Is it true that gr Ch Angus cured out in a yard fight?
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Is it true that gr Ch Angus cured out in a yard fight?
Yes he did if I'm not mistaken it was to a zebo bred bitch he was supposed to have gone into jeep but as we all know homer was the dog that met him b stepp borrowed homer from ozzie
Stevens' CH Homer won four matches, none made it to the hour mark. All opponents died.
Match #1 - Was against Frank Bunce of Michigan, at 44 lbs. Frank's dog was called 'Black Jack' and was said to be a four time winner. 'Black Jack' came from the Carolinas. When released, Homer over powered Black Jack, and got into the stifles. Homer showed terrible mouth, Black Jack was unable to scratch at forty minutes. Black Jack died on the way home.
Match #2 - This match was originally between the Bishop Brothers and Ziggy from Canada. The Bishops lived in Buffalo, NY, so they were close to Canada. The Bishops had trouble with their dog and contacted Ozzie to bring Homer instead of their dog. This was four weeks in front of the match. Ozzie drove to Canada, and the fight took place in Ziggy's cellar. Ziggy was using a son of Tombstone, CH Savage. Andre Giroux and several of the French Canadians were there. When the dogs were released, it didn't take very long for Homer to cripple CH Savage. At the 13 minute mark, CH Savage couldn't push himself off the floor. Both shoulders and both stifles were gone. Ziggy conceded at thirty nine minutes and CH Savage crawled on his belly like a snake to complete a scratch. CH Savage died one hour later.
Match #3 - This was at a convention, and it was against the oldtimer Clyde Mason. His dog was called 'Thumper' and he had a good reputation. They drove from Missouri to Pennsylvania so they must have had a lot of confidence in their dog. He was conditioned and handled by Ray Carter. Attending this convention was Dave Adams of GR CH Zebo and GR CH Art fame. Also there was Jack Kelly, editor of the Sporting Dog Journal and Ralph Greenwood all the way from Salt Lake City, Utah. In this match Thumper showed to be conditioned to perfection, and had such great balance that Homer could not throw him to the mat. Thumper was very effective at holding Homer out. He stayed on Homer's head, and was very strong. Somewhere around thirty-five minutes, Homer seen he couldn't get to the stifle, so he switched his style and went to the head. He got a good hold on Thumpers lower jaw and he broke it. That was the crucial point of the match. Thumper could not hold Homer out. Now Homer went in for the kill. He was doing terrible damage to Thumpers stifles and between his legs. There was a handle made with Thumper to scratch. He fell in his corner and was counted out at 52 minutes. He died forty five minutes later. Judges voted Homer 'Best in Show".
In that same convention, Ozzie won 'Best of Opposite Sex' with CH Tammy (she was GR CH Vigil's grandmother). Also winning that night was Ozzies CH Rastus. Ozzie had been winning 98% of his fights for quite a while.
About a year later, a combine formed to beat Ozzie, they were Ralph Livingston, Big Brad of Red Danger fame, Lonny Woodberry who owned GR CH Mickey and Tony Wolfe who was the owner of CH Saloon, a four time winner.
The combine was using a dog called Bear and he looked bigger than CH Homer. This fight was at forty five lbs. This Bear dog was sired by Livingstons CH Freddie who was a littermate to CH Homer. Ozzie accepted this challenge even though he couldn't work Homer as good as he did previous, due to Ozzies wife suffering from Leukemia. During the keep, Ozzie missed many days taking care of his wife.
On the day of the fight, Ozzi told his opponents, he only had three good weeks of work in him but he was fed good for six weeks. The dogs were weighed and brought into the pit. Both weighed 45 lbs. The bear dog started out ahead in the fight and remained there for 16 minutes or more. Cutting up Homer's legs. Then CH Homer started biting hard and coming back. Ozzie talked to him urging him on to hurt Bear. In a short while Bear went down and Ch Homer was biting big holes in the stifles and between the legs. Ch Homer continued to punish Bear and Bear was screaming. The combine conceded at forty four minutes. Bear died that night.
Ozzie was inactive for about a year. When Big Brad came to Ozzie's house, he said we was sent to borrow CH Homer. They want to take him out for his fifth time. Ozzie's family objected and they let Ozzie know how they felt about loaning CH Homer out.
Brad continued to visit Ozzie trying to convince him to let them take CH Homer. Finally, Ozzie relented and let Brad take CH Homer. Ozzie was under the impression that Jim Stinson would work CH Homer and that he would go at 45 lbs. Stinson always worked Billy Stepps dogs for most all of his fights. Why not this time? In fact, Billy Stepp himself would work CH Homer. Why? Most everyone in the dog game never heard of Billy Stepp working a dog before. Stepp never, ever, handled a dog in the pit. He was known as a gambler. Ozzie didn't know until three weeks before the fight that CH Homer was going into 'Jeep'. He was really upset that CH Homer was going at 42lbs. Now that CH Homer was five years old, Ozzie felt he should fight at 45lbs.
Ozzie and Big Brad arrived in Georgia on Saturday morning. The fight was to be Saturday night. Ozzie and Brad went to Stepps motel room. The first words Billy Stepp said to Ozzie were, "Did you ever have trouble with Homer drying out before?". To which Ozzie replied "NO!". Billy Stepp said that he worked Homer and drove from Dayton, Ohio to Southern Georgia. Homer dehydrated and when he arrived in Georgia and Stepp weighed him, Homer's weight plummeted down to 40 1/2 lbs (this was Thursday). Stepp said he then gave Homer a bucket of water. Homer drank one and one half buckets of water from Thursday to Saturday. Stepp felt he would be OK.
All the mistakes they made up till now were stacking the deck against Homer. Don't you think they should have given and I.V. or some drink with electrolytes in it? After all does regular water have electrolytes in it? Once you dog dehydrates and you take him to the vets, would they give him water out of the faucet? I don't think so!
Homer needed an I.V. He needed electrolytes. They give babies Pedialtye don't they? Why didn't they give Homer Pedialyte? Do you know why? Because they didn't know what they were doing. No previous experience.
Butch House from Texas was there before the fight. He said in his opinion Homer was jacked up and it showed in his head. It was sunken in. Butch House said he seen the same thing before in Texas.
On the night of the fight, Billy Stepped picked a friend from Florida to handle. His name was Kenny Sammons. That was another mistake, as Sammons was having a nervous breakdown in the corner as the dogs were facing each other. The referee never said anything. The next thing you know, here comes Jeep wide open, Kenny Sammons was looking to his right talking to someone, outside of the pit. Homers legs were held off the floor then all the spectators yelled to Sammons to 'Release your dog;, the yelling scared and startled Sammons and he threw CH Homer out into the pit. Homer hit the floor and his legs buckled and he went down. Before he could get up, Jeep was in his shoulder. Jeep stayed there for 10 minutes. Now it took Homer ten minutes to bite him out. Where was Homers bite? The answer: Left in the gym, due to the mistakes of cutting him below his best weight, and 3 lbs below. But Why? You will soon find out.
So now from the 10 minute mark on CH Homer had to fight on three legs. Where does that put you in your ability to wrestle? How can you throw your opponent? You are now behind. Yet the longer the fight went, the more determined Homer became and he evened things up. He was so game, he couldn't realize how bad the odds were stacked against him. The fight went on --and on -- and on. Now it was reaching the three hour mark. Crenshaw could feel the pressure. He started feeling he might lose. So he came over to Billy Stepp and asked for a draw. Stepp then asked Ozzie, "Should we agree?". Ozzie told him "NO!". The draw was off. Crenshaw was worried that's why he asked for a draw. Why? Because at the three hour mark Jeep was sitting in a standing position, his tongue was out and he was breathing heavily, and he was out of hold. At this moment in time, CH Homer was in Jeeps stifle, while Jeep paid no attention and was surveying the crowd. Homer was working away at the three hour mark, shaking out on Jeeps stifle. When he stiffened up and fell over, and he layed stretched out on his side. By now Homer was dying. Fighting this long Homer had to lose some weight. He probably weighed forty lbs or less. So now that Homer fell over and layed on his side not moving, this excited Jeep and he then goes into Homer's throat. He digs in for a couple minutes, and then comes out of hold, picks up his head, his tongue is out of his mouth, he is breathing heavily. Jeep then makes a sudden right turn, and walks away from a down dog, heading for the pit wall. Crenshaw immediately ran over and grabbed Jeep before he got to the wall.
Dogs were handled and taken to their corners. This was somewhere around three hours and fifteen minutes. Sammons was having another nervous breakdown in the corner with Homer. He was very nervous, when the referee said "Face your dogs" Sammons started shaking Homer up and down. This had no purpose what so ever. You are supposed to hold your dog perfectly still. Your not supposed to call your opponents dog to scratch and by shaking Homer he encouraged Jeep to scratch. That was a crucial mistake. In a long fight 90% of dogs get discouraged. It is very easy for a dog to walk over within a foot of their opponents and get counted out. Sammons should have held Homer still and not moved at all. Anything can happen when the fight goes close to four hours. But anyway Jeep completed his scratch. Somewhere around three hours and twenty minutes a handle was made, Homer to go. We all thought he was dying when he layed in his side after the three hour mark. Now he has to scratch?
At the referees command, "Release your Dog", Sammons let loose and Homer tries to go hard but is on rubber legs. He goes down, does a couple somersaults, head over heels, his backend comes over his head. He is down. He is now facing his own corner. The referee starts counting. Within seconds Ozzie Stevens pushes past all the spectators and runs to Homers outside corner. Ozzie yells in to CH Homer, "Get up Homer, Get up Baby --up--up--up". When CH Homer heard Ozzies voice, he began yodeling and whining and he came of the corner and fell and got back up stumbling and falling, completeing an unbelievable game scratch.
Another handle was made and Jeep completed his scratch. Dogs handled again and Homer was unable to go at three hours and 43 minutes. He died 30 minutes later.
The reason Stepp conditioned and the reason his weight was cut to 42lbs was that Billy Stepp had a $10,000 forfeit to fight his 42lb Grand Champion into Jeep. If he didn't show up with a 42lb dog he would lose the $10,000. The 42lb Grand Champion was on Jim Stinsons yard as Stinson had to condition him. Stinson had to go out somewhere and he left the dogs alone for a couple of hours. When he returned home the Grand Champion came walking up to him on a broken chain. Stinston was shocked that the Grand Champion was not still locked in battle. Did he walk away from one of the other dogs?
Stinson took this Grand Champion over to the other dog who was jumping four feet off the ground. The Grand Champion dug his feet into the dirt and refused to budge. Stinson picked him up and threw him to CH Ruby, Zebo's daughter. She began chewing him up. The Grand Champion broke loose and ran, this is the dog they had $10,000 forfeit on.
How could they use him now, he curred out today. That's why they had to borrow Homer. Being as this dog got loose, Stepp wouldn't let Homer out of his sight. Do you want to know the Grand Champion that was originally matched into Jeep and curred out in the yard fight? None other than Grand Champion Angus.
If you don't believe this, then how come Angus dissappeared after the Jeep -Homer fight???
CH Homer was bred to only two females, yet made ROM before CH Jeep. Although Jeep was bred to hundreds and hundreds of bitches
(Thx FSK)
Every time I read about Homer, it makes me wish he would have lived and been advertised at stud to a ripe old age.
Does any one knows Gr Ch Angus record and times?
Most sites have this
Angus then went on to shake up the dog world by defeating Rixey's Coal Cat, Jay's Buster, Crenshaw's Ch. Otis, Keummerling's Ch. Freddie (brother to O. Stevens' Ch. Homer), Garza's Heman and Love's Tiger, all of which were great dogs. Angus was then hooked into, the then 3X winner, Ch. Jeep as a rematch for the victory over Stinson and Stepp's Ch. Black Glover. During the keep, Angus was involved in an accidental kennel fight with Ch. Ruby and was wrecked in the chest area, thus forcing Stepp to pay the forfeit to J. Crenshaw.
Wish someone has a more detailed report.....