This was written by E.L Mullins and sheds some light on the OFRN line of dogs...

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 not 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."

Best of luck in your research of the great APBT
Brian

VERY GOOD !

Jim,
I put that up for anyone to reference and maybe use in their research....I put it up directly behind Richards post. His dog "Sin" is an outstanding example of this particular line as we know it today. In the late 70's and early 80's I remember there being a number of these tight bred dogs .... sadly though much of it has been lost due to irresponisble/ignorant breeding practices. My hats off to the hardcore who keep their nose to the grind stone and eye on the ball when breeding this particular line of dog. A true versatile old school working dog with a wide range of abilities and typically an iron clad temperment when bred correctly.

Thanks
Brian

Brian,

Good post, enjoyed the read.

Got anything else on red nose dogs? Post it up!

Toby

Toby
I will see about getting some more up. Back in 79 or 80 I came to know the grandson of Mr.Bourgeous his name was Aaron Bourgeous. I heard sometime later he was killed in an accident where he worked in the ship yards in Avalon La. He offered me a dog that he claimed was from the original "OFRN" line. Of course there are many of these guys that did business on a handshake and their word was their bond. The dog had no papers but he assured me that the pup was directly off his families line of dogs. I fully intended to work this particular dog. Unfortunately my circumstances got to be that I wasn't able to keep him. You have heard the ole stories of "the one that got away"....I still kick myself over that one. At the time I knew he was a special dog but honestly I didnt fully realize what I really had until years later.

Merry Christmas to you and your family
Brian

THAT IS ONE OF THE BEST HISTORY REPORTS ON OFRN DOGS EVER WRITEN.
I WILL ADD A LITTLE ABOUT MODERN OFRN DOGS.
FIRST OF ALL THERE ARE VERY FEW THAT ARE TRUELY OLD FAMILY.

MARTIN CEASER OF TUFFTOWN WAS 1/2 STAFF. HE WAS A SHOW DOG. NOT A GAME DOG.
ALTHOUGH THAT IS WHAT MANY OFRN DOGS OF TODAY ARE USED FOR. MOST DON'T CARE THE ONE THING THAT MADE THESE DOGS LEDGENDS. SO THEY MAY HAVE HIGH % OF THIS BLOOD. BEING MORE TRUE TO THE ORIGINAL DOGS IS THE MOST INPORTANT PART.

CAMALOT DOGS. THE OWNERS OF THIS LINE CLAIM THEM TO BE OFRN DOGS. I HAVE NEVER SEEN MORE THAN 3-4 GENS BACK ON KUBARS GOLDEN BUD. SO ? HOW MUCH OFRN HE CARRIES.
SO I WOLD CONSIDER BOTH OF THESE LINES TO BE MODERN DESCINDANTS OF OFRN DOGS.

WILDER DOGS, JAKE WAS VERY OLD WHEN HE GOT INTO HEMPHILL DOGS. VERY FEW WERE TESTED. THEY BECAME MAN EATERS WHILE IN JAKES HANDS. I BELIVE SOME OF THIS WAS DUE TO THE WAY HE KEPT THEM. I HAVE KNOWN A FEW [BREEDERS] THAT HAD GOT UP IN AGE. WAS UNABLE TO PLAY AND SOCIALIZE THE DOGS. THAT WOULD BE A LITTLE MEAN TO THEM TO KEEP THEM DOWN. THAT LEADS TO POOR TEMPERMENT.
THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO KNOWINGLY BREED THESE MANEATERS. THERE MAIN FOCUS IS DOGS THAT ARE 67% GERONIMO AND RED DIXIE.

I HAVE OWNED MORE THAN 50 OLD FAMILY RED NOSE DOGS THREW THE YEARS. MOSTLY BECAUSE I LOVE THE HISTORIC DOGS. MOST OF THEM DIDN'T MEET MY STANDARD OF QUALITY.
ONE OTHER THING TRUE OFRN NEED TO BE TESTED TO WEED OUT THE CURS & COLD DOGS.
BECAUSE I WAS UNABLE TO DO WHAT I FELT WAS NECESSARY. TO KEEP THESE DOGS HONEST. I WAS GETTING OUT OF THEM. I KEEP SIN AND ANNA FOR OLD TIME SAKE.
ANNA HAS A BROTHER DOWN IN MEXICO WHO IS A DBL GRANDCHAMPION. SINS DAD WAS HEAVLY TESTED BEFORE I IQUIRED HIM. SO I KNOW OF THE QUALITY'S UPCLOSE IN THERE BACK GROUND.
WELL SIN HAS PROVEN HE HAS THE HART THAT BOB HEMPHILL BREED FOR. HE IS AS TRUE A OLD FAMILY RED NOSE DOG I HAVE EVER OWNED.

THERE ARE OTHERS OUT THERE BUT DO YOUR RESEARCH. BE CAREFULL AND TRY TO SEE FOR YOURSELF.

YIS
RICHARD

This is by Mark Mallard

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My history with Jake Wilder was not as involved as some others can claim, as he and I lived in different parts of the country.
The man who taught me dogs had his own pit bull registry, as well as an associated magazine. Jake was a contributor to that magazine and therefore had a close relationship with my teacher. It was from this relationship, that I had the opportunity to write and speak with Jake Wilder. I contacted Mr. Wilder, as I was gathering all the information I could find about Bert Clouse. Jake knew Mr. Clouse and he was able to forward some useful information to me. Somehow though, the OFRN dogs always became the main topic of conversation and letters.

As I have written in previous posts, I started with dogs at an interesting time.
Richard Stratton’s first book had just been out for a little while and the popularity of pit bulls was increasing exponentially.
The late 70’s was still riding the wave of “heightened sporting activity” and there was a lot of action on the West Coast.

Stratton’s first book put a heavy emphasis on the history of the OFRN dogs, so it made sense that most beginners would gravitate to that strain. I always liked those beautiful red dogs but worked with other lines during that time.

Nevertheless, I do remember following the current OFRN breedings of that era.
Being associated with my teacher opened quite a few doors and I was able to be present at various sporting events. I saw first-hand what the OFRN dogs of the late 70’s and 80’s were made of, as some of the newer fanciers were trying them out.

Jake was a very pleasant person to speak with and was very personable.
Even over the phone you could detect certain innocence and he had a special country charm. He seemed to enjoy company and conversation.

Old Jake is not with us anymore and some of what I know is not flattering about the man; however, when adding information to a subject it is best to relate the truth.

Per the letters that I have openly shared and made public, Jake owned pit bulls since the age of 14, which gave him 50 years of experience by the early 60’s. He was well liked by quite a few famous dog-men, who allowed Jake access to some very notable dogs (i.e. Geronimo/Red Dixie).

When I look at the history of Jake’s breedings, I see a direct correlation between his results, and the following
• His influence with associates,
• His economic condition
• His age
• His breeding methods,


As I followed what Jake did, I had an appreciation for what he was trying to accomplish early on. The following is not meant to be all inclusive, rather it is intended to give a point of reference to time-lines. I really liked these early breedings.

Wilder’s Spice/Wilder’s Cindy
http://www.apbt.online-pedigrees.com/public/printPedigree.php?dog_id=26912
Here you can see where Jake brought Nugget and Spice together. This female was brought to old Geronimo himself, along with Clouse’s Butcher Boy. Offspring from these two were used in successful programs. This blood looks to be the core of Jake’s yard, just as Geronimo became available.

Wilder’s Tammy
http://www.apbt.online-pedigrees.com/public/printPedigree.php?dog_id=3462
Nebletts was brought into the mix, bred straight to Geronimo.

Tartenaar’s Cindy
http://www.apbt.online-pedigrees.com/public/printPedigree.php?dog_id=3499
Hemphill’s Red Dixie (Geronimo’s sister) was bred to Red Ace, to produce Cindy. Cindy was used by Everett Tartenaar, who had some good success.

Wilder’s Red Dot
http://www.apbt.online-pedigrees.com/public/printPedigree.php?dog_id=3476
Looks like breeding Renee to Geronimo II was an honest attempt to infuse some good working blood with the Hemphill strain. The mix of these lines should have provided a good niche. Geronimo II was then smartly bred back to Red Dot.

Spacy’s Taxi
http://www.apbt.online-pedigrees.com/public/printPedigree.php?dog_id=8205
Geronimo II to Coles/Nebletts/etc

Brown’s Red Bruiser
http://www.apbt.online-pedigrees.com/public/printPedigree.php?dog_id=3467
Spacy’s Taxi back to Geronimo II. In my opinion, this was perhaps one of the last, smart breedings that Jake did. Bruiser anchored Mike Morgan’s yard.

These double Geronimo II breedings (Red Dot/Taxi back to Geronimo II) produced some worthwhile representatives. Red Bruiser was a multi-time winner. Dogs from these breedings would most assuredly have required some heavy culling but if I could turn back time, I certainly would have acquired a few down from the above.

Here is an example of where Jake was working with blood other than heavy Hemphill (with good results).
Hiwassee’s Booger Boy
http://www.apbt.online-pedigrees.com/public/printPedigree.php?dog_id=38333
Sire to Grand Champion Lucky Strike. The dam to Gr. Ch. Lucky Strike was heavy Geronimo II and Red Dot.
http://www.apbt.online-pedigrees.com/public/printPedigree.php?dog_id=38334

It is my opinion that after the above breedings, the blood began to tank.

In 1978, Jake Wilder was 80 years old. As father time begins to reel us in, some things just start to fall away from us… Including our dear associates.
Based on the early breedings that Jake made, he seemed to have access to some worthwhile blood. As I wrote earlier, Jake was well liked and given access to many top flight dogs. As the associates who provided that blood all passed way, Jake lost access.
This lead to fewer options and choices.

Jake did not seem to hold on to his core blood very well. Jake was a WWI veteran and his only source of income was his pension. In later years, selling dogs was his only means of additional revenue. As the OFRN dogs became popular, Jake was breeding and selling dogs for whomever wanted one. More than once he sold off his foundation stock and had to get it back, via pups from his customers.

As I was learning about OFRN dogs, I was directed to speak with Tom Browne (owner of Red Bruiser). I was told that he was the real action man behind Jake and that I could get the straight scoop from him. I had contact with Mr. Brown from 1982 to the late 80’s. Mr. Browne said that he liked Jake and would help him with delivering puppies and shipping dogs, because Jake was too old to do it all himself at the time.
He said that earlier on, Jake was involved in rolling some dogs but never heard of or saw him match anything. Mr. Browne used other blood besides the OFRN stock and actively matched dogs. Tom Browne was a good man. As other people influenced Jake, Mr. Browne seemed to fade out of the picture. After that, Jakes dogs went to hell.
Years after he stopped dealing with Jake, Mr. Browne told me that he did not understand why so many people were buying these “red dogs”, as “they would fight like hell for 20 minutes and then quit”. Because he was active with matching, Mr. Browne knew what to look for and selected the best of what was available from Jake’s stock, while the getting was still good. Heavy Bruiser stock still peaks an interest with me.

The older generation was kind to Jake. He was the innocent country guy and they liked him. They did not take advantage of him. The newer generation did not have the same value system and treated him accordingly. As Jake became older, I believe his judgment was not what it once may have been and those that were close to him in later years, used his blood for their own intentions.

I recall speaking with Jake on one occasion. He was telling me about a breeding that he was going to make with a male owned by an associate of his (circa mid 80’s). He was making the breeding because he liked the structure and size of the male (over 80 lbs) and was amazed by the size of the dog’s feet. No mention of gameness or ability. The dog was Yeargain’s Buffalo Bill.

So my opinion is that with the loss of true dog-men at his side, Jake lost the ability to infuse good blood into his program, along with the ability to select the right dogs to move forward with. Those that he teamed with in later years were not as knowledgeable and did not move the line in the right direction. Instead of infusing worthwhile blood like the kind listed above, we ended up with crosses with this **** in it.
Jo Jo
http://www.apbt.online-pedigrees.com/pedigrees/printablePedigree.php?dog_id=3846

As Tom Browne did, there have been some who have found worthwhile OFRN specimens and kept the blood straight (thank god for those folks). Some people say Jake wrecked the Hemphill blood. Even though he was not a true dog-man, I actually like what he did until he lost his good influences and his mind.

little something you might like

http://www.freewebs.com/dogletters/introduction.htm

Thanks for these historical peices. I'd already read the first one but I can't remember where.

Rocco also put up a pretty interesting piece on Red nosed dogs in the Gazzette. I believe I read it in a recent mag although it could have been one of the older ones from this decade. In it he talks about how the Redboy dogs of today are among the most successfully bred red dogs.

Seems like I run into a lot of people who claim to have OFRN dogs and this has probably hurt the strain because everyone with a red dog wants to claim it's "OFRN"