and limb to fend off an attacker that threatens their little ones.
In early man, the basic instinct to protect and care for our children and our mates evolved and expanded as our minds developed the capacity to generalize through conceptualization. We were able to expand our sense of family to include others with whom we shared some significant characteristics. In some capacities, our tribes came to be afforded the same considerations as family, under certain circumstances. There was much tactical advantage to be gained from this tendency; 10 soldiers working collectively, in unison and with as much or more concern for each other as for themselves, could easily defeat 20 men acting as individuals. Thus those of our ancestors who were inclined to self-sacrifice for the objective of promoting the greater good were, ironically, more likely to survive and the genetic basis for their "gameness" instinct was passed along to their offspring. In this manner, the genetic basis for the gameness construct in humans has become stronger and stronger.
Some might ask, given the above view, why so many people in our world just can't relate to the value of gameness. My guess is that while the 10 soldiers from the same tribe prevailed in battle, there were probably one or two who ran and hid when the battle kicked off. As their tribe survived, so too did they. And they reproduced. And their genes are alive today in numbers and they fear those of us who embrace and live the gameness construct.
You know that good feeling you get, that warm and fuzzy feeling in which the hairs on your arms and neck stand up and tears come into your eyes when you see an act of extreme self-sacrifice for a great cause? It could be at a good movie, an mma fight, a soccer game or anywhere heroic self-sacrifice for the greater cause is on display. That feeling is your brain releasing endorphins and other feel-good chemicals in appreciation of the scenario you have witnessed or contemplated. This genetically-based, bio-chemically expressed, overwhelmingly good feeling is at the heart of successful social functioning. Without this genetically encoded response directive and subsequent, biochemical, feel-good reinforcement, good Samaritans wouldn’t pull people out of burning houses, or drowning children out of submersed cars.
This same instinctive connection is why we feel good when we are with our game dogs. We see our game pit bulls as perfect, living and breathing manifestations of our sacred principle. Nowhere in our daily lives do we see such an iconic, pure embodiment of the gameness construct as in our pit bulls. They have this status by definition; the standard for the breed demands gameness and any dog that falls short of the requirement of gameness likewise falls short of the name "pit bull".
To further illustrate the power of the gameness construct within the human mind, consider how this model plays out in religion, particularly Christianity. Jesus Christ sacrificed his life for the objective of giving the possibility of eternal life to humanity. Jesus Christ was dead game. How many millions of people have undergone life-transforming changes after contemplating his willingness to sacrifice himself in order to achieve an objective? Don't underestimate the power of the gameness construct to attract and engage the emotions of good people! Sociopaths? Not so much!
The animal rights extremists and their media pawns have intentionally attempted to bastardize and distort the true meaning of the concept of gameness. They twist the meaning to suggest that it means aggression, or desire to attack. I am embarrassed for them at their ignorance and their unabashed desire to distort the truth. It is ironic that those among our fraternity who have the greatest instinctive appreciation of the "willingness to self-sacrifice in order to achieve an objective" construct would simultaneously be the better members of society and the bigger fans of a game dog. Never-the-less, our detractors would quickly denounce fans of gameness in the pit bull as antisocial and disturbed. A little ignorance goes a long way. A little ignorance coupled with a team of media professionals and a large budget can result in the slaughter of large numbers of the most noble animals to ever inhabit our planet. Ask Floyd Boudreaux and Pat Patrick and Ed Faron.
As fans of the incredible, game pit bull, we must bring to bear the same resolve for them that we expect from them. Like them, the best of us have a script that is indelibly written in the very core of who we are. It is prime and indivisible and immutable. It screams “I WILL NEVER GIVE UP NO MATTER WHAT THE COST”. Get in touch with your core and your script. Know that your love for your game dog comes from a very good place deep inside. Without this place, humanity might well not exist. The next time you are walking your game pit bull and someone asks “What kind of dog is that?” Respond with pride, “That’s a pit bull, the best dog known to man.”

-Tom Garner

01/08/2023

SCORPIO - A weekend in his presence

The late Scorpio was a dogman that was hardcore through and through. You still had to listen carefully to his harsh opinions to understand when he was serious and when he was joking. He tested us newbies like that.
I was honoured to interact and learn from him at the end of the last century and in the beginning of the current one. While I believe he had so much more to share I had to respect it when he made a complete break from the dogs.

I spent an awesome weekend with him just talking dogs and witnessing some history as well as meeting a few other legends.
Myself and my two partners at the time , Superman and GT, were invited to a convention in which Scorpio would have three dogs competing that he put in shape. We had been sitting and learning at his feet for a lengthy period and eventually when such invite came , we eagerly grabbed it. We had put in leave for the weekend in question and travelled up from the old Natal Province to then Transvaal Province to experience a royal time in the presence of some APBT royalty at the time.

We arrived at Scorpio's place just after mid day and were entertained with stories of past conventions between the North and the South, his take on how certain dogs were bred, a walk through his yard of supreme athletes, amongst them dogs like, Rassie Smit (PW x Thandi), Snorman (PW x Thandi), Thandi (Sledge x Carmen), Seun (Sledge x Carmen), Jaklas (PW x Rangoon), Thunder (Sundance x Jocko), Deep Heat, Terblanche, Boesman, Letta Mbuli, Jack The Ripper, Alexander (off Duimpie), Scarecrow (in**ed Sir Thomas), pups off Jaklas x Thunder, pups off Deep Heat to Tus, Vudu x Mousie bitch,among others.
It was like a kid in a candy store experience for me, being a great fan of PW dogs and Yellow dogs in general.

He regaled us with stories of Jaklas and Snorman's matches and how the toothless Snorman went 1h50+ min to defeat a Ma Baker bred dog named Giggs. But soon the sun set and it was time to leave to the venue of the convention where Scorpio was to show 3 dog on behalf of Co***ne Derrick that had set the matches up.

Co***ne Derrick had never won over the dogmen up north and contacted Scorpio to provide the dogs to meet the weights as well as to condition the dogs for the convention.
The agreement was that Co***ne wanted to be able to claim the wins and Scorpio would take the winnings. Co***ne would put up forfeit and match fee. Scorpio had an in**ed male off a littermates to face the male the opposition were bringing. He didnt have the big female required and Stirm Knl provided the female with Scorpio doing the keep. The small female that Scorpio wanted to use wouldnt work so he advised Co***ne to pay forfeit.

On the day of the convention we all met at Scorpio's business premises. The male, Deep Heat is a buckskin dog that is low to the ground with a big head. His off Rassie Smit 1xw (GrCh PW x Thandi) x Klein Karmen (GrCh PW x Thandi). The female that Storm Knl provided, Inqwe, looks like a million dollars and is off GrCh PW x Chin Lee. Co***ne pitches with a fat female, Tequilla down from Marius' Megwa breeding, that he claims he wants to use in the third show. Scorpio and RDK again asked him to forfeit that match, but his adamant that his bitch will get the job done. Scorpio told Co***ne that he will have to handle Tequila himself as Scorpio wants nothing to do with her.

At the venue, the males get weighed, Deep Heat first. His on weight, even though the agreed weight is easily 500g above his best weight. TTK, that was in attendance as he bred the opponent, stated that Scorpio is bringing a labrador cross to the box. His opponent, Black, a gorgeous black athlete that is ripped with lean muscle, off Scar ROM x Midnight ROM, a litter that produced two champs and a grand champ, is up next and his over weight. His walked out but when he gets weighed again his still over and Scorpio asks for forfeit but Blacks camp led by TTK state categorically that they will take him home if they pay forfeit. Scorpio claims that he came to match, so it's on without forfeit being claimed or paid.

Show starts and dogs meet in the centre. Black is on offense and Deep Heat defence. Black is fast but Deep Heat is calm. To casual observers it would seem that Black is too much for Deep Heat, but the lil Yellow dog is calmly doing his work on defence and hurting Blacks nose. Bets are called out with the host backing the Yellow despite the black being on offence. At some stage Deep Heat takes a skin hold under the jaw and moves his body in under Black's while still on all fours. Black couldnt get to him while in this position. Deep Heat starts dominating with muzzle work and by mid 40min Black's camp concedes with Black's nose flipping over ontop of the muzzle. Black runs a fast courtesy as did Deep Heat. Everyone is in the square trying to save the game Black. Deep Heat 1xw Black 1xgl. Both these dogs make Champion at a later stage.

The second show is under way after the weigh in and washing between Inqwe and a gorgeous red black nose Einstein bred dog, Murphy. Inqwe looks like a million dollar dog as she doesnt come out of Murphy's chest for about 30min. When Murphy gets her out Murphy's chest is covered in holes and swollen, looking like a shotgun was discharged into that chest. But Inqwe starts struggling as Murphy works both front legs ferociously. By mid 50mins its Inqwe's turn to scratch and she takes the count on all fours. Murphy 1xw Inqwe 1xl.

The third show starts after all protocol is observed. From the outset, it's obvious that Tequila is in poor condition. Her opponent Midnight, is the dam of Black, from the first show. For the first five minutes Tequila is fighting on her feet. From 6min onwards Tequila is on the floor laying on her side while Midnight is in her throat. Around 10mins later it's still like this and everyone is advising Co***ne to pick up his bitch which isnt even trying to defend herself. Co***ne refuses. Midnight leaves Tequila and looks up, Co***ne encourages Tequila and she reaches out for Midnight. Midnight takes her ear and shakes her wildly and Tequila is again laying taking a beating. Midnight going into the gut as well. This scenario repeats itself about 10min later. Scorpio tells Co***ne that if he wont pick up a defenceless combatant then he must stay quiet if Midnight leaves hold again. Midnight leaves her hold again and again Co***ne encourages her and again she reaches up and Midnight resumes her onslaught. Midnight is deep in the gut and its evident by how the gut is swelling that Tequila is past saving and is just laying in the box. Co***ne concedes after being begged for more than 40min to do so. Its 1h17min and for 1h12min Tequila had been laying taking a terrible beating and offering no fight back. Tequila does a short time later. Midnight aka Daisy makes 1xw. Tequila 1xl.
After the Deep Heat v Black show, Scorpio proves to Black's camp that Deep Heat is indeed blind in one eye. He lights a lighter and brings it close to Deep Hest's one eye and Deep Heat pulls away, but when he brings it close to the other, Deep Heat doesnt even flinch as he cant see the lighter and the flame. Scorpio then makes one of his typical comments and states that he beat them with a blind dog this time,but next time he will beat them with a dog with no legs.

After enjoying some Bloubul steak and liquid refreshments with the other dogmen we head back to Scorpio's place. Scorpio gives us a lesson in aftercare and stitching as he stitches up Inqwe into the early hours of the morning. Storm Knl obviously doesnt want her anymore, and Scorpio offers her to us but we turn the offer down,Co***ne Derrick takes her and immediately offers her to us for 1.5k, lol.
That morning we head out in one vehicle for a Saturday lunch by RDK. Scorpio, my two pards and Co***ne Derrick. We greeted enthusiastically by RDK and his then wife, and welcomed onto the yard. As RDK shows us his dogs proudly, Scorpio would comment loudly on each one, "cur", "cur", etc and when shown RDK's Garfield ,he said " the best cur in the country".

Over a delicious lunch RDK and Scorpio shared some awesome history and stories. One such story was on how they met.
Scorpio had been invited by a friend to attend a dog show at which RDK was a judge. While not being interested in shows, Scorpio relented and attended the show with his young son. His son was fascinated by some Red rednose dogs in some crates and on chains. His son asked him what bloodline they were and Scorpio sarcastically replied that all his son needed to know was that they were curs. On hearing the remark one guy told him those were Piet Skiet's Ironbear dogs and went to call Piet Skiet (RDK) who was judging conformation at the time. The guy brought RDK back to hear what this short Bushie was saying about his dogs. RDK had his firearm on his hip in a holster and was wearing typical khaki dress that the Boere wore during that period, khaki long socks and veldskoene et al. When RDK approached in a huff demanding who was talking crap about his dogs, the brazen bushie, Scorpio, asked him if he likes Yellow dogs and RDK replied "No!" And Scorpio replied that just like RDK hates Yellows , he hates Ironbear dogs. Both stood in each others faces , with neither backing down and Scorpio also displaying his own .44magnum at his side.

Both enjoyed a laugh as they remembered that meeting that led to a good friendship.
Later RDK bumped two males, RDK's Cyclone and an in**ed Lik Kid's Gunner male, and his wife did the aftercare. While the bump was happening the owner of GrCh Gritler pitched up with the then 1xw , Gritler on.the back of his bakkie, as well as his half sister, Brimstone (Sir Thomas x Scorpio's Thunder). He was looking to start Brimstone.
RDK brought out his 1xw 1xl, and dam of Ch RDK's Ore, to bump into Brimstone. Brimstone completely dominated the more experienced dog and they then Brimstone completely dominated the more experienced dog and they then brought out a female off Littleboy that was at least 5kgs bigger than Brimstone. Brimstone was cut up bad by the big female but kept going back for more. Then after stopping it , RDK's wife did aftercare on Brimstone.

We returned to Scorpio's place that evening knowing that the next morning we would be leaving for Natal as the Monday was work. We sat till late at night discussing dogs, dogmen and matches. Scorpio had some interesting and hilarious things to say about some legends that are better left out of print. Sunday morning after a hearty breakfast, Scorpio showed us the pups off Storm Knl's Tattoo import and Scorpio's Scarecrow. He told us that he had five breedings with Tattoo but didnt do all after Thandi made Tattoo show bad signs, so he sent Tattoo back to Storm Knl. This was like shopping for Co***ne Derrick because he bought pups off Deep Heat, off Thandi as well as off the Tattoo x Scarecrow breeding among others. I think he left with five pups altogether. Although he didnt pay for them but promised he would as soon as he got home to the Western Cape. He was unsuccessful in getting Scorpio to agree to part with any of the Jaklas x Thunder pups though.

We parted after greeting and thanking our host and his family and greeting Co***ne Derrick. The trip back to Natal was uneventful and a bit of an anti climax after being on a high the entire weekend, but myself and Superman had at least aquired to littermate pups off Rassie Smit (PW x Thandi) and Scarecrow (Sir Thomas x his daughter).

The Mashamplan