La storia del “Red nose” (ENG)

About the Red, Red Nosed

By Richard F. Stratton
Appeared in the January-February, 1975 issue of Bloodlines Journal

No one really knows when these dogs first came to this country, but the great breeder William J. Lightner once told me that his grandfather raised them before the Civil War. It is quite possible that they were even here during the Revolutionary War. In any case, it is clear that dogs of this breed came from various parts of Europe, specifically Spain and Sicily. But little is known about these earliest importations, because nothing was written about them. (Books and periodicals containing information about dogs were rare in those days.) Their existence can be inferred from artwork, however. The most famous importations were from Ireland, and were generally made by the Irish themselves after they emigrated to this country.(The bulk of the Irish pit dog importations coincides or closely follows the great Irish migration that resulted from the famous potato famine.) Most of the Irish dogs were small and very closely inbred, but their gameness was proverbial-especially that of the group of strains that was known as the Old Family. The following article Ion the Old Family Reds (just one segment of the Old Family bloodlines) is reprinted from Bloodlines Journal.

THE “OLD FAMILY RED NOSE” DOGS

By E.L. Mullins

First of all, this is not a review. I cannot possibly say anything concerning the “Old Family Red Nose” dogs that has not already been repeated a hundred times before. This, therefore, is simply another record of what history has already given us and a re-introduction to the very significant part of the history of the American Pit Bull Terrier.

When we discuss the origin of the “Old Family Red Nose” dogs, we are really discussing the original dogs bred by such men as William J. Lightner and Con Feeley. It was around 1914-1916 that Red Howell, Al Dickson and Joe Peace had dogs from the first litters off of Lightner’s “Vick” and Lightner’s “Pansy”. When the first World War came along, Joe Peace and Al Dickson were drafted and Red Howell was left with the dogs. Red Howell sold some of the dogs, however, most of the dogs he placed in capable and reliable hands of those he knew he could trust. During this time they were known as just food pit dogs. The name “Red Nose”, at the time, had never been used to describe a particular line of dogs. It would be Dan McCoy who would later be credited as the first man to coin the phrase, “Old Family Red Nose” dogs to describe and distinguish these dogs as an individual line or strain of the American Pit Bull Terrier. History later gave us the litter of Ferguson’s “Centipede”, Hemphill’s “Golddust”, Morris’ “Pinkie”, and Howell’s “Banjo”, as well as their close relative, William’s “Cyclone”.

Robert H.(Bob) Hemphill, along with Red Howell, went to the kennel of Harvey and Owens in Amarillo, Texas and together they purchased “Golddust”. “Golddust”, of course, later went to Harry Clark and then to D.A. McClintock, where he died. Earl Tudor obtained “Centipede”. “Centipede” was then loaned to Red Howell. Later, Earl Tudor sold “Centipede” to Dave Ferguson. Earl Tudor was also the man who owned the dog called “Cyclone” and eventually sold him to Jim Williams’s. It is felt that if Earl Tudor and Red Howell had not won such great battles with these dogs mentioned above, as well as other, that made this particular line so popular. This was the first time you really began to hear about “Red Nose” dogs as a strain.

Now, not all of the offspring were whelped “Red Nose” from this stock. Some people still feel that the blood in the Con Feeley dogs was much more “Red Nose” then that of the Lightner dogs. It is said W.C.(Bill) Roper bred some of the best “Red Nose” dogs, sent to him by Jim Williams and Bob Wallace. I.D. Cole of Arizona also bred some extremely high caliber dogs, bred down from Slattery’s “Mike” and William’s “Blade”. I.D. Cole also owned Cole’s (Fulkerson’s) “Spook”, a direct grandson of the old Lightner’s “Spook”. However, the “Red Nose” dogs were never controlled by any one individual or select group of individuals. Many of the “Red Nose” dogs were produced through different crosses. In fact, there were many breeders and fanciers of the “Old Family Red Nose” dogs. There were men such as W.J. Lightner, Con Feeley, J.P. Colby, D.A. McClintock, Dan McCoy, Harvey and Owens, Ferguson, Ferrel, Conklin, Anderson, Bourgeous, Plemmons, Dickenson, Hanson, Williams, Roberts, Cole, Leo Kinard, Ed Crenshaw, Joe Beal, Jake Wilder, just to name a few. However, two of the leading breeders into the late 1960’s and the man more often associated with the “Old Family Red Nose” doÿ

2nd part:

However, two of the leading breeders into the late 1960’s and the man more often associated with the “Old Family Red Nose” dogs were Robert H.(Bob) Hemphill Jr. and Robert Forster (Bob) Wallace.

Robert Hemphill had been friends with Earl Tudor as early as 1914. Hemphill became personally interested in the Lightner dogs and in the 1920’s began an extensive search to locate and obtain high caliber dogs from this line.

It was Dan McCoy who received word of the frenchman who lived in Louisiana by the name of Bourgeous. Bourgeous had received several dogs directly from Mr. William Lightner and for many years had bred and raised these dogs strictly for his own personal satisfaction. Bourgeous was extremely successful in preserving the “Red Nose” strain. Robert Hemphill went with Dan McCoy to Louisiana and aided by Gaboon Trahan, they purchased several dogs from Bougeous. Hemphill’s kept only the highest caliber of these “Red Nose” dogs and began to form his foundation stock from them. Hemphill’s early advertisements refelect that he had been raising “Old Family Red Nose” dogs since 1927. Thoughout his life, Robert Hemphill remained dedicated to the breed and faithful to the “Old Family Red Nose” line. Old advertisements throughout his life reflected his great devotion to keeping the line pure. Until 1966 he advertised strictly “Old Family Red Nose” dogs. After that time, his ads began to reflect the adage of 1/8th to 1/16th “Dibo” breeding.

Concerning the Lightner dogs, some fanciers and under the false assumption that W.J. Lightner bred only “Red Nose” dogs because of his overwhelming association with them. Those who have really done their homework know that this is not the case at all. He also raised great blacks and dark colored dogs as well. The pinnacle of Lightner’s success as a breeder is demonstrated through two dogs; Hall’s “Searcy Jeff”, owned through time by Jim Searcy, Bob Hemphill and Dr. Hall and then Bob Wallace, was reputed as being the best of the “Red Nose” blood that could ever be bred. The second dog was “Colorado Imp”, owned by Jeff Runyon and said to be the best of the black and/or dark blood that could ever be bred. Both of these dogs being bred from the same basic foundation dogs of the same man, William J. Lightner. When these two dogs met each other at Medicine Park, Oklahoma in 1937, they proved William J. Lightner to be one of the greatest breeders of all time. After this meeting, Bob Wallace told Hemphill that he was going to buy this dog, “Searcy Jeff”, even if it costs him a thousand dollars! Later, in 1937, when Hemphill left that part of the country, he divided up up the dogs with Red Howell and Dr. Hall. Dr. Hall received “Searcy Jeff” and Bob Wallace did eventually buy “Jeff” from him. Also in 1937, Robert Hemphill sent a young dog back to William Lightner, that dog now appears in many of the “Old Family Red Nose” line of today, that dog is known as Lightner’s Pumpkin.

Bob Wallace is also remembered in history for his association and great success with “Old Family Red Nose” dogs. However, there are two main misconceptions concerning Mr. Wallace that should be cleared up at this point. One is that Hemphill and Wallace were partners. They were not. They both shared a deep respect of the “Red Nose” dogs and were both dedicated to keeping the line pure. They were both successful breeders in keeping the line pure, strong and beautiful. They even shared common breedings and interbred their dogs within each others line, but they were not partners.

At the age of thirteen, Bob Wallace met and became friends with the “Old Timer”, Ben Flannery. Throughout his teens, Bob Wallace owned many outstanding Bulldogs. He later obtained dogs from bloodlines of Dugan’s “Pat”. The second misconception concerning Bob Wallace was that he bred primarily “Red Nose” dogs. His original was quiet variable in color and were extremely talented dogs. Though these dogs did not show it, they carried a large amount of the “Red Nose” blood. One of the first foundation females of Bob Wallace was the famous Shipley’s “Penny”. Shipley’s “Penny” was a direct descendant of the old Corcoran dogs. Wallace had always considered Corcoran to be one of the great breeders of all time. Other great dogs that are considered part of the foundation of the Wallace dogs were ones such as, Ferguson’s “Centipede”, Hall’s “Searcy Jeff” and the famous Wallace’s “Tony”. “Tony” was said to be Wallaces’ pride and joy. Wallace bred Shipley’s “Penny” to “Centipede” and produced these three great dogs, “Stinger” “Scorpion” and “Spider”. He later bred “Searcy Jeff” to “Spider” and produced Wallace’s “Madam Queen”. When he bred “Madam Queen” to “Tony” he produced the ever famous Wallace’s “King Cotton”. Other famous dogs appear in many of the popular “Old Family Red Nose” dogs of modern times are Wallace’s “Red Rustler”, “Red Rock” and “Red Rube”, as well as the famous producing female Wallace’s “Red Raven”.

The old advertisements of Bob Wallace during the 1940’s clearly reflect the breeding and maintenance of the old Corcoran and Lightner Line of dogs. Most of the advertisements were stated in bold print. During the 1940’s Bob Wallace began to look “Red Nose” dogs to out cross his own with. At this time he felt that his own dogs were getting as tight as could be productively bred. When he began his search he found that the pure “Old Family Red Nose” dogs were almost extinct. Most of the lines were ruined or contaminated through careless breeding. However, he was finally able to locate and obtain seven pure “Red Nose” dogs of high caliber, whose pedigree he could authenticate.

Bob Wallace was a man of character and honesty and often stated that there is no “magic” to the “Old Family Red Nose” dogs, that they are just one good line of many. The “red Nose” dogs have the intelligence, talent and personality to stand on their own merit. Bob Wallace has gone down in history as one of the greatest breeders of his ear. Over the years as a breeder, Bob Wallace was known to sell less than a dozen dogs. He stated that he never sold dogs as a matter of personal principle. The results of his dedication to the breed is still apparent and appreciated in the modern day American Pit Bull Terrier.

This has been a short narrative introduction to the “Old Family Red Nose” dogs and few of the men dedicated to their preservation. It is by far complete or conclusive. Their significance cannot be finalized in a few short paragraphs. Entire volumes could be written on the “Old Family Red Nose” dogs and their place in the history of the American pit Bull Terrier.

**Take Note this part concerns RD dogs**

“Now, not all of the offspring were whelped “Red Nose” from this stock. Some people still feel that the blood in the Con Feeley dogs was much more “Red Nose” then that of the Lightner dogs.”

Old Family Rednose-History

THE STORY OF THE OLD FAMILY REDS. It has always seemed to me that the good old Pit Bull is a breed that is at once primitive and futuristic. He looks no more out of place in the ancient landscapes of 16th century paintings than he does in the ultra-modern setting. It is beyond my capabilities to imagine an end to him, for every generation seems to supply a nucleus of hard core devotees completely committed to the breed. In any case, you can look into the murky past, and you will find it difficult to discern a beginning place for the breed, and, fortunately, the future seems to threaten no demise either.

Ours is a breed that has a definite mystique. Part of it, no doubt, stems from the fact that it is an old breed and deeply steeped in tradition. Old strains are a particularly fascinating part of this tradition, and the Old Family Red Nose is one of the better-known old strains.

The appearance of the red-nosed dogs always attracts attention, but it takes a little getting used to for some people to consider them truly beautiful. However, no one denies that they radiate “class.” Characteristically, a dog of the red-nosed strain has a copper-red nose, red lips, red toe nails, and red or amber eyes. Some think the strain was bred for looks. Others consider any dog that just happens to have a red nose to be pure Old Family Red Nose. It is hoped that the following will dispel such notions.

About the middle of the last century there was a family of pit dogs in Ireland bred and fought chiefly in the counties of Cork and Kerry that were known as the “Old Family.” In those days, pedigrees were privately kept and jealously guarded. Purity of the strains was emphasized to the extent that breeders hardly recognized another strain as being the same breed. For that reason all the strains were closely inbred. And whenever you have a closed genetic pool of that type, you are likely to have a slide toward the recessive traits, because the dominants, once discarded, are never recaptured. Since red is recessive to all colors but white, the “Old Family” eventually became the “Old Family Reds.” When the dogs began coming to America, many were already beginning to show the red nose.

The “Old Family” dogs found their way to America mainly via immigrants. For example, Jim Corcoran came to this country to fight the world heavyweight champion John L. Sullivan, and stayed to become a Boston policeman. He sent for dogs from his parents back in Ireland, and his importations and expertise as a great breeder have earned him a prominent place in American (Pit) Bull Terrier history. Many other Irish immigrants also sent back to their families to request for dogs, and the “Old Family” and related strains became firmly established in the United States.

At this point, there are several factors that are somewhat confusing to a student of the breed. For one thing, the term “family dogs” was used in two ways: It could mean a strain of dogs that was a family unto itself that was kept by a number of unrelated people in Ireland, or it could refer to a strain of dogs that was kept and preserved through the years by a family group. However, the old Family Reds seem to be of the first category. Another point that arises is that with all these importations from Ireland (and there were importations from other countries, including Spain), where do we get off calling our breed the American Bull Terrier! Well. ..that’s a point! The breed does not really belong to anyone country or even anyone era! However, I don’t believe many people are in favor of changing the name of the breed even though it is not strictly an American breed. For that matter, it is not really a Bull Terrier, either! But the name American (Pit) Bull Terrier has become part of that tradition we were talking about, and I think most of us prefer to keep it as a formal name for the breed.

Back to the Old Family Reds. The first big splash made by the red noses was back around 1900 when the great breeder William J. Lightner, utilizing Old Family Red bloodlines, came up with some red-nosed dogs that really made a name for themsel ves. Now Lightner once told me that he did not breed for that red-nosed coloration. In fact, he did not even like it and he only put up with it because the individual dogs were of such high quality. Eventually Lightner gave up the red-nosed strain when he moved from Louisiana to Colorado, where he came up with a new strain that consisted of small dark-colored dogs with black noses. He had given up on the other strain because they were running too big for his taste and because he didn’t like the red noses.

At this point in our story we come upon a comical, but highly-respected, figure in the personage of Dan McCoy. I have heard old-time dog men from all over the country talk about this man. Apparently, he was an itinerant fry cook and not much of a success in life judged by normal standards, but he didn’t care about that. What he did care about were Pit Bulldogs, and he had a wealth of knowledge about the breed. His uncanny ability to make breedings that “clicked” made him a respected breeding consultant and a most welcome guest at any dog man’s house-even if he had just dropped off a freight train!

Always with his ear to the ground regarding anything that involved APBT’s, McCoy got wind of the fact that an old Frenchman in Louisiana by the name of Bourgeous had preserved the old Lightner red-nosed strain. So he and Bob Hemphill went to that area, and with the aid of Gaboon Trahan of Lafayette, they secured what was left of the dogs. McCoy took his share to the Panhandle of Texas and placed them with his associates L. C. Owens, Arthur Harvey and Buck Moon. He then played a principal role in directing the breedings that were made by these fanciers. And from this enclave came such celebrated dogs as Harvey’s Red Devil and Owens (Fergusons) Centipede. Hemphill eventually kept only dogs of the red-nosed strain. According to Hemphill, it was McCoy who first started using the term “Old Family Red Nose” for the strain.

Another breeder who was almost synonymous with the red-nosed strain was Bob Wallace. However, Bob’s basic bloodline was not pure Old Family Red Nose. But in the late 40’s he was looking for the red-nosed strain in order to make an “outcross.” (Bob was a scrupulously careful breeder who planned his breedings years in advance.) Unfortunately, he found that the strain was nearly gone, most of it having been ruined by careless breedings. He managed to obtain seven pure red-noses of high quality whose pedigrees he could authenticate. The strain was subsequently saved for posterity and in the 1950’s became the fashionable strain in Pit Bull circles. In fact, it was Bob Wallace himself who wrote an article in 1953 called “There Is No Magic in Red Noses” in which he tried to put a damper on the overly enthusiastic claims being made by some of the admirers of the strain. No more fervent admirer of the Old Family Reds ever lived than Wallace, but he obviously felt that the strain could stand on its own merits.

Many stains have been crossed with the Old Family Reds at some time in their existence. Consequently, nearly any strain will occasionally throw a red-nosed pup. To many fanciers, these red-nosed individuals are Old Family Red Noses even though the great preponderance of their blood is that of other strains. Sometimes such individuals will fail to measure up and thereby reflect undeserved discredit on the rcd-nosed strain. However, as Wallace said, the red noses should not be considered invincible either. They produce their share of bad ones as well as good ones-just as all strains do.

As a strain, the Old Family Red Nose has several things going for it. First, it is renowned for its gameness. Second, some of the most reputable breeders in all Pit Bull history have contributed to the preservation and development of the strain. People like Lightner, McClintock. Menefee and Wallace, to mention just a few. Finally, as McNolty said in his 30-30 Journal (1967) “Regardless of one’s historical perspective, these old amber-eyed, red-nosed, red-toe-nailed, red-coated dogs represent some of the most significant pit bull history and tradition that stands on four legs today.”

The Story of the Old Family Reds Written

By Richard F. Stratton

This is the American Pitbull Terrier First, an overview. No one really knows when these dogs first came to this country, but the great breeder William J. Lightner once told me that his grandfather raised them before the Civil War. It is quite possible that they were even here during the Revolutionary War. In any case, it is clear that dogs of this breed came from various parts of Europe, specifically Spain and Sicily. But little is known about these earliest importation’s, because nothing was written about them. (Books and periodicals containing information about dogs were rare in those days.) Their existence can be inferred from artwork, however. The most famous importation’s were from Ireland, and were generally made by the Irish themselves after they emigrated to this country. (The bulk of the Irish pit dog importation’s coincides or closely follows the great Irish migration that resulted from the famous potato famine.) Most of the Irish dogs were small and very closely inbred, but their gameness was proverbial especially that of the group of strains that was the “Old Family Reds” (just one segment of the Old Family bloodlines) is reprinted from Bloodlines Journal. It has always seemed to me that the good old Pit Bull is a breed that is at once primitive and futuristic. He looks no more out of place in the ancient landscapes of 16th century paintings than he does in the ultra-modern setting. It is beyond my capabilities to imagine an end to him, for every generation seems to supply a nucleus of hard core devotees completely committed to the breed. In any case, you can look into the murky past, and you will find it difficult to discern a beginning place for the breed, and, fortunately, the future seems to threaten no demise either. Ours is a breed that has a definite mystique. Part of it, no doubt, stems from the fact that it is an old breed and deeply steeped in tradition. Old strains are a particularly fascinating part of this tradition, and the Old Family Red Nose is one of the better known old strains. The appearance of the red-nosed dogs always attracts attention, but it takes a little getting used to for some people to consider them truly beautiful. However, no one denies that they radiate “class.” Characteristically, a dog of the red-nosed strain has a copper-red nose, red lips, red toe nails, and red or amber eyes. Some think the strain was bred for looks. Others consider any dog that just happens to have a red nose to be pure Old Family Red Nose. It is hoped that the following will dispel such notions. About the middle of the last century there was a family of pit dogs in Ireland bred and fought chiefly in the counties of Cork and Kerry that were known as the “Old Family.” In those days, pedigrees were privately kept and jealously guarded. Purity of the strains was emphasized to the extent that breeders hardly recognized another strain as being the same breed. For that reason all the strains were closely inbred. And whenever you have a closed genetic pool of that type, you are likely to have a slide toward the recessive traits, because the dominants, once discarded, are never recaptured. Since red is recessive to all colors but white, the “Old Family” eventually became the “Old Family Reds.” When the dogs began coming to America, many were already beginning to show the red nose. The “Old Family” dogs found their way to America mainly via immigrants. For example, Jim Corcoran came to this country to fight the world heavyweight champion John L. Sullivan, and stayed to become a Boston policeman. He sent for dogs from his parents back in Ireland, and his importation’s and expertise as a great breeder have earned him a prominent place in American (Pit) Bull Terrier history. Many other Irish immigrants also sent back to their families to request for dogs, and the “Old Family” and related strains became firmly established in the United States. At this point, there are several factors that are somewhat confusing to a student of the breed. For one thing, the term “family dogs” was used in two ways: It could mean a strain of dogs that was a family unto itself that was kept by a number of unrelated people in Ireland, or it could refer to a strain of dogs that was kept and preserved through the years by a family group. However, the old Family Reds seem to be of the first category. Another point that arises is that with all these importation’s from Ireland (and there were importation’s from other countries, too including Spain), where do we get off calling our breed the American Bull Terrier! Well…that’s a point! The breed does not really belong to any one country or even any one era! However, I don’t believe many people are in favor of changing the name of the breed even though it is not strictly an American breed. For that matter, it is not really a Bull Terrier, either! But the name American (Pit) Bull Terrier has become part of that tradition we were talking about, and I think most of us prefer to keep it as a formal name for the breed. Back to the Old Family Reds. The first big splash made by the red noses was back around 1900 when the great breeder William J. Lightner, utilizing Old Family Red bloodlines, came up with some red-nosed dogs that really made a name for themselves. Now Llightner once told me that he did not breed for that red-nosed coloration. In fact, he did not even like it and he only put up with it because the individual dogs were of such high quality. Eventually Lightner gave up the red-nosed strain when he moved from Louisiana to Colorado, where he came up with a new strain that consisted of small dark-colored dogs with black noses. He had given up on the other strain because they were running too big for his taste and because he didn’t like the red noses. At this point in our story we come upon a comical, but highly respected, figure in the personage of Dan McCoy. I have heard old-time dog men from all over the country talk about this man. Apparently, he was an itinerant fry cook and not much of a success in life judged by normal standards, but he didn’t care about that. What he did care about were Pit Bulldogs, and he had a wealth of knowledge about the breed. His uncanny ability to make breedings that “clicked” made him a respected breeding consultant and a most welcome guest at any dog man’s house even if he had just dropped off a freight train! Always with his ear to the ground regarding anything that involved APBT’s, McCoy got wind of the fact that an old Frenchman in Louisiana by the name of Bourgeous had preserved the old Lightner red-nosed strain. So he and Bob Hemphill went to that area, and with the aid of Gaboon Trahan of Lafayette, they secured what was left of the dogs. McCoy took his share to the Panhandle of Texas and placed them with his associates L.C. Owens, Arthur Harvey and Buck Moon. He then played a principal role in directing the breedings that were made by these fanciers. And from this enclave came such celebrated dogs as Harvey’s Red Devil and Owens (Fergusons) Centipede. Hemphill eventually kept only dogs of the re-nosed strain. According to Hemphill, it was McCoy who first started using the term “Old Family Red Nose” for the strain. Another breeder who was almost synonymous with the red-nosed strain was Bob Wallace. However, Bob’s basic bloodline was not pure Old Family Red Nose. But in the late 40’s he was looking for the red-nosed strain in order to make an “out cross.” (Bob was a scrupulously careful breeder who planned his breedings years in advance.) Unfortunately, he found that the strain was nearly gone, most of it having been ruined by careless breedings. He managed to obtain seven pure red-noses of high quality whose pedigrees he could authenticate. The strain subsequently saved for posterity and in the 1950’s became the fashionable strain in Pit Bull circles. In fact, it was Bob Wallace himself who wrote an article in 1953 called “There Is No Magic in Red Noses” in which he tried to put a damper on the overly enthusiastic claims being made by some of the admirers of the strain. No more fervent admirer of the Old Family Reds ever lived than Wallace, but he obviously felt that the strain could stand on its own merits. Many strains have been crossed with the Old Family Reds at some time in their existence. Consequently, nearly any strain will occasionally throw a red-nosed pup. To many fanciers, these red-nosed individuals are Old Family Red Noses even though the great preponderance of their blood is that of other strains. Sometimes such individuals will fail to measure up and thereby reflect undeserved discredit on the red-nosed strain. However, as Wallace said, the red noses should not be considered invincible either. They produce their share of bad ones as well as good ones just as all strains do. As a strain, the Old Family Red Nose has several things going for it. First, it is renowned for its gameness. Second, some of the most reputable breeders in all Pit Bull history have contributed to the preservation and development of the strain. People like Lightner, McClintock, Menefee and Wallace, to mention just a few. “Regardless of one’s historical perspective, these old amber eyed, rednosed, red-toe-nailed, red coated dogs represent some of the most significant pit bull history and tradition that stands on four legs today.” Richard F Stratton

Touched by Fire

www.richardfstratton.com/touchedbyfire.htm

It has often been claimed that geniuses, whether scientific, mathematical, or musical, were touched by a divine fire that made them special, but it also could be a curse because it seemed that geniuses were more likely to be plagued by madness than those of us of normal intelligence. Actually, there is a certain controversy regarding the latter supposition. It may just be that the mental illness of an otherwise normal person goes more unnoticed than that of someone who is famous because of genius capabilities.

But I am taking the phrase to refer to the Old Family Red Nose dogs. The red color of the nose and eyes is seemingly touched by a fire, albeit not divine. Similarly, there is much controversy about the grand old red nosed dogs. And like geniuses, the Old Family dogs have been considered by many dog men, including this one, to be something truly special.

One of the areas of misunderstanding is that many fanciers think that any Pit Bull which shows the red nose is a member of the Old Family Red Nose strain. Such is not the case, as many strains of dogs will occasionally throw a red-nosed pup or two. The term Old Family Red Nose refers to a particular family of dogs that was especially successful during the 40s, 50s, and 60s. They came from the old Lightner strain of the early part of the century. In fact, they were often called Lightner dogs, rather than the term that began to be used in the early 40s.

It was my privilege to know William J. Lightner and his wife, Mary, back in the 40s and 50s. I just wish I had known what questions to ask them. At that time, they lived in Colorado Springs, but this was at the tail end of a career in dogs that started way back in the 19th century. Lightner’s father, grandfather, and his uncles had been raising a strain of dogs they had kept pure since before the Civil War. Mary Lightner was also a fan of the dogs, and she kept the pedigrees straight and handled the correspondence. Although the Lightner’s were wonderful people and quite helpful to me, I was not aware of what high regard their dogs were held until I had been in the military and gotten to know a lot of the dog men across the country. Notables such as Bob Wallace, Bob Hemphill, Bert Clouse, and Leo Kinard, to mention just a few, were quite impressed that I knew Bill Lightner.

All of these people knew more than I did about the history of his dogs. They knew, for example, that there was a separate strain of dogs that Lightner had early in the century (having obtained them from his relatives), and these were very much sought after. Then there was what these dog men called the “latter day Lightner dogs.” Even the most astute student wasn’t sure where the later strain came from, but they felt that it was testament to Lightner’s genius at breeding dogs that he could create yet another great strain. I asked Lightner about the first strain when I got back, and he said that he had gotten rid of them because he didn’t like the color of the red nose. He also liked small dogs, and as far as he was concerned, the red-nosed dogs were running too large. Lightner was a giant of a man himself, and I had always been surprised by the big men, including Bert Clouse and Ham Morris, who liked their pit dogs on the small size. As a matter of fact, Lightner had been a renowned prizefighter in his time, and he had been good friends with some of the great old-time boxers, such as Jim Corbett (famous for beating John L. Sullivan).

I wish I had quizzed Lightner about the later dogs, but I surmised that they had been a blend of his old strain with some other quality line, and the rumor was that it consisted primarily of Colby dogs. But we are concerned with the early dogs here, as that was what produced the Old Family Red Nose strain.

While the Lightner family had never sold dogs, they sold off a few before the first World War, as the dog matching had subsided considerably in the area of Colorado in which they were living at that time. Al Dickinson of El Paso and Joe Peace were able to get some of these dogs, and they treasured them highly and kept the line going. These were primarily the large dogs that tended to show the red nose. When Joe Peace and Al Dickinson were both drafted during the World War, Red Howell took their dogs, and some of them went to Bourgeous in Louisiana. The men who used Lightner dogs to the extent that the Old Family Red Nose line became famous were Arthur Harvey and L. C. Owens of Amarillo, Texas. The breedings of these famous dog men produced many great dogs, including Hemphill’s Golddust and Hemphill’s Broke Jaw. A candidate for the best pit bitch of the century was Lightner’s Speed. In 1926, she was bred to Allen’s Fighting Tige to produce Harvey’s Red Devil. Red Devil was the sire of Centipede and Golddust. Centipede was generally considered the greatest dog of his time. And he was 54 pounds pit weight, quite large even for today’s dogs. With Lightner’s predilection for small dogs, I can imagine the look on his face at raising these large dogs! The interesting thing here is that it was a very inbred strain that was producing such large dogs. In fact, it was probably inbreeding which produced the red nose and red eyes. These are recessive traits, and they are more likely to come to the surface in a program of heavy inbreeding.

Other dogs that helped make the red dogs famous were Ham Morris’s Pinkie, Howell’s Banjo, and William’s Cyclone. Since there were so many good dogs coming from this line, they were quite naturally bred along family lines, and this tended to perpetuated the red nose, the red eyes, and the red toe nails that so distinguished this strain.

As you can imagine, dog men were not so sure how to take these most unusual-looking pit dogs. They were, after all, accustomed to small dogs of brindle and various other colorations. Some dog men, such as McClintock, Williams, Hemphill, and Wallace, came to specialize in this line. When dog men saw an entire kennel of such dogs, it was only natural to conclude that the dogs had been bred for appearance, but that was not the case. It was simply a matter of fact that a lot of great pit dogs of similar breeding had displayed the coloration. Since the colors were recessive to the more common colors, they were uniformly reproduced in all the progeny when these dogs were bred together.

Besides color, the red dogs showed other traits. In the pit, they were considered great ring generals, pacing themselves very well. They were smart dogs, and they used their intelligence in the pit. They were not really well known for a hard bite, but they could beat the dogs that had that trait. With their defensive prowess, they gave the hardbiting dogs nothing to bite but air. They wore them down and then went in for the kill. Great endurance was also a trait of these dogs, but they were most renowned for their incredible gameness. Another trait they were know for was that they could be crossed with nearly any line and produce bone-crushing pit dogs. Because of this very trait, not many dog men elected to breed them pure.

To this very day, the red nose dogs remain quite controversial. For one thing, they are nearly always popular with neophytes, as they don’t look like the “mongrels with the mumps” that pit dogs have been so often called. The red nose and concomitant coloration marks them as something special in anyone’s eyes. But that is not necessarily a good thing, for dog peddlers tend to breed dogs with this coloration that have no claim to even being related to the true Old Family Red Nose dogs. Of course, all papers can be faked, but a dog of this line should trace back to Harvey’s Red Devil and Lightner’s Vick some place.

I can talk about the Old Family Red Nose dogs with some authority, as I knew so many of the people associated with them. But I can also do so objectively, for my present lot of dogs doesn’t have a red nose among them. Nevertheless, the blood of those dogs runs in their veins. Wallace’s Bad Red is back there. Most of my dogs are down from Grand Champion Hope, who was sired by the immortal Tombstone. Most of the dogs that I have had turn out well for me were down from Tombstone. So that means I have gotten away from the original OFRN dogs, right? Well, not exactly. You see, Tombstone was mostly OFRN breeding, top and bottom. The immortal Black Widow, for example, was three quarters OFRN, even though she herself was black in coloration. And she was Tombstone’s paternal grand dam, while his mother was very heavy red nose.

Tombstone’s influence has been mighty all across the country, and this is all the more remarkable when it is considered how few times he was bred as compared to so many other vaunted sires. Recently some fine dog men who were natives of Mexico brought a descendent of Tombstone’s for me to see. I was thunderstruck when they got the dog out of the van. Before my eyes was an absolute reincarnation of the Old Family Red Nose dogs I had seen back in Wallace’s place (and those of other dog men, too) back in the 50s. The dog was Champion Boiler, a three-time winner, and when I saw video tapes of his matches, I was all the more enchanted. His style was exactly that of the old dogs. Take them where they want to go, but keep the mouth from doing any damage. Wear them down, all the while laying on damage, a bit at a time. And Boiler had exactly the same intelligence and attitude of the old dogs. The visit was so striking for me that it inspired this article.

I am frequently asked about the OFRN dogs. A lot of people want a pure dog of that strain. Well, the original strain was an amalgamation of several lines, including Colby (from Tige’s sire, among other sources), so I often am overly literal by saying that I don’t know of any pure lines left. But the fact is that these dogs are still around. There are still breeders that specialize in them. The challenge is to find the ones which are quality bred.

Bob Wallace used to refer to the red nose as a “badge of courage,” and he mentioned friends that referred to them as “traffic stoppers.” I’m like Lightner in that I didn’t like the looks of them when I first saw them, but some of Bob’s enthusiasm rubbed off on me. There really is something special about the line. I’m not trying to say they are the best, but they are as good as the best. Sometimes it seems as though they truly were touched by a big of magical fire.

GIBSON’S “BUCK”, THE STORY OF AN OLD FAMILY REDNOSE, AN AMERICAN PIT BULL TERRIER

The American Pit Bull Terrier in the following story was owned by D. Gibson of Southern Pride Kennels in 1972. He was an Old Family Rednose. He was whelped on August 25, 1972. Buck was from the old Bentleys “Dolly”, Williams “Red Jack”, and Bill De Cordovas “Cocoa” bloodlines. This is a true story, based upon Buck’s short and tragic life.

Buck was a beautiful red, red nosed American Pit Bull Terrier. He lived the latter part of his life on a farm in Bluemont, Virginia. As was his custom, Buck would walk Jerry and Peter to the end of their very long lane to the bus stop. It was his way of saying “goodbye” to them in the morning. He would watch as they boarded the bus each day and made their way down the mountain to school. Each afternoon, Buck knew exactly when to run to the end of the lane to greet the young children upon their arrival from school. Oh, how he loved those children! He and the children would play together for endless hours; however, he was ever mindful not to be too rough with them as he seemed to be aware of their fragility.

One morning, after the children boarded the school bus, instead of returning home immediately, Buck decided to investigate the area. He ventured up the winding dirt road for quite some distance and found nothing but birds, insects and trees. This was very boring, even for a dog who generally had no trouble entertaining himself. Thus it was that Buck decided to explore the opposite direction. He had walked for quite some time when he passed the only nearby house on their road. Buck suddenly stopped, stood stiffly and sniffed the air. He smelled the presence of another dog, yet he could not see him. There was a board fence surrounding the neighbors house, except for a narrow chain link gate. Without warning or even a single sound, a huge white German shepherd male dog charged the chain link gate.He struck the gate with such force that he was bounced backward several feet. Buck stood perfectly still, as the raging white dog repeated his attempts to attack him. Buck sensed an evil presence with this dog, a dog who attacked with no barks or growls. Buck watched amusedly as the shepherd continued his onslaught. Off in the distance, Buck heard his master’s wifes voice calling him, and he could tell by the tone of her voice, he was in deep trouble.

Responding immediately to the call, he raced back up the road to home. Annabelle was very upset that Buck had wandered off the property and was concerned that he might have been hit by an automobile. “You’re not allowed to follow the kids to the bus stop anymore”, she said. And with those words, Buck was grounded. He watched each morning as the children disappeared down the lane to the bus stop. He was held captive in the house until the kids had caught the bus and were gone from sight. Only then, would he be allowed outside the confines of the house.

One morning as the children were preparing to leave the house for school, Buck was very ill at ease.

He sensed something terribly wrong was going to happen that morning, yet could not figure out the source of this awful premonition. He whined and scratched at the entrance to the door to see for himself what was the object of his concern. The children kissed their mother goodbye and started down the lane. Annabelle scolded Buck harshly for his unexplained behavior and told him to go lay down. Try as he might, Buck could not shake the horrible feeling of impending doom. He had to follow the children, he just had to! Annabelle started her morning chores and Buck continued his pacing back and forth. The garage door! Buck recalled the garage door was sometimes left open. Once there, he discovered the door, had, in fact, been left ajar, and Buck slipped out into the still morning air. He knew he was being disobedient, but he had to follow the children down the lane. Buck crouched low to help avoid detection by the children as he knew they would make him go home if they saw him. Still the horrid feeling was with him, although he knew not of the origin of his nightmare. The children had reached the end of the lane now, and were standing waiting for the bus. Out of the corner of his eye, Buck caught a movement in the bushes.

It was the white German shepherd. He was sneaking toward the children, eyes ablaze with hatred, and saliva dripping from his jowls. Buck now knew what he had sensed—the giant white dog had escaped his confines and was now preparing to attack his children! Buck speeded up his approach now, as he could tell the white dog was close to springing his attack on the defenseless children. Buck ran with all his strength, faster and faster to the defense of the children who had shown him so much love.
The huge white dog leaped, high into the air, mouth wide open, ready to tear the life from the human child called Jerry. Buck sprang simultaneously and hit the crazed dog only a millisecond before he impacted the child. The shepherd was twice Buck’s size, and threw him around like a rag doll. The white dog was slashing Buck and inflicting him grievous wounds, yet Buck knew he had to stop this dog from harming his beloved children. Driven by countless generations of his pit bull heritage, Buck knew he must get a hold on the colossus and not let go, less the dog harm the children.

As they parried for position, Buck saw his opportunity and latched onto the back of the white dog. Try as he might, the shepherd could not shake the little dog from his hold on him. The children stood horrified as the battle continued. Annabelle had heard the fighting and the children screaming and came running up the lane to see what the commotion was all about. When she arrived at the scene, she tried to call Buck off from his defense of the children. Buck would not let go as he knew the sinister intentions of this dog. By this time the neighbor who owned the shepherd had arrived on the scene and tried to break up the fight, but to no avail. “Run children, RUN!”, Buck thought, as he was weakening from the pounding his much larger opponent had given him. Suddenly, the neighbor appeared back on the scene with a gun, a shotgun, and told Annabelle that if she did not make her dog stop, he would shoot him. Buck was not about to free his hold on the white dog until the children were safe, and no amount of coaxing would make him release his hold on the German shepherd. A shotgun blast rang out from the neighbors gun, and Buck lay mortally wounded, his life blood flowing into red puddles onto the hard clay soil. Annabelle and the children, crying hysterically, ran down the lane back to their home. “I must hang on for just a little while longer.”, Buck thought. The darkness of the grim reaper descended upon him, and he closed his eyes with a final vision of the children fleeing to safety. He released his hold on the German shepherd and, knowing that his beloved children were now secure, slowly closed his eyes in death and breathed his last breath.

http://www.pitbull.ro/english/old-family-pitbull-terrier.htm

The Great One

By Richard F. Stratton

It is perhaps impossible for modern dog people to realize the great reputation that Ferguson’s Centipede enjoyed in the late 30s and early 40s. Perhaps it is sufficient to say that there was never any doubt that he was the best pit dog in the country at that time. Also, more than any other dog, he helped launch the popularity of the Old Family Red Nose strain, although he was more often referred to at the time as a “Lightner dog.” At the beginning of his career, Centipede may not have been a unanimous choice for best dog in the country, as his ability was so great that it was not known if he was game. But his final match was against George Saddler’s Black Boy, and it went two hours and twenty-two minutes without a turn by either dog, with Centipede finally prevailing.

It was the third contest which convinced everyone of what a great dog Centipede was. Saddler was known to scout his opponent in a big money match like the one with Centipede, and he brought a dog that he thought could beat him. The fact was that both dogs had a reputation as bone-crushing pit warriors. I have an original flyer that advertised the fight, much as a modern prize fight, with Centipede being touted as the “Cream of Oklahoma” and Black Boy as the “Pride of the Delta.”

Centipede was whelped about 1933 in the kennels of L. C. Owens in Texas. He was the result of Dan McCoy’s having discovered that there was still some of the old Lightner blood down in Louisiana. McCoy and Bob Hemphill made the journey down to that part of the country and bought several dogs. Hemphill kept his close to the vest, but Dan McCoy was always on the move and couldn’t keep dogs, so he left his with trusted friends, including Arthur Harvey and L. C. Owens in Amarillo, Texas. Owen’s Mickey was bred to the renowned Harvey’s Red Devil to produce the litter which contained Centipede.

When I met Bill Lightner in Colorado Springs, he and his wife were in their eighties, and they kept a kennel of basically small dogs of various coloration. Lightner and his wife were uncanny in their ability to select good brood stock. They had left the red, red-nosed dogs down in Louisiana because Lightner didn’t like the looks of those dogs, and he felt they were coming out too big. Centipede would be an example of that, as his pit weight was 54 pounds. To listen to many modern dog men, the old time pit dogs were never that big, but not only were there these two great dogs at that size, but they each had been matched twice before they were matched into each other. Be aware that pit weight in those days was lighter than today, so the dogs were easily sixty-five pounds on the chain.

Other than size, the only fault with Centipede was that he was a laid back dog and nearly impossible to work. Frustrated, Owens sold him to Earl Tudor. Although something of a genius in working dogs, even Tudor had a problem with Centipede. When he walked the dog, he stayed back at the end of the leash. Puzzled, Tudor stopped and looked at the dog, and the dog lay down! As patient as he was with the dogs, he wasn’t sure that he could ever get Centipede in shape. He decided to rely upon natural ability and endurance for his first contest, which Centipede won handily in less than thirty-five minutes.

The next opponent had a bit of a reputation, so Tudor enlisted his friend Red Howell to work the dog. Now Red was a real genius with dogs, a harbinger to the coming of Ham Morris just a few years later, another gem at training animals. Red never used force in training his dogs, but he understood their psychology. He discovered that Centipede was a natural house dog, and he would do anything for attention. Red’s girls would dress Centipede up in dresses and put lip stick on him, and the dog thrived on it.

Red and Centipede worked out a deal. If Centipede would run the turn table mill for a specified time, he could go in the house after his rub down. Nothing else would work. Centipede was unexcited by cats, and if Red placed a dog in Centipede’s view, his eyes showed fire, but the dog was too smart to not know that the harness was keeping him from getting to the dog, so he didn’t run the mill. Somehow Red was able to convey to the dog that he would get a reward for running the mill. The first time he took a few steps on the mill, Red brought him in the house. Very quickly, the dog got the idea. So Centipede spent a good part of his keep in Red’s house with his young daughters. Howell told Bob Wallace that Centipede was absolutely the smartest dog he ever saw of any breed. He would bring Red a bottle of beer, opening up the ice box to get it. Red swore that he could have taught him to open those bottles too.

The match between Centipede and Black Boy would qualify as a classic contest. The dogs met in the center like a couple of freight trains, and first Black Boy had the upper hand. In fact, the lead changed a couple of times, with its being anyone’s match up until the two-hour mark. At that point, Centipede finally took command for good. Saddler gave it up in 22 more minutes in a desperate attempt to save his dog.

After Centipede beat Black Boy, Tudor couldn’t get him matched, as everyone conceded that he was the best. Nothing his weight, or any weight, could beat him. That was the common opinion among dog men. This was evidenced by the fact that Tudor opened him up at catchweight with no takers. Frustrated, Tudor sold the dog to Dave Ferguson.

Now Dave Ferguson was well known and liked as a pit dog aficionado, but he couldn’t keep dogs, as he played trumpet in a big name band. He toured the country, and he spent a lot of time in New York and in San Francisco. For that reason, he left the dog with various trusted friends in the dog game. Dave was a good hearted guy, and he always allowed that whoever was keeping the dog could not only breed to him, but stud him out as well. Because of this situation and the dog’s great reputation, the dog was bred a lot, and if we trace back our pedigrees far enough, we will find Centipede there some place. We could do a lot worse!

Dave Ferguson was drafted into the army during the second World War, and he received decorations for heroism. None of the dog men were surprised about this, as they had always referred to him as “the little man with the big heart.” Unfortunately, Ferguson was shot and killed by a sniper in the last days of the war. There were lots of losses during that war, but that one particularly threw a pall over the pit dog fraternity.

Centipede died in the yard of D. A. McClintock, another genius with animals and a great lover of the Old Family Red Nose strain. By the time McClintock received the dog, he wasn’t producing any more, but he took care of him and even gave him time in the house. Like Red Dunham before him, McClintock considered Centipede the smartest dog he had ever seen.

Beyond being smart, Centipede was considered a great dog, the greatest pit dog of his time. When someone of those days referred to “the great one,” they didn’t have to mention the name. Everyone knew that it was Centipede.

Fonti:

• http://www.southerninfernokennels.com/ofrnhistory.htm
• http://www.workingamstaffs.com/document.htm?doc=58778
• http://ironlinekennels.com/NorrodBillboard/viewtopic.php?p=8040&sid=e726bd250faf63ee021c44cf14d82246
• http://www.pittrpatter.com/ofrnhistory.html
• http://www.bryantsreddevils.com/StoryOfOldFamilyReds.htm
• http://www.flametreekennels.net/theoldfamilyrednose.htm