Originally Posted by
CrazyRed
I think you are right, I don’t see the harm in talking about it and comparing what folks know. I was told once you find the key to unlock Pandora’s box you will probably end up wishing you didn’t. We know one thing for certain, aint no difference in men of yesterday compared to men of today. They all lie, some folks will lie and some folks will swear by that lie. I think Mountain man was one of if not the only to publicly state they would keep a dog that quit and just try him another day.
Project I think the theory of Eli and how he came about is valid, I've been honored to be able to speak to a few men that were around back then. Yes they all agree that Eli was off Ch Cry Baby, but at that is where Mayfield's credit for Eli just about stops. He did the litter that produced him, but it was Mr. Clemmons who took his gyp and bred to Eli to make him now famous after his 3 famous children. It was Floyd's work after those kids and their kids and so on that made Eli as famous as he is now. Folks that seen Eli don’t speak highly of him at all, they say he was pretty much average and was nothing to speak of until his kids hit the scene. That's where his fame took off.
I know a few guys who used some of the Mayfield blood and 20 years ago they had some great success but even those guys now with their dogs which still have some Mayfield blood in it have minimized using it. When I ask a friend who has Mayfield dogs for over 20 years back to the Sunshine stuff and stuff dome from Mr. Andress and others, about Maverick or Banjo or any other dog being Mayfield bred and he said simply from his experiences with the lines for 2 decades he can't see any similarities. He said especially with the Maverick dogs because everything about them is different from their change of build to their strengths and weaknesses. I've had some Maverick dogs for some time and can't see it either. One thing about his Mayfield dogs that have remained the same is their ability to bite (which he doesn’t breed for as primary) but also their ability to finish and want to finish. His dogs have stayed true to that but that's just his experiences. Also his dogs body style has been the same, not midget but short dogs with thick structure and great natural strength and wind. Where the maverick dogs I've had and the dogs he has had, have been longer dogs with more leg more head style or wrestling types of dogs, not with a bunch of mouth. Which a lot depended on what the bottom of it was, but his Mayfield dogs have been power dogs with mouth and want to finish.
Again could be just what he got and what they were able to produce. I know with a few of his associates they also got the same style of dogs and I seen that on 3 different yards from the Midwest to the South. You could be absolutely correct with your theory and could be absolutely wrong, but we can give the nod for all those around saying Eli was off Cry Baby but that's not where all his fame came from. So what exactly credit is Mayfield missing that he deserves? Eli became the man when his 3 kids were seen as badass dogs and then Ch Tommy and some other dogs. They were reminiscent of the Henry dogs that Tudor and others had success with those black powerhouses.
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