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| Subject: Jake Wilder | |
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Author: Mallard Author Host/IP: 216.158.236.152 |
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Date Posted: 12:34:14 06/08/06 Thu 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 <a rel=nofollow target=_blank href="http://www.apbt.online-pedigrees.com/public/printPedigree.php?dog_id=26912">http://www.apbt.online-pedigrees.com/public/printPedigree.php?dog_id=26912</a> 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 <a rel=nofollow target=_blank href="http://www.apbt.online-pedigrees.com/public/printPedigree.php?dog_id=3462">http://www.apbt.online-pedigrees.com/public/printPedigree.php?dog_id=3462</a> Nebletts was brought into the mix, bred straight to Geronimo. Tartenaar’s Cindy <a rel=nofollow target=_blank href="http://www.apbt.online-pedigrees.com/public/printPedigree.php?dog_id=3499">http://www.apbt.online-pedigrees.com/public/printPedigree.php?dog_id=3499</a> 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 <a rel=nofollow target=_blank href="http://www.apbt.online-pedigrees.com/public/printPedigree.php?dog_id=3476">http://www.apbt.online-pedigrees.com/public/printPedigree.php?dog_id=3476</a> 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 <a rel=nofollow target=_blank href="http://www.apbt.online-pedigrees.com/public/printPedigree.php?dog_id=8205">http://www.apbt.online-pedigrees.com/public/printPedigree.php?dog_id=8205</a> Geronimo II to Coles/Nebletts/etc Brown’s Red Bruiser <a rel=nofollow target=_blank href="http://www.apbt.online-pedigrees.com/public/printPedigree.php?dog_id=3467">http://www.apbt.online-pedigrees.com/public/printPedigree.php?dog_id=3467</a> 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 <a rel=nofollow target=_blank href="http://www.apbt.online-pedigrees.com/public/printPedigree.php?dog_id=38333">http://www.apbt.online-pedigrees.com/public/printPedigree.php?dog_id=38333</a> Sire to Grand Champion Lucky Strike. The dam to Gr. Ch. Lucky Strike was heavy Geronimo II and Red Dot. <a rel=nofollow target=_blank href="http://www.apbt.online-pedigrees.com/public/printPedigree.php?dog_id=38334">http://www.apbt.online-pedigrees.com/public/printPedigree.php?dog_id=38334</a> 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 shit in it. Jo Jo <a rel=nofollow target=_blank href="http://www.apbt.online-pedigrees.com/pedigrees/printablePedigree.php?dog_id=3846">http://www.apbt.online-pedigrees.com/pedigrees/printablePedigree.php?dog_id=3846</a> 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. [ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ] |