The Dublin Red strain

The Dublin Red Strain ... Updated 4th February,2009

The cornerstone sire of the Dublin Red Strain was Willie Delaney's dog "Brindle Devil" and the foundation dam owned by my uncles friend Eddie Byrnes red bitch, it was two puppies from this mating went to the USA to Al Brown and Pete Sparks, both men were 100% pit men and crossed pits over both irish imports Brindle Devil and Arrogant Resistance producing these little Irish red bull dogs as they called them and making a huge impact in the pit world....

One dog out of Arrogant Resistance was called Shanty of Dublin, a brindle dog owned by Al Brown and being that both men Al Brown and Pete sparks were so active in the pit fighting, the word traveled fast....because these little dogs were fighting every weekend and rolling with some of the finest APBT's of that time.

The two key dogs to start the Dublin Red Line in the USA
Shanty of Dublin - IKC 89028 and Arrogant Devil - IKC-88853 both dogs out of Willie Delaney's (Ch.Brindle Devil - IKC-83799) x Eddie Byrnes (Arrogant Resistance - IKC-7524)

Al Brown while visiting Trinity Collage Dublin, Al was checking out the college for his son back in the USA during his down time on his tour of Dublin decided to check out good badger dogs and was lead to Willie Delaney and both Al Brown and Willie Delaney went out the next day on a badger dig, Willie took out Brindle Devil and Brown was so impressed with his performance asked Willie did he have anything for sale that he wanted to take one of these bull dogs back to the USA to see how they went on wild boar, well at the time Willie had no puppies available but connected Al Brown to family friend Eddie Byrnes who at the time had just used Willies dog Brindle Devil on his bitch Arrogant Resistance.

It was about 4-5 years later Willie Delaney was given an old copy of the USA pit magazine, your friend and mine to look at, on the front cover was Al Brown and Shanty of Dublin, I guess the story of wanting to try the staffords on wild boar was a lie or maybe that was his original intentions but the fact was that these dogs were being run in the pits and rolling with APBT's and in many cases holding their own.

So that was the first real start for the Dublin Reds, you will read lots of different stories on the internet on how it was all started but I can assure you that what I'm telling you is the way it was really all started and "Brindle Devil" was the start of it all.

So being that it was legal to take badger and the IKC were giving out certifcations to good game dogs, the staford lads were going out every weekend on badger digs, I went on a few with Willie when I was a whipper snapper and remember lots of fun stuff, but being that the badgering was in and all the staff lads wanted to produce good game dogs and the fact that the boys in the USA were all over the pit magazines every month, it wasn't long before that word got back to Ireland that Willie Delaney's pups out of Brindle Devil were producing some real game dogs in the USA.

Quite a few of the lads back in Dublin used Brindle Devil one of the men to use Brindle Devil being Bobby Watts, mating his bitch Battling Beauty to Brindle Devil and produced both Battling Dutchess and Battling Devil... and that was the start of the Dublin Reds in Ireland.

Bobby Watts and Shamus McNutt, Tony Lee started producing some great badger dogs out of Brindle Devil and Al Brown and Pete Sparks producing great dogs in the USA... so the Dublin Red was born.

You had so many stafford lads breeding around half brothers and half sisters to Brindle Devil constantly producing dead game dogs in the field and pit and Tony Lee was another man to use Willies dogs, Tony being a very good family friend to the Delaney's as was all the stafford fancy Bobby Watts, Shamus McNutt etc...

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South Tipperary Canine Club - Major Terrier Trails - Dead Game Certificate, 1960
Willie Delaney's - Ch. The Great Roger - (Staffordshire Bull Terrier)
Raymond McEvoy's - Binglea Jokers name. - (Staffordshire Bull Terrier)
Judges: Mr G. Doyle, Mr W. Malone and Mr P. O'Neill

The Sporting Terrier Club - Teastas Mor Certificate, Hacketstown Co. Carlow, 14th of October 1961
Bobby Watts - Battling Devil - (Staffordshire Bull Terrier)
Judges: Mr. P. O'Neil and Mr. J. Ward.

The Sporting Terrier Club - Teastas Mor Certificate, Blessington, Co. Wicklow, 7th September 1958
Willie Delaney's - Ch. Brindle Devil - (Staffordshire Bull Terrier)
Willie Delaney's - Ch. Swing Clear - (Staffordshire Bull Terrier)
Eddy Byrne's - Arrogant Resistance - (Staffordshire Bull Terrier)
Bobby Watts - Battling Beauty - (Staffordshire Bull Terrier)
Frank Fallon's - Fearless Dan - (Glen of Imaal Terrier)
Judges: Mr. E.Casey, Mr.J.Carolan and Mr.J.Doyle.

The Irish Working Terrier Club Association - Certificate of Merit, Major Trials, Cork, September 1976
Fleville's - Wolf Island Boy - (Staffordshire Bull Terrier)

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Willie Delaney's Dog - (Ch.Brindle Devil) - Reg# IKC 83799 Sire of:
Shanty of Dublin
Arrogant Devil
Battling Devil - Bob Watts
Battling Duchess - Seamus Mc Nutt
Ch.The Great Roger - (Brindle Devil x Brindle Bonny) also Dead Game Certificate South Tipperary Canine Club 1960
Satan's Son - (Brindle Devil x Brindle Bonny)
Ch.Fawn and Fancy
Ch.Brindle Wee Lass
Ch.Bonnie MacGregor
Great Caesar

Ch.Brindle Devil's Grandchildren
Tony Lee's - Red Commando = Double Grandson (Brindle Devil)
Riycil's Devil's Maid
Frazer of Ireland

Ch.Brindle Devil's Great Grandchildren
Wolf Island Boy

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Article by
Ray Delaney

WHAT ABOUT THE BREED TYPE?

MANY KEEP TALKING ABOUT "the type" WITHIN OUR BREED, UNFORTUNATELY, SEEMS JUST AS MANY ARE MARELY EXPRESSING THEIR OWN OPINION AND DON´T HAVE A CLUE WHAT THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT. I THOUGHT I´D PUT SOM HIGHLIGHT ON THE SUBJECT. AS I DON´T WISH TO BE PLACED AMONG THOSE WHO ARE ONLY EXPRESSING THEIR OWN PREFERENCE , THE FOLLOWING IS AN ARTICLE PUBLISHED ON THE YANKEE STAFF WEB SITE, THAT EXPLAINS VERY WELL WHAT THE "BREED TYPE "REALLY MEANS. NEEDLESS TO SAY, RIGHT ON!


Breed Type is determined by the job or purpose each breed has been designated to fulfill. Then Form follows Function!

For instance, you will not find a coursing dog that is heavy and shorter legged because it's function precludes this. So it is of a type to perform with great speed and distance covering ability.

Coursing dogs are lean, tall, long legged. Another example --- dogs that pull a sled in Arctic conditions will not be smooth coated and barrel-ribbed. He would freeze to death and run out of steam.

Therefore we see dogs densely coated, undercoated and more slab-sided pulling sleds!

The Staffordshire Bull Terrier was bred to be the ultimate fighting machine, an animal of quickness, agility, intelligence, great wrestling ability, tremendous endurance and gameness.

How do we translate this type when his rough hewn, violent beginnings are no longer the proving ground for his type? We study the American Pit Bull Terrier of which the SBT is the progenitor. The APBT has more recently developed as the athlete superior in the U.S.A.

Mike Homans' book, "The Staffordshire Bull Terrier in History and Sport" is a tremendous work about our breeds beginnings and the harshness of the times when he was used as the ultimate destruction vehicle.

Is there a correlation between our SBT of today and his ancestor in the pit. There certainly ought to be; or perhaps we don't have the hard, strong, sound, athlete of old --- who coincidentally developed as the ultimate people temperament dog!

We would never find a picture of a winning dog that is low stationed, big-boned, with an ultra short fore-face and massive skulled. Coincidentally we wouldn't find a 'people-eater' in a winner.

The dog bred for endurance, agility, easy breathing and heat dissipation has leg length, medium bone, superbly angled hind quarters, powerful bite, and medium rib spring. He will also be the most dependable people dog you will find because he has had to be of such stable nature as to not inflict punishment on his master in the heat of battle as he was being handled from round to round.

How did this translate for me into a SBT. He is medium sized, square, medium boned, tremendously angulated with great turning ability, endurance and the most supremely stable people temperament I could find.

Dog aggression is a by product that I would never eliminate, only channel; because the game dog temperament is what makes him so wonderful with people! Remember he's tough, pain desensitized, courageous, bold and ready to go!

The background to the Dublin Red Strain is made up of descendants of Ch. Gentleman Jim, both Brindle Devil and Bankhead Bullfighter, were from his lines and were exported to Ireland from England. Brindle Devil also had offspring sent to the U.S.A, but we will get back to that part later on. In the middle of the 1950`s, Harry Payne from Yorkshire, England mated his bitch "Chelmont Grand Duchess" with the show champion Pal of Aveth and in that litter there was a dog who was named Brindle Devil. Mr. Payne certainly did the Irish Stafford scene a great favor when he sent Brindle Devil to Ireland, the dogs excellent qualities carried on into his sons and daughters and into their sons and daughters and so on. The most common of his linage were the Battling prefix dogs. These appear a great many times in modern Red strain dogs pedigrees.

Brindle Devil was owned by Willie Delaney from Dublin, Ireland who with Bob Watt from Dublin was the founder of the Dublin Red Strain of dogs. At that time Bob Watts owned a bitch named Battling Beauty, a daughter of Fearless Cavalier and Spring Beauty, and after she was mated to Brindle Devil she gave birth to two great dogs, Battling Duchess, and Battling Devil.

Both Duchess and Devil were show winners, but they were also great badger dogs. Seamus McNutt a well known Stafford fancier in Ireland bought her from Bob Watt in 1962 when she was 3 years old and he later claimed that she was one of the best bitches he ever owned. She was also was used in the Badger trials of Ireland which she passed with Honors. Ch. Brindle Devil was also mated to Ch. Brindle Wee Lass, and in that litter there was two exceptional dogs, Great Roger and his famous brother Satan's son.

Both The Great Roger and Fawn and Fancy were said to be game dogs and I guess their certificates gives us an indication of how tough they could be. It has been said that they had one too many kennel fights and as a result the Great Roger ended Fawn and Fancy's life.

Battling Lass, a daughter of Watt's Battling Beauty was mated with Delaney's Great Roger and she produced McNutt's Fearless Devil. This dog was put across a bitch by the name Wychcome Bernadette, which was a sister of the English show Champion Ch. Cambodian Contender out of Ch. Game Penny by Ch. Rellim Ferryvale Victor.

The author, John F. Gordon bought a number of these pups out of Bernadette and this led the bloodline back to England again along with a litter after Bandits Princella and Battling Devil.

When Bobby Watt's mated his Battling Duchess to her half brother Satan's Son she produced the Red Commando. He was a show winner and a very game dog and when put to Peter Kane's Matador Maid they produced two great dogs. One was a bitch named Granitefields Reba's Beauty and the other was the Wolf Island boy. Wolf Island Boy was famous for his ability at the Badger and he won the best dog award at the trials twice, once in 1975 and then in 1977. He was also known as Lord Rommel, and his sister Wolf Island Girl and offspring's went under both prefixes. Despite his great ability at the trails it was said that he would not fight other dogs.

Wolf Island Boy also had a famous half sister called Cardonagia Red, which was out of Red Duchess and the Red Commando. When the Red Commando was put across Cardonagia Red she produced Mandy of Rommel and this bitch in turn was put across Byrne's Satan's Son, producing the well known Frazer of Ireland. Frazer of Ireland or Boomerang as he also was known in Ireland was brought over to England by M. Dann and it was said that Frazer was one of the gamest Stafford's Maurice ever owned. M. Dann also imported a bitch named Mandy of Dublin, another game dog of this line and with both Frazer and Mandy he had his foundation dogs for his Strain of Stafford's.

Red Warrior was a result of Frazer and Mandy and was regarded as a very game dog, winning many battles. Nearly all off the Dublin Red strain have this dog in their pedigrees and he was the sire to many game dogs like, Ch Red Joe, Ginger, Leo, and Rocky. Red Warrior was also known as Dann's Choice and it is said that he died of parvo in 1983, but nevertheless he sired many great Red Strain dogs, which in their turn passed on the genes and the result is the Red Strains we see today.

When bred to the Red Dart of Asquith he produced Russell's Ch. Red Joe, a 3x winner. Out of all Red Warriors sons Ch. Red Joe is probably the most known and probably most frequent used as a stud dog. It is claimed that he has sired over 75 pups, some going to Sweden, Norway, Holland, U.S.A, and even Israel and that shows how sought after his blood was. He has had 4 contracted matches and won 3, but lost one against John's Dillenger, out of Jasmarc Jama Jay and Brindle Molly in 1 hour and 3 minutes. He has however fought more than this unrecorded.

Matches

Red Joe Vs Dann's Rocky
Winner Red Joe 20 Minutes

Red Joe Vs Ben ( EBT)
Winner Red Joe 40 Minutes

Red Joe Vs Paddy
Winner Red Joe 48 Minutes

Red Joe Vs John's Dillenger Males 41 Lbs

Joe a red Irish Stafford. Dillenger, also a Staff.
Joe starts the scratching at 18 Minutes.
After 5 each, Joe is picked up at 1:03
Winner Dillenger 1 hour 3 Minutes

Leo the litter brother of Ch. Red Joe was matched at 48lbs into an APBT named Heather's Zack, which was weighing much more than him. Rocky was scheduled for this match, but had to withdraw and Leo took his place. The APBT was a good dog and unfortunately Leo lost the match and also his life.

Dann's Rocky was out of Dann's Tasha by Red Warrior. Hard biting like his Sire, but unfortunately rated as a cur by many. It was claimed that he was always overweight when he was matched and that he was also very lazy. Some claim that he was a 2x winner and some say he was a 3x winner, but one thing that is for certain is that he lost 3 times. He lost to his half brothers, Red Joe and Leo and to an APBT named Reno.
Despite his strange career he sired dogs like, Josh, Buzz, Dillenger and Albert. When Rocky was bred to the Red Dart of Asquith she produced Josh and Buzz. Red Dart or Hopcroft's Bess as she was also known as was considered to be a very game bitch by Russell, which was the owner of Red Joe. He had seen Bess being rolled on a couple occasions, once against Mitzy and he said that he would have laid money down on Bess as the winner if it had been a match.


Josh was a very well respected dog, game, intelligent and strong and with a bite like his father. Josh fought and won over an imported APBT from Pat Patrick named Moonshine in 40 odd minutes, killing him in the pit. Then on his second outing he lost game to Stormer in 1 hour and 27 minutes Have in mind that this is the same Ch. Stormer who stopped Ch. Psycho in 1 hour and 3 minutes so he sure was facing top quality when he fought.

Then on his third outing he lost to Cooper, a Patrick dog born in quarantine in England. Josh lost in 1 hour and 35 minutes, but Cooper could not be matched again after that and never could make a third match to become a Champion. Then Josh came out again to face Nigger, a son of Cooper, and won in 1 hour and 15 minutes. Then he lost to Ch. Smuggler an APBT in 54 minutes.

Buzz, Rocky's litter brother was said to be a bit strange. He seemed to only fight when he felt for it. When he did decide to fight he was said to be devastating, but he lost to Ch. Jim and Ch. Stormer in less than 2 minutes and he lost in his match with Ch. Ben after 1 hour and 38 minutes. He did however win over an EBT called Governor in 1 hour and 38 minutes.

The Stormer Vs Josh match as reported in the English magazine "Pit Bull News". 1986

Stormer Vs Josh Males 44 Lbs


Stormer handled by Roger comes in at 42 ½ Lbs. Josh comes in spot on. The dogs are placed in the pit, the referee says "Face them" and then "Pit". When released, Josh runs across and Stormer turns as though he don't want to go! Josh takes a hold, and Stormer goes into action with a vengeance.

At 5 minutes it's even, Josh on the head and Stormer working the legs and shoulders, keeping Josh from doing the damage he's noted for.

At 10 minutes the dogs are vying for position and swapping holds, but Josh has the better of it.
At the 12 minute mark Josh has a good hold on the muzzle. They go loose at 14 , and Josh makes a turn, which is called and allowed.

At 15 minutes a pick up and Josh to go. The referee calls "Pit" and over Josh goes. 20 minutes gone and Stormer shaking a front leg with Josh trying to get him off by working the head.

At the half hour mark the match is even, both dogs in good shape. Josh is pushing the pace with Stormer content to wait, and pace himself. Up to the hour mark and Josh is ahead with Stormer trying to catch up. Just after the hour mark it's five scratches each with Stormer going over like a steamroller.

At 1.10 Stormer goes in front as Josh begins to tire. Stormer senses this and looks to push his advantage.
The hour and a quarter mark comes and Stormer seems to have stepped up a gear, he is now doing all the work and biting harder, although Josh continues to scratch well and is trying hard to catch up.
Josh is picked up at 1.27 with Stormer looking as though he could go another hour.

Dillenger was a result of Dann's Rocky and Hey's Mitzy. He was matched against Cox's Billy, a son of Buzz and he lost in 1 hour and 1 minute. Dillenger's Dam was also matched once, but the other dog got a hold of her tongue and she had to be picked up. Billy went on to face Gr. Ch. Jack after his match with Dillenger, but lost in 25 minutes.
Albert was out of Dann's Rocky and a bitch named Mad Mariah. He was rolled out and showed that he had a hard bite like his Sire Rocky. He was the brother to Brindle Dina and Red Rose, which was the Dam of the famous Gr. Ch. Big Red.

Gr. Ch. Big Red was a son of Ch. Red Joe out of Middleton's Mad Mariah and got his title at Ed Reid's Intercontinental Kennel Clubs confirmation shows. As you can see on the picture he was a very muscular dog who proved himself in weight pulling events and even as a pup he was getting all the awards.

Dann's Ginger was out of Red Warrior and the Young Mandy of Dublin, which was a grand daughter of Wolf Island Boy and when bred to her half brother Red Joe she produced Ch. Jim. There has been claimed that even though Ginger was game she was lacking in ability and had a weak bite. But she was tested and showed that even under a great deal of pressure she would not quit.

Jim was rolled out at an early age against Dann's Irish Black Jack, which was said to be a good fighter and trial dog from Ireland and in this roll Jim was said to have done so well that a month later he was matched into a dog called " Bull ", which quit after 18 minutes. A few months later he was matched into a 1x winner called " Sam ", which was picked up game at 26 minutes making Jim a 2x winner. In Jim's Championship match he was matched into Buzz, the litter brother to Josh and won in about 2 minutes making him a Champion.

His 4th match was very controversial since it was claimed that he lost due to a fault and a bad referee. This match was against a 4x winner name Ch. Sam who was going for his Grand Championship. It was said that when it was Jim's turn to scratch and the referee said, " Release the dogs " both handlers did so. It seems like Sam's handler had accepted that Jim had made his scratch since he also released Sam, but then the weirdest thing happened, Sam started to spin around in his corner very fast chasing his tail when Jim shot across trying to mouth him without success and was counted out by the referee who awarded the match to Sam after 1 hour and 5 min and said that Jim didn't make the scratch.

Later on Jim was matched into a dog called Ben who had won over a good dog in 1 hour. Jim won this match since Ben was unable to scratch at 1 hour and 37 min. A few months later Jim was matched into a EBT/Staff cross called Rocky, which quit standing on the line after 29 minutes making Jim a 5x winner. Many considered this dog a Gr.Ch. even though he lost to Gr. Ch. Sam due to a fault and a bad referee.
When Ch. Jim was bred to Ruby out of Hey's Dylan and Hey's Mandy she produced Jess. Her matches were reported to the Sporting Dog Journal in the U.S.A, which until more recent times also registered Stafford's in their Champion lists.



Springview's Sinbad out of Ch. Jim and Ch. Jess was claimed to be a Gr. Ch. since he had beaten 4 APBT's and a good staff, all winning dogs until they met Sinbad in the early 90's. In his first match he faced a APBT and won in 2 hours and 42 minutes, but it has been contested by many that this dog even existed, Other claims that he was a paper Ch or Gr Ch as no one can come up with witnesses willing to come forward with any evidence to any of the matches taken place. We managed to find this below when we dug into some old Sporting Dog Journals.

His second outing was reported as this in the S.D.J.


Springview & Massy's Sinbad Vs. Kev's Buck Male 40 Lbs


Sinbad a Staff, won in 2:42 last time out. Buck a Carver Patrick, won one.
Buck ahead for : 10. Sinbad works him out and Buck turns at : 26.
He won't go at : 49.
Winner: Springview's & Massy's Sinbad.

When bred to his Dam, Jess he produced another claimed Gr. Ch named Red, a 6x winner over Stafford's and half-breeds. He also had a litter brother named Morris, which ended up as a pet in Derry, Ireland.
As Dann and Springview was breeding their dogs in England the litter brother and sisters to the dogs they imported were also being bred with good results by men like T and B. Lee over in Ireland. The dogs that they had were as good, if not even better than the ones that went to England.

Apart from owning the Red Commando T. Lee also had offspring from him, which in their turn were among the founders of some of Lee's best stock. Lee's Kane and Rose were both known as good badger trial dogs and when Kane was mated to Rose they produced Lee's Gypsy, who was bred to Lee's Starsky aka Red Warrior to give Lee's Bucko. Lee's Ruby was also bred to Wolf Island Warrior and produced Lee's Juggler, which was also known as Lee's Juckles. Juggler was sent to England and it is said that he won 3 matches making him a Champion. Juggler was bred to Barriskill's Cindy, which appears in a large amount of dogs from the Dublin area, including the Northford / Psycho dogs. The mating with Juckles and Cindy produced a bitch called Lee's Bright Light, which bred to Lee's Bucko produced some of Lee's best stock, including Lee's Lightfoot. Lightfoot was bred to a dog with an excellent reputation, called Johnson producing Sylus.

Sylas was said to be a very good dog and it was also said that Limey Kennels used him as a roll dog for their APBT's. Sylas's Sire, Johnson was a son of another dog that M. Dann brought over from Ireland, that being Dann's Irish Jack. Irish Jack or Irish Black Jack as he was also known as was said to be a good pit and working trail dog. He was a bit scatter bred, containing blood from the Flynn, Red Strain and some English Bull Terrier blood.

His Sire, Dockerskull was out of Barney's Girl who was a daughter of Barney, a good Stafford x EBT trial dog. Dockerskull's Sire was a son of the great Geronimo, giving Irish Jack a decent top half of his pedigree. Jack's Dam was a bitch called Rommel's Girl, a daughter of Wolf Island Boy and Evergreen Patsy, making Rommel's Girl ½ Red Strain and ½ Flynn. There is no doubt that the Red Strain is a very highly regarded strain even today nearly 50 years after it was founded.

bon je met pas les photos, sinon j'en ai pour 3 heures ... C'était juste pour compléter la destinée de la Dublin red Strain

Ben ouais, have alot of stories from back in England in the late 80's early 90's, interesting times

Brian a écrit:Ben ouais, have alot of stories from back in England in the late 80's early 90's, interesting times

Je pense qu'il doit y en avoir des tas en effet

Je refais la même mais illustré ce coup ci :

http://hearticalstaffords.free.fr/The%20Dublin%20Red%20Strain.htm

Battling Duchess one of my favourite bitches, the looks plus the character , plus i've got good friends who have continued on with tight Firey Jacks pet, another fine dog.


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