Interview with Pat Patrick

S.T.P’s Grand Champion Buck, Lewis’ Grand Champion Catfish, Anderson’s Champion Tonka, Patrick’s Champion Assassin, Ozzie Steven’s Champion Rastus, Boyle’s Champion Bobby Jr., Paynes’ Champion Black Annie, Kincaids’ Champion Princess and the list goes on and on. Pat Patrick has bred probably more champions than any other man alive and his reputation of being one of the best breeders in the world will be a hard act to follow. Patrick’s main stud dogs were Indian Bolio and Patrick’s Tombstone. These two dogs not only proved to be game winning Pit Bulldogs, but in Patrick’s hands turned out to be first class producers of equally good dogs. We at the Times feel that Patrick deserves lots of credit for his outstanding record of breeding good dogs. In the next few pages, we asked Pat about his experience on this subject and we hope you will enjoy reading his answers.
PAT, WHO WERE THE FIRST PEOPLE YOU BOUGHT YOUR DOGS FROM? 
Keith Allen sold me Tater and Faith and Indian Sonny sold me Red Baby’s dam, a bitch named Goldie. Maurice Carver sold me Diamond and Don Mayfield sold me Tombstone. Also, I got Dolly from Don Maloney and Grand Champion Hank from Danny Burton. I bought my first dog from Adolph Torres of Los Angeles back in 1967. He told me his dogs were bred for fighting just as their ancestors had been bred for perhaps more than 22 years. Arny Steinberg showed me the dogs of Clouse bloodlines like Tater and Fatih and other dogs that he and Keith Allen owned at the time. They were very game, long winded dogs. Later, I discovered the Maloney dogs like Tombstone and Dolly and the Bolio dogs. It really is a matter of trial and error. I went by what I saw and heard from other good dogmen. I’ve tried lots of different bloodlines and always try to stay with the bloodlines that consistently produce a high percentage of good to great bulldogs. I have settled on the Maloney dogs, the Bolio dogs and the Tater and Faith lines because these bloodlines have always worked the best for me and produced good individuals. I also like the dogs that come from Indian Sonny’s Corvino dog, Crusher and the old Carver dogs with little or no Bullyson bloodlines in them. The reason why I bought Tombstone from Don Mayfield was because I talked to Bert Sorrells and Indian Sonny and other California dogmen and they all said he was one hell of a dog.
WHAT QUALITIES ARE YOU LOOKING FOR IN A DOG?
Gameness. The desire to keep fighting when a dog is hurt, tired and losing. That is the most important quality. Endurance, often called stamina or natural air is the next most important quality in my book. I like a smart fighting dog that can adapt to his opponent. Speed, strength and good balance in a dog contribute to a dog’s wrestling ability. A hard bite and the ability to keep biting hard can certainly help a dog to win. I like a dog to stay after his opponent that has quit, a good finisher. A good head fighter is my favorite style because they can often win without getting hurt much. A good head dog can be effective against any other style. Indian Bolio was the best head fighter I’ve ever seen and he was also the best stud dog I know of. I sometimes hear other dogmen say this dog or that dog would have easily beaten Bolio. I don’t believe it. He was the best all around fighting dog I ever saw pound for pound.
WHERE DID YOU GET BOLIO FROM?
Bolio was taken from Indian Sonny’s yard after some kind of dispute with some people I can’t name. I had no part in this. Sonny and I did not like each other too much, but again I had no part in taking Bolio from his yard. Any­way, the people who took Bolio from Sonny had trouble keeping Bolio after he bit a kid. They brought Bolio to my yard for safe keeping. If the situation was reversed, I know for sure Sonny would do the same. Maurice Carver had bred Bolio together with Eddie Klaus and I believe Floyd Boudreaux and Bennett Clayton owned the dog before Sonny did.
PAT, CAN YOU TELL ME WHAT GOOD DOGS BOLIO PRODUCED?
INDIAN-BOLIO-+-PATRICK's-TUYes, number one, he produced Ch. Greb, an extremely rough, hard biting, dead game dog. He was a chest dog mainly. Number two, Kincaid’s Ch. Princess, almost unbeatable at 39 pounds. She was a hard mouth dog that fought the head and the legs. Number three, Ch. Dagon. He was a son of Tuffy and killed dogs in less than 30 minutes. He liked the chest, throat, stomach, kidneys and face. Number four, Patrick’s Chen Lang. He could fight like hell at full speed until his opponent was exhausted. He was strong and very fast, but a light biter. Number five, Patrick’s Bully Boy Bob. A brother to Ch. Dagon, an all around talented dog at his best on the nose. Number six, Patrick’s Red Baby, a very talented and hard biting head dog that has produced many good dogs herself. Number seven and eight, Pinky (a litter sister to Red Baby) and Baby Spike. Both of these dogs were similar to Red Baby. Number ten, Kid’s Blackie, a brother to Ch. Princess and Chen Lang, with a similar style and ability. Number eleven to fifteen, Pretty Girl, Boogie, No Name, Pin Head and Bertha. They were all sisters to Ch. Princess and they were all just as good as she was. Number six­teen, Ch. Kramer, a son of Sable, a real good and all around fighter. Fast and skillful. Number seventeen, Commander White Head. He was 7/8th Bolio genes. A hard biter on the legs and head. Number eighteen, Rojo a son of Gr. Ch. Hope. He killed dogs with his chest and shoulder holds. Number nineteen, Kincaid’s Rollo. He was a game, long winded dog and an extra hard scratcher. Rollo was a son of Ch. Princess. Number twenty, Patrick’s Kona, a daughter of Boni Maroni (Tonka’s sister). Kona was an ACE, very fast and strong with a hard bite. Number twenty one, El Dos Bits Cortaro, an inbred son of Bolio. He was never matched for money but he is very game, with great natural air. He bites hard and is a good head dog. There were a lot more outstanding Bolio dogs, but I’ve bragged enough about him for one interview.
IF YOU HAD TO BREED TO A MALE DOG OUTSIDE YOUR OWN KENNELS, WHICH ONE WOULD YOU PICK AND WHY?
There are a few good ones I would like to breed to some good bitches, one of them would be Smith’s Red Rock. He is a Pit ACE with the Gameness and head fighting style I like. He is an inbred Ch. Tonka dog and I already own his sister Anderson’s Rose and all her pups turned out game. Another dog would be Diamond Jim’s Luther. This dog is very heavy in Carver’s Ironhead and he was bred to my Rose bitch when Diamond Jim owned her. From this breed­ing, came some great dogs. Also, Rodrigue’ Ch. Midnight. This dog has taken some good dogs out very quickly. He is a very well bred dog with perfect conformation for combat. Another dog I like is Allen’s Gr. Ch. Robert T. He has the head fighting style I like and he is a blend of the ‘Carver’s Black Widow and my Tater and Faith, Bolio and Tombstone blood. He proved his great stamina in a three hour win.
WHEN AND WHY DID YOU BUY ANDERSON’S CH. TONKA? 
CH. Tonka was about seven or eight years old when I bought him from Ronnie Anderson. He is out of Tombstone and Red Baby, this, plus the fact that he is a very good fighting dog and a hell of a producer, convinced me to buy him from Ronnie. I can’t keep track of all the dogs that he produced because Ronnie bred him often before I got him, but I will name you a few that I know of. When he was bred to Sherwood’s Blondy, a two time winner herself, he sired Ch. Shawn and Ch. Willie Booger. When bred to Anderson’s Raven, he produced Ch. Billy and Ch. Buck. He also sired Ch. Bocephus and CH. Samantha who is still being campaigned. Ch. Tonka is not recognized as a R.O.M. in the Sporting Dog Journal and that’s a real rip-off. He should definitely be R.O.M. and I’m sure if he were a Georgia-bred dog he would be!
WHAT WAS YOUR RELATION TO ANDERSON, CARVER, INDIAN SONNY, OR OTHER DOGMEN?
Anderson and I did business together and I considered him a friend of mine. I purchased one dog from Maurice Carver on a weekend visit to his place, I wish I had purchased more dogs from him at that time, because I believe he had the best dog yard in the world from about 1968 to maybe 1978. Indian Sonny has lots of knowledge and experience and I like the bloodlines that he uses. Carl Whin runs a smaller yard, but he also knows how to breed good dogs. I believe that these people are good breeders and I respect them for that. Floyd Boudreaux and Gary Hammonds also have great knowledge and experience and many famous dogs have come from their yards. Bobby Smith of Texas always had good dogs in his yard and he has probably seen more fights in his life than anybody else. Ron of the U & S Kennels in Europe is a very intelligent breeder and he is putting out some of the best dogs in the world. Mike Harrison, Darrin Steel, Bruce Foster and Navarro will be breeding outstanding dogs in the future.
WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER MORE IMPORTANT, PEDIGREE OR INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE? 
To me, pedigree and individual performance are equal in importance. All dogs have their own genes, different from other dogs, even his own brother, I think the better dogs have the better genes most often. Sometimes, a very good dog comes along with not much quality in their pedigree. Maybe he is a throwback to some of his few good ancestors, but a dog like this is never a good producer. I would not use a pit ACE for breeding if he did not have a solid pedigree. I would not use a super bred dog for breeding if he was not game either. For best results, you need both good breeding and performance. There is no compromise.
HOW DO YOU DETERMINE THE QUALITY OF YOUR DOGS AND ESPECIALLY IN THOSE YOU SELL AS A PUPPY?
First of all, the dogs I use must show the traits we talked about before like gameness and determination to keep fighting while under pressure. When I breed a well bred game male to a well bred game female, I have all the confidence in the world that the pups I sell have a good chance to be game too. Due to the strict laws, I can’t roll or match dogs and I must, and do, obey these laws. However, my breeding stock is all proven game even if someone else did the testing. I cannot legally fight dogs or sell them to fight and I obey this law but it’s not illegal to breed proven game dogs or retired champions and this is what I do. Ch. Tonka is a good example of this. He won three matches in front of many people in another part of the country and when he came to me on my yard, he never had another tooth in him. I don’t like these laws, but they exist and I obey them for my own safety.
WHAT CAN YOU TELL ME ABOUT TOMBSTONE?
Tombstone was a deep game dog that won a come-from-behind fight in the hands of Don Mayfield against a dog that was considered unbeatable. I used Tombstone as a stud dog and he sired many good dogs. When I bred him to Bolio’s daughter Red Baby, he produced Ch. Tonka who was a very hard biting nose dog. In the same litter were Ch. Snubby,Wilson’s Ch. Crash and Dugan’s Ali. He won twice with the head fighting style that was the trademark of this litter. Then there was Falcon Eddie (a one-time winner) Merrit’s Snapper (a one-time winner) and also Crum’s Cremator, this female won two matches and no takers after that. Ruth’s SMASH was also out of TOMBSTONE and RED BABY and he won at 48 pounds. He was foolishly matched into a 58 pound dog and he was killed in this match. Eight pups out of this one combination won 17 matches and lost only once. Tombstone also produced Lewis’ Gr. Ch. Hope, she was out of Ch. Catfish. Hope could do it all, her combination of wrestling and hard biting, stamina and gameness was too much for all the 40 pound bitches of her day. Furthermore, he produced three males that won about ten matches between them when he was bred to Ozzie Steven’s Precious. There was Ch. Tuffy who was Hope’s brother. He was not fast or smart, but strong with good air and plenty of gameness to get the job done. Tombstone was also sired Pool’s Ch. Teresa who won five, but lost one.
WHAT IS THE BEST DOG IN YOUR YARD RIGHT NOW? 
Patrick’s Homer. He is a son of El Dos Bits and a pure Clouse bitch named Romero’s Cricket. His parents are dead game. I purchased him from Gene Wright. Gene had won twice with him when his opponents were picked up in less than 20 minutes. He also collected some forfeits. I bought Homer in his prime or else he would surely have made Grand Champion at 30 pounds. I would really like to take this opportunity to thank Gene for selling me this great little dog. His pups are very game talented dogs and he will be a R.O.M. soon.
WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE TO BE MORE IMPORTANT, THE STUD DOG OR THE BROOD BITCH?
I really believe that both male and female are equally important. They both contribute 50 percent on average to the genetic make-up of the pups and that’s why both pedigree and quality of the individual dog must be of first class.
WHY DID YOU SELL Gr. Ch. Hank TO ANDRE GIROUX?
Well, I bought Hank from Danny Burton after he won his title and I bred him to several of my good bitches. He sired some good dogs when I bred him to Red Baby; but however, on the average, Hank did not sire the percentage of good to great dogs that some of my other stud dogs did. I offered him for sale and it so happened that Andre Giroux made me a good offer for him and that’s why I sold him. Hank was sired by Ch. Assassin when I bred him to Red Baby.
BESIDES THE DOGS THAT WERE SIRED BY BOLIO OR TOMBSTONE, WHAT OTHER WELL KNOWN DOGS DID YOU BREED? 
Quite a few, for instance; Gr. Ch. Buck, he beat the Rebel’s Gr. Ch. Rebel’s Sandman in his last match in three hours 12 minutes. He was out of Patrick’s Golden Boy, a son of Keno and out of a bitch I named Red Lady. Keno also sired Payne’s Ch. Black Annie when I bred him to Slick. Keno himself was sired by Tombstone and he was a very game dog, but never matched. When I bred Bull Boy Boy to Blitz, I got Steel’s Ch. Hammer and when bred to Mabel, he produced Boyle’s Ch. Bobby Jr. When I bred Four Bits to Blitz, I got Wichita’s Ch. Blaze. Another stud dog of mine named Boli Jr. sired Dann’s Ch. Bj. and Gr. Ch. Ojo Azul. I bred Patrick’s Jose to a bitch from McHarry and that produced Sorrells’ Ch. Shaft. Patrick’s Henry produced Stevens’ Ch. Rastus and Chances’ Bobby Mcgee. I also bred Patrick’s Billy to a bitch of Arnold Steinberg and from that combination came Steinberg’s Ch. Jodi When Bully was bred to my old Sable bitch, he produced Steven’s Ch. Tammy. All together, I believe I bred more than 30 champions and that is not counting the truckloads of one and two time winners that came out of my brood stock.
WHO DO YOU BELIEVE IS THE BEST DOGMAN ALL AROUND? 
That’s a tough question to answer, perhaps, well I believe that Bobby Smith from Texas is one of the very best dogmen in the USA. He is a knowledgeable and honest man and he and his sons know how to put one in shape too. Another guy that is very dedicated and also a very good conditioner is Ron Ulvelink from U & S Kennels in Europe. I believe that these two men are as good as anybody else when it comes to breeding and shaping a good Pit Bulldog. There are others with a high percentage of wins, but you also hear a lot of rumors about these guys doing this and that and to me, a good dogman is an honest man that takes pride in his dealings. Buy the best breeding bitches you can find and breed them to the best males in the country, even if you have to travel with the bitch and pay a stud fee of $500 or $1000. Try to learn from the dogmen that have proven themselves as the best, year after year.
Everybody needs to learn by experience and experienced people are very important to a beginner. Have faith in your beliefs and stick with the proven bloodlines that have been winning today and yesterday and your chances will be that you will win tomorrow.

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