Thirty Years with Fighting Dogs (Vintage Dog Books Breed Classic - American Pit Bull Terrier)

By George Armitage

Thirty Years with Fighting Dogs (Vintage Dog Books Breed Classic - American Pit Bull Terrier) Originally published 1935, USA, this is a reprint of a fascinating historical document about fighting dogs. The original is very rare, expensive and much sought after by dogmen and collectors, both for its rarity and the information contained within. "Thirty Years With Fighting Dogs" is a look at the sport of dog fighting in the early 20th century through the eyes of George Armitage, an acknowledged master of the game. It contains 55 rare photographs including Galvin's Pup, John Noonan's Brandy, Tanner, Shipley's Pearlie, Saddler's Bozo, Dugan's Pat and many more. Many famous battles are related. The contents also include articles on: Schooling a Young Dog, Selecting a Dog for Pit Purposes, Armitage's Rules, Sample Contract, Armitage's Keep, Feeding and Breeding. A fascinating look at a vanished era.Keywords: George Armitage Fighting Dogs John Noonan Acknowledged Master Rare Photographs Master Of The Game Famous Battles Saddler Dugan Galvin Shipley Bozo Rarity Pup Thirty Years Brandy 20th Century

• Language: English
• Publisher: Read Books Ltd.
• Release date: Mar 29, 2011
• ISBN: 9781446549001

Book preview

INTRODUCTION

In writing this book I have spent many an hour when I should have been in my bed sleeping, but I had promised the Fanciers that I would get this book out by December 1st, if possible. I had to make my word good, for a thing that I place on the list first is to be as good as your word.

I wish to take this opportunity to thank all my personal friends and the many new acquaintances that I have made for their kindness in sending in the histories of their dogs, and for the many rare photos of famous dogs which appear in this volume. Without their help, so enthusiastically given, this book could not have been made possible.

I would like to hear from the readers, either by letter or through the various journals, Bloodlines, Grit and Steel, or The Gamecock, whether the book comes up to their expectations. I especially hope that it will prove of benefit to the amateurs and beginners in the game. If my knowledge and my experience help them over the rough spots in this rough game, I will be satisfied that it has been a good job well done.

Yours for success,

George C. Armitage

TO THE OWNERS OF THIS BOOK

When this book was announced to the public, it was out intention to include in it a list of the 50 most famous dogs of the Twentieth Century.

After compiling the records of over 700 dogs from 1905 up to the present time, we have arrived at the decision that such a list is both impossible and impracticable, and has no place in this book. To publish same would give an unearned prestige to some dogs, and to eliminate others would case a reflection on them that they have not rightfully earned, as we frankly admit that we are not capable of the task of being judge and jury.

From the records in the Congressional Library in Washington of all dog magazines and books, we have gleaned the fact that claims were made for many dogs that would entitle them to this rating. From FACTS of actual fights, we find that some breeders have no regard for the truth, and in many cases listed kennel rolls, scrimmages between dogs varying in weight up to 22 pounds, and in some cases fights that never took place as actual hard won battles. We find one man listing his dog as the great undefeated Champion, and saying he won 5 battles, when called on for the facts, he gave only two fights, saying he could not remember the others. Another dog listed as the winner of many battles and the greatest dog that ever breathed at his weight was found to have been stopped once and held to a draw twice. One man claimed that his dog had actually killed 20 dogs, but we never found a single instance where he had even had a fight.

It began to look as if the man with the greatest vocabulary and the biggest liar would own most of these 50 dogs, and not wishing to give publicity to any parties that have not earned it, we have dispensed with the list.

However, as a convenience and as a courtesy to the owners of this book we wish to say that our record of these 700 dogs are at your disposal and that we will be glad to furnish the record on any dog, or dogs, that we may have the record on, free of charge. In writing for any record we respectfully ask that you include in your request the name of the dog and number, if possible, list all owners of this dog - some names are changed when the dogs are sold - give the weight and the approximate dates of the fight that you wish to know about. Also, if possible, the names of opponent and owner. This will save both time and unnecessary correspondence.

When writing, please enclose self-addressed stamped envelope, as we are doing this out of courtesy to the buyers of the book.

Respectfully,

GEORGE C. ARMITAGE

Box 407,

New Kensington, Pennsylvania.

EARLY HISTORY

I started in with the Bull Terriers about 1905. Previous to this time, I bred and raised Scotch Collies and Yorkshire Terriers, and some Beagles. These I exhibited to some extent on the show bench with varying success, and at this writing I am going on my 39th year as a breeder of dogs.

I have, since I can remember, been a lover of game cocks, and fought plenty of them, and I still do to this day. Through my good friends Charley and Jack Vogel I attended my first fight, which was a battle between a pair of Bull Terriers, both weighing 38 lbs, and fought at Ford City, Pa. This match was between the late Bill Worthington of R.F.D. #1, Arnold, Pennsylvania and Jim Powell, a colored fellow of New Kensington. Worthington used a white dog he had purchased from J. P. Colby and Jim Powell used a brindle and white dog that my brother raised out of a good sized Boston Terrier and a Bull Terrier. Powell’s dog was deaf and of course his name was Deafy. The Vogel boys shaped and handled Worthington’s dog and Powell shaped his own, his brother-in-law handling for him. In passing, I might mention that this Worthington dog was a bear for work, and it required watching to keep him off the tread mill. He was in tip top shape the night of the battle.

They selected the referee, washed the dogs and turned them loose. At 36 minutes Worthington’s dog turned and they got a scratch, and he refused to leave his corner. Worthington had been drinking and claimed that he had been sold out by Vogel. Jack Vogel was a stockily built little man about one foot shorter than Worthington, but he lit into him and gave him a beating. This happened on a Saturday night, and we could not get away until six o’clock Sunday morning. There were no cars in those days, but there was plenty of mud. We arrived home the next morning at 9:00 A.M., by train, a distance of about 20 miles, and found to our surprise that Worthington had beaten us home, walking across the country.

This was my initiation to the Bull Terriers. The battle had been fought for $50.00 a side and the gate receipts, and believe me this was considered a good bet in those days. I would like to say right here that there was never a squarer pair of boys than Charley and Jack Vogel. I am glad to say that they are still alive and live in Leechburg, Pennsylvania. They have been my friends for 39 years, and during that time, when I went to fight a dog, I did not care who was with me, or who was against me, just so long as I had the Vogel boys on my side. They would see that a friend of theirs got a fair deal, and were not above fighting at the drop of a hat for what they thought was right, and believe me they could fight, and they were game too.

After this battle Powell got puffed up and got his chest out too far about his Deafy. The Vogels had a dog they called Old Sam who was a white dog with a brindle patch on his head. He was only a 34 pound dog, but I matched him against Powell and his dear Deafy for $100.00 a side.

We fought this fight in a farm house cellar on the McKean farm near New Kensington, on a Saturday night, before a large crowd.

Powell’s dog had a little over 3 lbs advantage, but I figured from seeing him in his previous battle, that he was not a game dog, even though he had whipped a few other dogs in try-outs. Well, to make a long story short, Sam was an awful leg dog, and how he tore into that deaf dog’s front legs. Deafy did not know which leg to protect, Old Sam grabbed them so quick, first one, then the other. After 40 minutes Deafy decided that he had enough (he was sure about this however) and refused to scratch.

Sam was the conquering hero now, and I was feeling pretty good myself. I had licked the dog that my brother had bred, and I sure kidded him about it. We had quite a few laughs over this.

There was a man by the name of Shaffer Love of Pittsburgh who had a few dogs, one in particular that remember as a white dog, also deaf, that would make about 38–39 lbs in shape. They used to fight quite a few dogs in the coal mines around Leechburg, Pennsylvania, and I attended some of them. I saw a dog called Jack the Demon win a couple of battles in short order as he was a terrible punisher. He always used the same attack, rushing into his opponent and taking the stifle hold, ruining the other dog in short order, always keeping his head away from the other dog, and just giving him a rear end or a tail to chew on. I saw him kill one dog and another stopped in 25 or 30 minutes. This Jack the Demon had won 7 battles and Charley Vogel and myself bought him from Mr. Love for $35.00, but we could not match him.

Finally, Miles Armstrong and Charles Faith bought a dog from J. L. Schofield of Harshman, Ohio. This dog’s name was Jocel. We matched them for $100.00 a side.

Our Jack the Demon had not fought for a year, and when we turned him loose, lo and behold, he missed his favorite stifle hold going over, but turned and came back, and this time he did get his hold, but also this time his head was facing the other dog, and Jocel took him by the nose and punished him severely. The battle went on for about 40 minutes when Jack decided that he had had enough for the day and made a turn, and when handled he refused to scratch.

Previous to this time I had made a trip to the kennels of Schofield and Bowser at Harshman, Ohio. They had on the place about 60 dogs, of all colors and sizes. I saw a dog that looked good to me, they called him Young Danger, and wanted $100.00 for him. They also had a nice white bitch called Florodora, The Fighting Wild-Cat, for which they wanted $75.00. Young Danger was a 48-49 lb dog and Florodora about a 29 lb bitch. I made a deal to pay $100.00 cash for Young Danger, and after I fought him,- if he won - I was to get the Fighting Wild Cat for $50.00. I had a match in view for Danger so I took him back home with me. Fred Broad, a heavy-weight prize fighter of that time and another friend by the name of Mark Atkinson pitched in and the three of us put up the money to buy Young Danger. Schofield and Bowser guaranteed both these dogs to us to be dead game (I will go into this a little later on).

I matched a cabman by the name of Jim McLaughlin of Allegheny, Pennsylvania, which is now called the North side of Pittsburgh. To the young men reading this, I will say that a cabman in those days was a man that drove a closed carriage or cab as they called them, Just as a chauffeur does an automobile today. Jim worked for a rich Allegheny family. We made the match at 49 lbs for $100.00 a side, no gate, and we fought in the coal mines of Leechburg. McLaughlin’s dog had won 10 battles, and was considered a champion. He was a white dog, while Young Danger was brindle and white.

On the night of the battle, Jim and about ten of his friends came up, and after selecting the referee, they proceeded to start laying bets and bet, all told, $319.00 on the white dog. I had $115.00 on Danger.

We washed the dogs and let them go and in less than 40 minutes the white dog was an ex-champion, and when handled refused to scratch. His backers had thought so much of his chances that the thought of losing never entered their heads and they did not have enough money to get back home on. We loaned them enough to buy their railway tickets to Allegheny, and they left, very much surprised.

If they were surprised, we were elated over our dog, and as I had shaped and handled him and kept him at my house, I felt very proud of him. He was not hurt a bit and in two weeks time Fred Broad had matched him against a 54 lb dog owned by Jim Powell. These dogs were fought off the chain for $50.00 a side and Young Danger stopped this dog in 26 minutes, and we had a two times winner inside of three weeks.

I went back to Harshman to get the bitch Florodora, The Fighting Wild Cat, and while I was there they showed me two dogs that they would not sell at all, and that they prized very highly. One was a 36 lb brindle dog which they had secured from New York, and the other was a 29 lb white dog that they called Noonan’s Brandy. They had this Brandy dog matched to fight Wilcox’s Demon of Macon, Georgia at Cincinnati for $500.00 a side and the gate receipts, winner to take all, and Bowser rules to govern. I made up my mind to witness this contest, an account of which will be found elsewhere in this book.

Some time after Young Danger’s two battles, Bernard MacDonald, then of McRees Rock, Pennsylvania, but now of Jerome, Arizona, came to me and told me that Young Danger’s right name was Schofield’s Toga, and that he had quit cold to a dog named Dynamite of Hamilton, Ohio, in less than 30 minutes. I could not believe this, especially after Schofield had so readily guaranteed the dog to be dead game, so I made up my mind to find out for myself. I arranged with Jim Powell to try him out in his basement with the dog Jack that Danger had stopped in 26 minutes, and another dog that Powell had by the name of Lion. Danger again stopped Jack, this time in 23 minutes. We separated them and brought in Lion and let them go. Inside of five minutes Danger’s tail went down and he cried enough.

In the meantime, I had tried out the bitch Florodora, and found out that I had not been sold a Fighting Wild Cat, but a cur dog, so I wrote Schofield about both of them, but they ignored me. I tried to get the Dog Fancier (then the official organ of the Bull Terriers) to make them answer, but they refused as Schofield was a big advertiser, taking as much as a full page advertisement in the Fancier. Finally Bowser and Schofield split up and Bowser gave me a statement, sworn to before a notary public, that Schofield and he had fought the dog I bought as Young Danger against the Hamilton dog Dynamite and that he was called Togo at that time, and

Reviews for Thirty Years with Fighting Dogs (Vintage Dog Books Breed Classic - American Pit Bull Terrier)

[George Cyrus · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Didn't really get to review the book, didn't get to feel the substance or purpose of the book; I think to review a few pages pre chapter would've been more interesting, I need to see more substance not stories, after all I'd intended to buy the book but skim through the chapters, not this. Is this how the "30 free trial" works; please explain!?