Got my first Sorrels dogs back in '78. Some of the best dogs of all times carried that blood (Zeke x corvino type breedings). Ch Noah, Tug Boat Willie, Rommel, Invader, Gigi, Onionhead, Bad Company,. I was there hands on the day Bert's Shoshone proved deep, deep game in the heat. His son Dan Tanna (brother to hard eyes) was a complete package. How many of you all have ever heard of Bert's Stag, a true honest dog. Damn, just the tip of the iceburg, I've had dogs directly off Bullyson, Snooty, Buster, Butcherboy, Jeep, Cowboy, Tombstone, Red boy, etc. but if I could go back in time, I would have old Rommel or Dan Tanna to base a yard on, true complete wonderful dogs. My all time favorite was my little Danny (Dan Tanna), a full brother to Sorrel's Hard Eyes.

The dogs Howard Peterson, Merritt, and Koehler had were some of the best to ever look through a collar. Many of those dogs were owned by them together, or back and forth. The key was Peterson's Josie bred to the Zeke blooded dogs. Peterson's Red MF was a for real MF! Howard's Puppy bred to CH Bad Company was a great breeding. True bulldogs. Koehler owned Bull before Sorrells bought him. Merritt owned Hedge's Cie Bie and Big Liz, as well as Bad Company, Noah, and Annie(she was Bullyson to Bolio's sister). This Peterson, Merritt, Koehlers collaberation blended the best Zeke x Bullyson family that is still strong in many of the best working strains today.

MAD is right about Bert getting credit for the breedings on some dogs. I was there when Bert got Shorty and knew the boys he bought him from. Why do you think Shorty turned into STP(Shorty The Preacher). He wasn't 40 country miles of being a RED JERRY dog and that is the truth, no bull shit. STP was a great dog but got Sorrels papers slapped on him.

Just like Roadblock was out of Shoshone, not Bull, I helped get the breeding done an saw first hand. Just Check your own dogs and don't depend on all those old peds being right, at least Bert used good dogs. Some other "great" breeders slapped peds on trash.

I watched the original Preacher dog Quit AND later the first Preacher replacement quit. Shorty was the second replacement and was a great dog and this dog was the sire to the Ladybug litter that produced Joe Testiment. That is how preacher disappeared and Shorty became STP-Shorty The Preacher.

Randy Chavez was an important reason bert was successful in Arizona, to be accurate, Jean (not referring to Joan) was a big influence on the Sorrel's dogs.
Mad & Skip were the backbone of the performance Sorrel's dogs when Bert went to Florida.
And in my opinion the Bellon Club Lara members did the most forward work in tuning these dogs into some of the finest in the world.

Written by B. Merritt