Howard Heinzl - Letter
Hi, Pete:
Got yours a while back. You're probably right, if I knew what I was doing, I'd get rid of these pooches and stick with horses. You, Pete, are what J.P. Colby would call a "haphazard" breeder. That's about the way I figured before I met J.P. in '35. Billy Sunday was the hottest dog in the country then, (just before Braddock came on) both were great pit dogs, but both sired cur pups. They both were picked up on the street and had faked papers. They were freaks, who could fight, in spite of the way they were bred. I'd rather breed to a dog who had four honest grandparents, even if he wouldn't take hold, than a pit ace I didn't know the breeding on. I have 30 dogs now and owned the great grandparents on all of them, except one bitch. When I came out here in '40, I had 2 bitches from J.P. Colby, Penny and Pooch, and one line bred daughter of Bruce's Jerry. I also had one half interest with Bud Borrelli, in Colby's Buddy (the sire of Rifle). I have pictures of these dogs, and they look just like the dogs I have today. In '42, I got another bitch from Colby's Scarlet. I bred her to Hubbard's Gimp, as his dam was Tudor's Goldie, with Bruce's Jerry blood on the top side. I think this is a great family of dogs and Colby blood adds temper to their metal. Way back, they are at least 1/2 Colby to start with. In '40, Wiz Hubbard had two dogs, a black male he called Smokey from a guy in Ohio and a 39 pound bitch, Lady (a game one), from Ormsby, in New York. He got Gimp in '41, and Lena from Leo White in '42. Chuck Doyle had the last pure Feeley dogs that I know of. In '38, he had Feeley's Rose and Feeley's Cricket, UKC 120-274 (dam of Bruce's Jerry). I saw Harry Clark at just two fights in Kentucky, in '32 or '33? He was a stake holder at the Midas, Spider go, and Bruce Johnson and I matched against Clark and the Murphy Brothers of Detroit, but they hired Art Schindler to condition and handle - fought in Lockport, Illinois.
A guy just called and told me that his brother to your bitch died. He stopped an older dog, Sunday in one hour. If he had waited another year, he might have made a good one. Del Brandstrom had two out of that litter and had been rolling the hell out of them, one lost an eye. A few weeks ago, one killed the other, but I think it's the one-eyed one that's left, and he got several toes bit off. I still have Musty and Patch and may try that cross again. I like the breeding on all four grandparents. Pete - pure Colby; DeeDee - Feeley, Colby; Clancy, Feeley, Colby; Brendy, pure Colby. Just like I've had since 1939. I got my first dog from John P. Colby in '30, Dinah (bred to Blind Jack).
More later,
- Howard Heinzl