The Colby Line - Indian Sonny
THE COLBY LINE
written by Indian Sonny
Mr. John P. Colby was an active breeder for many years and produced some of the best dogs of his time. Much of his foundation stock was from the GAS HOUSE and BURKE strains, as were dogs of many other breeders. The difference in the quality of the dogs Mr. Colby produced was the result of breeding principles he employed. Also, Mr. Colby in my opinion possessed a very important attribute, which I refer to as a gift.
Mr. Colby practiced a simplified version of genetics: Best-to-Best and Selective Breeding. Best to Best does not mean performing alone. It entails all aspects of the dogs, from performance to pedigree. The most obvious qualities would be gameness, biting power, talent, stamina, and a great bloodline. A bloodline is the result of a breeders influence.
Over the years dogs bred by Mr. Colby began to exhibit physical and mental characteristics such as conformation, color, and gameness which distinguished them. These dogs were then referred to as Colby dogs. Thus we have the Colby bloodline. People were proud to say, “This here is a pure Colby dog”. This sounds simple, and it leads people to ask, why there were not more top breeders? I believe deciding on what is Best to Best is the key.
I’m not sure that every dog Mr. Colby bred too was dead game, and I’m equally sure he did not breed to every dead game dog he owned. This is where the gift comes in. it seems to be an in-born sense or ability. I believe most outstanding accomplishments have been made by men who were endowed with a gift for their respective fields.
I do not believe that man knows enough about genetics at this time to produce great animals; and he most certainly didn’t know enough in the days of Mr. Colby. Race horse people spend millions of dollars a year, trying to produce great horses, with only marginal success. Similarly, there is no pattern for producing great dogs.
The most essential qualities a breeder may possess are: Dedication, a gift, a knowledge of Best to Best, and money might come in handy. If a breeder combines these attributes he is likely to produce, with luck, a great strain of dogs.
It doesn’t take too much effort to recall the great Colby dogs of the past. These dogs were bred from the pit and for the pit. But all of this brings us to a very important question. When a strain of dogs that were once highly regarded, such as Colby’s, stops producing consistently good dogs, is the strain still to be considered good? I have heard people say, “I know he’s a cur, but the blood is there”. While this is true in many cases, I wonder how long we can continue to breed to curs and hope to produce game pit dogs.
What is good blood and how long will it remain good if we continue to breed to dogs who do not possess the qualities of their ancestors? While great breeders can breed to dogs who themselves do not exhibit good qualities, can the average breeder afford to take this gamble?
I have seen strains of dogs that have not produced dogs fitting this description for many years, and people who are active in the sport refer to them as good blood or good brood stock. Many seem to proceed under the assumption that once a bloodline is good, it remains good forever. Many well-meaning people have continued to breed Colby dogs exclusively, assuming that it was necessary to preserve the quality of the strain, was to breed to a dog that had the name Colby on his pedigree.
I believe that we have to continuously strive to improve the strain, in order to keep it as good as it was or is. It’s an accepted theory, that in order for an institution to continue, it must change and continuously seek to improve. To preserve a bloodline, there is more required than just breeding to dogs whose pedigree shows a particular name. Change is required in order to prevent change in the quality of dogs produced. The Colby strain was developed by change.
I have heard people say that the dogs of yesteryear were gamer than those of today. Could it be, in some cases, because we have tried to play Pat and in doing so have lost ground. The people that have bred Colby dogs exclusively for these many years, thinking they were doing what was best, have perhaps underestimated their own ability to breed good dogs.
Many of them have bred dogs for 40 years or more and could have perhaps contributed much more to their own dogs, by using their own ideas and experience. New ideas are necessary in every field. Sports records are consistently surpassed by those not satisfied with repeating someone else’s past performance. Last year’s record won’t win this year’s meet.
Were the dogs of yesteryear really superior? I’m sure many dog men of the past would think we have it too easy, because we don’t have to grow secret vegetables and cook our dog’s food, or boil their water. Penicillin has replaced many old remedies, making better dog care possible. I have read some diets that top dog men used. While some were good, none could compete with any good commercial dog food available in countless supermarkets. The poorest feeder today is able to provide better nutrition than the best feeder of yesteryear. We also have refrigeration and other conveniences.
It is not my intention to criticize old-timers and their methods. How many of us would be feeding as many dogs if we had to cope with the same adverse conditions? I think our mission however, is to pick up where they left off, emulating their objectives rather than their methods. The Colby dogs of the past, fit the description of good blood, as their pit records indicate. The Colby strain was developed on the principle of Best to Best. When that principle is no longer employed there is bound to be a drastic change in quality. In a very short period of time a great strain of dogs can be reduced to a strain that can do no more than refer to their pedigree and say “My great, great, grand-daddy was a pit dog….I think”!
