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Bloodlines Stories 4
Plumber's Ch Alligator
by “Bull Plug”
I am constantly
being asked questions about the Alligator dog and the family of dogs that has
come about from this great old warrior.
It seems the more that’s said the more is left unsaid or at least overlooked and
not purposely so.
Alligator came about as almost an after thought. Mr. Williams of Ft. Worth had
obtained the Satin Lady bitch from Maurice Carver. She was a big, black pretty
bitch that I never cared much about as an individual. She was one of these
scatter-bred dogs Maurice was famous for. Unlike most of the Carver dogs she was
cold. When it came time to breed her Mr. Williams went to Wichita Falls, Texas
and bred her to Tudor’s old Nigger dog, which was owned at that time by J.E.
King. Nigger was some of the last of the old Tudor stuff and had been on several
yards before King got him.
The breeding was made, and as they grew into adulthood I was able to see and
handle all three of these dogs. Alligator, as great as he was, had two
littermates that in my opinion were at least as good if not better than him.
There were Soko and Susan Renee’, both real bulldogs in every way.
Mr. Williams kept Alligator until he was just over a year old, so he could breed
him back to his dam, which he did. Soko had shown so good at a young age for the
little Plumber that the Plumbers went in together to buy Alligator.
When they bought him, I was certain they had an albatross, because he was so
big. I figured they would never be able to get him hooked up. I also figured his
chances of being as good as Soko were little to none at all. You have got to
figure this was during an era of really great dogs, and who would ever expect
this big, ugly dog to be anything special.
The Plumber’s started out with such a good bunch of dogs that they expected
everything to be really fast lane. They had roll dogs better than most people’s
match dogs, and were always looking for action and better dogs.
They felt they never had the luxury of a methodical schooling process. They were
great dog men, but were hard on the dogs. They felt their dogs were either ace
or near ace, or they were out of here with little regard for mediocrity.
Gator was started out on good dogs that were smaller than he was and most were
just dominated by this optical illusion.
There were also several Brush Matches where Alligator would just run over the
competition. The Plumbers were concerned because they had never seen him get his
oil checked, even though he had been double dogged on several occasions.
They had got a Tudor dog from me named Zeke that was a plug, but very game. A
fellow showed up on that place, and in the course of conversation said the old
black dog did not impress him that much and he would bet ole Zeke could whip
him. The Plumbers, being ever ready to show what sports they were, agreed on the
bet and down they went. The fellow who underestimated Alligator was soon
separated from his money when he told them to pick up Zeke, who was no match for
the Alligator dog. As the stranger left, he made a statement that always holds
true in the Bulldog world. "You sure can’t tell one by how they look".
In their quest for perfection, they made a request to use Trussell’s Dum Dum dog
to see if Alligator was truly game. Dummy you see was a game dog that was even
bigger than Alligator. It seems that in that day and time any dog from a cross,
scatter bred or real rough were suspect of being a cur, so they did everything
they could to stop Alligator. When they got to Trussell’s they ran Alligator on
the tread mill for one half hour then fifteen minutes road work to cool him
down, then to the roll pit, where he went over half an hour with the larger Dum
Dum dog. It was nip and tuck and Alligator went across when he shouldn’t have on
wobbly legs. This roll turned out to be a pretty good game test for Dum Dum too.
When asked how it turned out, Trussell said, "The black dog gave Dummy
everything he wanted."
The next match for "Alligator" was in the Big League at one of Maurice’s big ten
match shows. He went in as a definite underdog, going into Bryant, males fifty
eight pounds. Both dogs appeared to be in excellent shape and came to fight with
a fast hard pace set for big dogs. Alligator goes to the legs with Bryant’s dog
Satin swapping it out and going from legs to nose, and then getting into Gator’s
stifle, where they swap it out. A turn is called on Satin at twenty-six minutes.
A handle made at thirty minutes and Satin makes a good scratch. A handle is made
and Alligator makes the scratch at forty minutes, taking Satin down to work the
front legs. Satin takes the count at forty-five, making Gator the winner. There
was much speculation among the huge crowd present if any one had a big one for
this hound dog looking goof.
His next match was into a dog called Jack at catch weight. Alligator came in
sixty pounds heavier. These heavy weights hit and the fight was on. Jack, a big
staff looking dog takes Gator down and works him over for twenty minutes with
Gator being content to take the bottom where he is always in hold. Gator is
coming to the top and by thirty minutes it’s an even fight. Jack was a seasoned
dog who had never met his equal and you can see Alligator has begun to come to
the top as Jack begins to fatigue and get that far away look in his eyes. During
the earlier part of the match, Bobby Ackel had commented on Gator may have met
his match and Jimmy Jobe turned and said to me, as Gator was being trashed like
a stepchild, "that if Jack was game and keeps this up, ole Gator could be in
trouble". As the match was winding down Bobby Ackel said, "Ole Jack looks like
he has bout had it", and sure enough in just the hour mark he takes the count. I
went over to check on the Jack dog and offer any assistance I could and I
noticed his stomach and chest. I could see what had made the difference in this
match and it was the punishment Gator had dished out from the bottom and it was
unbelievable. I heard later that Jack lived out his life in luxury after Gator
ended his ring career.
There was some time after this match, as no one wanted any of the Gator Dog, so
during a roll session at the Plumbers’ place; the Caddell’s showed up with
several to school. These boys had some old time stuff the old man had been
breeding for years and some were sure solid, from the Lightner-Colby stuff. They
had a male named Jeff that was a big spotted dog, too big for everything on the
place except Alligator. So he was taken off the chain to oblige the Jeff dog.
This dog was the closest thing to Gator’s equal that I saw during his career.
The roll ended early due to a bleeder being hit on Gator. Jeff went to the
Midwest where he did very well and where I heard he made Champion.
When the Plumbers had about given up on another official match, word came from
Oklahoma that a man named Brown had one he would run at the Alligator dog. Up to
then, several had fallen through, but this one came off and as they say in the
dogs these boys "brought a paddle for the Plumber’s ass." They had done their
homework and rather than a punisher, they brought one that not only could punish
but was versatile and smart. This dog could have whipped Gator and on another
day might have. The dogs were conditioned by two of the best conditioners of the
day. Gator conditioned by Burton and Joker conditioned by Fox. The match was
males at fifty-seven pounds and Oklahoma Shorty was the referee. The dogs hit
and Gator takes the bottom but is coming up from time to time and being
frustrated by Joker’s style, that had never been too effective on him with the
defensive dogs he had met earlier in his life. A turn was called on Joker at
twenty-five minutes, but a handle was not made until fifty-two minutes and Joker
scratches strong. Alligator has started to dominate the match by the hour mark.
At an hour nine, Gator is screaming from his corner to scratch and is showing
what he is said to be famous for, "Killer Instinct" and you can plainly see he
plans to finish the job if allowed to do so. At an hour twelve, Joker takes the
count. We all agree, we have just witnessed two of the best big dogs to ever
come down the pike and what a show they put on. The Plumbers are quick to
commend Mr. Brown and Mr. Fox on bringing an excellent dog in top condition.
They also say they plan on retiring the old warrior, no that he is officially a
Champion.
As I look back, I can only recall a few heavyweights that were ever in
Alligator’s league. Hooten’s Butcher Boy, Sampson (Alligator’s half brother)
were two very good dogs that ended each other’s careers. There was also a dog
out of Tennessee that sure impressed me, but in my mind Alligator will always be
the best.
Besides a great combat dog, Alligator was a pleasure to be around and always a
clown. He was never bred to an army of bitches, but produced what I consider his
share of really good dogs. This story goes further than Alligator himself and
must include his littermates and both his and their offspring. They represent
not just a few good dogs, but a great family of dogs that have stood the test of
time, not just in this country but on five continents. You must remember these
dogs were never mass-produced, but still have made a tremendous impact on the
dogs of today. I have never been overly sentimental about my dogs, but have had
a few of these dogs that were special to me.
Of all the things said about the Alligator family I think the most impressive
trait I’ve seen is how well it crosses with most any other good family of dogs.
I sincerely believe it is a genetic pool that cannot hurt any breeding program,
and in most cases adds that something special that comes along from time to
time, that makes them special and that is what we are all looking for, right?
A killer in his day CH
Alligator is considered the best big pit dog who ever crossed
the scratch line and the sire of the great Hammonds' Rufus
ROM.,CH ALLEN'S MAG, CH PLUMBER'S EBONY, GR CH SOFIAKIS' TANK
(6XW) And many other winners
The week after this issue came out , I
received a letter and printed it in the January 1992 issue, turning it into an
article called, More on Smith's Bandit.
REGISTRATION #:
45700C-32
SEX: MALE
COLOR: BLACK / WHITE CHEST
WEIGHT: 37
BIRTHDATE: 1983-05-04
LAST MODIFIED: ~ Sire of CH Gunther, CH Barbarian, CH Reggie, Two Eyes ROM
(2XW), the ace Rapid Roy (1XW), and Wildside's Renegade.
above:
spikey's grand championship from the 97 yearbook
Here is what I saw of Spikey in the mid 1990s.
BBB had gotten the dog from his breeder a guy named Marty Glasgow. Marty was a
hobbyist breeder , but like many hobbyist they have historically made some
important breedings. Marty is also accredited with being the breeder of Frisco
To Valerie, the first time that breeding was made.
Spikey schooled out well and showed to be promising. They won one with him at
this time in the NC area, where I also lived. I saw him go and he was winning
for sure and I loved to go into winners. So I hooked Bungholio into him.
Bungholio was a 1 time winner that had beat TVK & Milk Inc's Cobb ( Cobb was a
full brother to Arangadanga and Wicked ) Bungholio was out of a brother to
Champion Taz ROM named Kretler's Marvin bred to Cocoa who was a full belly
sister to Gr Ch Bo. I was sick of hearing about Spikey and I was getting ready
to shut him down. Wrong. If you look in the bottom of many Champion and Grand
Champions from the late 1900's you will see my name were I was repeatedly
mistaken. This was to be the case again.
Bungholio and Spikey meet one early day just as the sun turned the sky red for a
moment. On release they were even. Neither dog getting out front for long, the
light of day was upon them and the match went back and forth. About 45 minutes
it turned for the worse for us as Bungholio made a bad move a turn was called
and a handle was made. Bungholio was not doing well and by the hour mark he took
the count. Spikey wins. Damn.
Spikey was now looking for his championship. During this period was a kennel
called Baltimore Ron, Ron was known for going out and buying what he needed to
win. He came with the best he could find and was no soft spot. He brought a dog
named Casino, the match went 34 minutes. He is now Champion Spikey.
During this same time period The Untouchables are on a roll and BBB and the
Untouchables are on path to a head on collision as Ratliff's Champion Bumphus
and Ch Spikey are hooked. It was a good one with Bumphus losing in 1:04.
Does BBB stop there? Nope, one more time and make a run at the toughest 41/2
male in the country known at that time.
Hargroves had a dog named Lil red , that had just come back from Florida winning
over a champion in style. He was said by many to be the next "one" . BBB had
different plans for Lil Red as they hooked up and this was set to be big time
excitement. Over the course of Spikey's 4 wins he had become quite the little
ace dog and showed it by completely shutting Lil Red down in 28 minutes and
becoming Grand Champion Spikey.
BREEDER: RANCHERITA
KENNELS
OWNER: VIERA BROTHERS KENNELS
REGISTRATION #: 33700E-41
SEX: MALE
COLOR: BLACK
CONDITIONED WEIGHT: 38 LBS
POSTED: 2001-04-09
LAST MODIFIED: 2005-03-09
No OF VIEWS: 3195 times
ch. rommell is a tremendously game bulldog.he's blind as a
bat.his record speaks for its self.he is a mix of the#1,2and 3
TRUE ROM males and #1 rom female. He is producing damn well,and
his pedigree or SHOW record leaves nothing to be desired.
This article on Rommel came from the the Jan 1998 AGDT. You can purchase
this issue for $25 including shipping worldwide by airmail. This issue also
contains: Danny Burton Interview, Story on Alblizin's Luther , Cedar Brooks
Nutty Buddy, Gambler's Champion Virgil, Mike's Champion Barkley, More on red
Dogs with Iron Mike, and Times Square along with WhatsUp! Its an outstanding
issue.
