Panama Red

I came across the panama red bloodline on the Internet. I was wondering if someone with experience could tell me about these particular dogs. I read a wide variety of things but I would like to know from a experienced dogman. Thank you.

 

There isn't much around and what is, isn't available.. Rough, game, smart and bite..

 

Rock n Rye I appreciate it. I got some info from a kennel I found through the forum. I wouldn't say I'm new to this, I have a lot to learn, but I know how it is... Who to believe who not to believe. I'm looking for a specific bloodlines... Beaudreaux, Carver, Crenshaw or OFRN. Bolio, Hemphill, Sorrells. Could someone point me in the right direction. I'm NOT looking for a 100 pound dog!!!

 

do your research using the search column. there is a lot of information on this site and you can read about the different lines and dogs.

 

That's not very specific at all. lmao

 

That's good but the man who bred down from it and had most success with it is not on this site at all.. You can read some stories but I assure you that the blood is not out anymore.. Far as what you are looking for that says you're looking for all lines because those names are behind 95% of hounds.. You need to research more and study more before you get a dog.. Not because you're green but rather I think you will be better off that way and so will your hound

 

I understand. It's just that every website or person you talk with claims those bloodlines and they have the purest of the pure. I see what you're saying and I'll take that advice. I appreciate the help. If I have anymore questions I'll be sure to ask. Thank you.

 

The only other detail of interest I can remember about "Red" is that he scratched like a kid going to class on the day of the big test, the one he hadn't prepared for. And his handler seemed in no hurry to get him to the scratch line. I remember thinking that Danny's ten year old daughter, Karen, could have made handles that "Oklahoma Shorty" seemed to miss when trying to catch his dog out of holds. For an experienced "professional" he always seemed awfully clumsy when trying to handle old "Red". Experience taught me that is often the case when a handler doesn’t really want to get to the scratch line!

In March of 1977 I happened to witness "Red's" fourth and final match against Jick Belveal's "Beans" dog. This match was almost a carbon copy of the "Poco" match except that Bean's was probably a little better dog. This had the effect of making "Red" turn even worse when he got hot and causing his scratches to get even slower than before. The result was the same, however, "Red" bit "Beans" down in the stifle and he sat it out in exactly the same time as "Poco" had, 32 minutes!

The really interesting phase of "Red's" career (to me, at least) actually came after he was "retired" to stud. It is my belief that his owners decided to quit while they were ahead and sell some pups instead of going for "Red's" grand championship and possibly getting him stopped cold as his gameness seemed to be getting shorter all the time. Just my opinion but their subsequent actions seem to bear that opinion out. "Red's" gameness hadn't impressed anyone who had actually seen him go and frankly if he had quit a "cur champion" isn't going to sell many pups.

In the ensuing months two things of interest to this story happened. One is that full page ads started being run in the magazines proclaiming what a great dog "Panama Red" was and pups were being sold off of him as fast as they could be produced, apparently. The other is that a crowd of admirers started showing up at the shows with T-shirts, sweat-shirts, ball caps etc. with "CH. PANAMA RED" emblazoned on them. (Actually, as the photo above shows, this started a little before Red was retired.) These people were, of course, the same people who had been associated with "Red" when he was being campaigned except, now that "Red" was retired, they seemed much more confident in his fighting ability than they had when there was still some chance of him quitting in a match…and they seemed very confident in his ability to produce good dogs.

This behavior was unheard of in those days, the first time I had ever seen such blatant promotion of any well-known dog at an actual dog show. I couldn't help but think it was a lot of admiration to bestow on a dog that acted so badly in the pit, one I had no inclination to breed to or even raise one puppy out of. I later found out what that was all about!

Following this text on the dog you will find, in chronological order a series of ads run in the Sporting Dog Journal by the "Panhandle Boys" along with reports and certificates to illustrate the events in question. Here is a brief synopsis of the events as they transpired in those pages.

ITEM #:

1. SEPT-OCT.1977 issue of the Journal we see "Red's" championship certificate listing his wins along with his "pedigree". As a footnote, I once overheard Don Mayfield say that, "Panama Red" was a dog which was found on the streets of Fort Worth, Texas" if I remember correctly. One thing I am certain of in my mind, although I can't prove it, is that "Red" is not bred the way his papers show him to be. Most of those old Tudor dogs looked quite different from "Red" and acted quite different too, usually showing to be extremely game dogs in the pit. And his "breeder" T. Sherwood was certainly capable of "selling some papers".

2. MAY-JUNE 1978 issue of the Journal-One of the early ads. run for "Red" pups by the "Panhandle Boys" It is the date which is important here as you will see. At the bottom of the ad. are the address and phone number of Richard Bridges and the phone number of Van Henson.

3. SEPT-OCT 1978 issue of the Journal-another ad. this time extolling the virtues of one "Fat Albert" (Donnie McCullar) who is doing well with the first of "Red's" pups, even winning matches with one as young as 13 months of age! Pups are allegedly selling like hotcakes and prices are up from $225/200 to $250 for all pups. Bridges and Van Henson are still in the ad. as contacts and now McCullar is added also.

4. JAN-FEB. 1979 issue of the Journal, first page of SHOW NEWS and McCullar wins with "Turk" a one time winner sired by "Ch. Panama Red". Under the photo it has "Turk's" dam as McCullar's "Pepper". "Turk" also won "Best in show" honors out of three matches.

5. MAR-APRIL 1979 issue of the Journal and we see another ad. from "The Panhandle Boys". They are announcing "Turk's" second win and saying if he wins another he will be the first champion off of "Red"; announcing a second match upcoming for another son of "Red", "Sweet William" who has won one and announcing a first match upcoming for "Captain Crunch" presumably off of "Red" and saying there are fifteen more "Red" pups coming up behind them! They then pronounce "Red" the "greatest bulldog alive today, when in combat" and say he is NOT standing at stud to any female for any amount! There follows a lot of hot air about Bridges "career" in the dog game. "Line bred" "Red" pups are now $400 each.

6. MAY-JUNE 1979 issue of the Journal, one issue after the aforementioned ad., and Van Henson and Jim Price take out what is presumably an ad. saying: "Red" is a great dog, "Red" is a four time winner and here come the surprises:

A. "Red" is owned ENTIRELY by Price and Henson and that ANY OTHER SELLER OF PUPS , BREEDINGS ETC. IS FRAUDULENT!

B. Only TWO of "Red's pups have been in CONDITIONED, MONIED MATCHES and they are named: "Panamauler Red" and "Captain Crunch" "Turk" is not mentioned at all nor is the "Tommy" dog who was promoted earlier. Nor is there any mention of the 15 pups allegedly coming up behind these dogs.

C. Dean (?) Bridges (his name was Richard in the ads.) sold his interest in "Red" OVER TWO YEARS AGO and has bought no breedings since! Price and Henson also say they do not go by the "Panhandle Boys" and that the OWNERS OF "RED" say he IS OPEN TO STUD!

7. JULY-AUGUST issue of the Journal and we see a stud ad. by none other than Donnie McCullar for his "Turk" dog and "Turk" isn't off of "Red" or out of "Pepper" as we had been told but is bred by my old friend Ronnie Anderson! McCullar does however say he has a litter by old "Red".

8. SEPT-OCT 1979 issue of the Journal and we see "Turk's" championship certificate and he is bred the same as in McCullar's ad. previously, not off of "Panama Red".

So, what can be inferred from all this? At the very least you can conclude that apparently some of those "Panama Red" puppies being sold by Mr. Bridges were not really off of "Red". And that the "Panhandle Boys" weren't above telling a lie or two to sell pups. There certainly seemed to be a rat in the woodpile somewhere in this story! I knew Van Henson and he was indeed one of the owners of "Panama Red". And as far as I know Van was an "honest" dog man. The rest one will have to deduce for oneself from the pages included and what this writer saw with his own eyes and heard with his own ears, if you like.

Oh yes, and why were we sorry we all went to that big show? After paying $45/head to get in about half way through the show we were surrounded by deputy sheriff's commanded by a guy from the FBI! We were told to drive to the courthouse where we waited for several hours for a judge to come arraign us. Apparently the judge had better things to do and they eventually turned us loose and told us not to come back! That was back in the days when it was a misdemeanor. No one was kicked, beaten, cursed, cuffed or shot by the police; the good old days, I guess.

This writer is aware there are a few owners of dogs today which allegedly trace their lineage back to "Panama Red" and it is not our intention to cast aspersions on them, their bloodlines or their dogs. In this writers opinion, due to the facts presented herein, their dogs, if game ones, may NOT even trace back to "Panama Red" at all and frankly, coming from one who actually saw him "perform", that may be for the best.

If you are one who happens to have some of this "blood" I would advise, as I do with all other bloodlines, to look a lot harder at the dogs than you do at the papers! Good luck and our best to you all.

 

Actually Panama Red like his brother Hank had a very ugly style of fighting that always made one think he was going to cur. A lot of this style came from the genetics, his brother Hank was the same way always turning within the first 5 minutes of his matches. Danny would try to sell Hank after every match but no one ever wanted to buy him... and Hank won 5 in the end!
Well Panama Red was no different except that he was worse! Panama Red was farmed out by Marty Reed to some boys in Garland, TX and he ran loose in the streets killing all the curs in the area. This made him have a cur fighting style that only aggravated his turning style of fighting. Later on, Hundred Dollar Harvey stole Red off the road and took him over to Bobby Halls where they rolled him. Panama Red was making turns and fighting like a snapping cur but he was biting hard and making his scratches so Bobby said lets sell him to those West Texas Cowboys and match into him because he doesn't look game to me. So they hung a ped on him showing him to be out of some of Tommy Sherwood's dogs and sold him.

 

Thanks for the input Gringo. Waiting for the book. lol

 

Great stuff indeed guys.

 

Love it.....