Past, Oregon Coast Cat Dogs?

[Warner5]

I've heard some stories lately about dogs that could really skin a cat.

Mr. Al Baldwin, would you mind telling us about a dog I heard you had named Chub. Story goes he could jump a ranchers fence like a deer without breaking stride. Also heard he had a high catch rate on cats, one's that wouldnt tree got caught on the ground in many case's. Would also like to hear about Tom Barnett's, split,spot-tiny & raggs dogs if you dont mind.

Their hunter, breeding, track style and how they used their voices are some curiosities of mine, anymore would be icing on the cake. Thank you. John.

[al baldwin]

John not sure who you talked with. Chub was from a cross made by Tom, his sire was a hound called lonesome. Lonesome was sired by a hound called wheeler, a full runnin walker and his dam was a very good hound called little queen. Queen was from a cross between a hound called Packy from KO Mullins breeding & a female named sadie from Charlie Tant blood. Chub/s Dam was a treeing walker from a cross between George Nelson/s spike and my Bell female. Bell & Spike were registered walkers and outstanding bear hounds. Tom offered to give me Chub when he was a small pup, felt he would be a special hound. I got chub when he was a little over a year old. Chub was a hound that seldom barked twice in the same place, he shut up on a lose and when he opened again he was running. He made a good locator and steady tree dog with very good track speed. Chub lost very few critters that he got jumped in decent ground. His best years were cut short, he scraped a nerve from a sholder blade when he and another hound tried to exit the box at the same time. However he caught or help catch a bunch of critters with a bum front leg. Chub sure got the best genes from his runnin and treeing ancestors and when that happens you can catch most cats with one hound. Tom Barnett gets all the credit for breeding and starting chub. Al

[Warner5]

Thanks Al, Chub sounds alot like what were all looking for in most of our hounds. How long ago was this and are there any dogs left with this line in them. Thank you again. John.

[al baldwin]

Know for sure I owned chub in 1973 and he was a trained hound. Chub sired only one litter. Bred him to bluetick that I believe came from a cross that Brad Padgett made. Recall that female also had Dave Dean Hammer blood in her. Two of those pups went to Allen Barnett, Allen crossed Fred & Lady those full litter mates and got some hounds that caught a bunch of cats for him. Allen liked that cross and made it several times. I believe The female named Lighting that Lloyd Bassey owned was a pup from the fred and lady cross. Also the speck female Lloyd owned was out of Fred & Lady. So most likely, those hounds you got from Lloyd that produced Talker trace back to Lighting or Speck. In later years always regretted I did not cross chub on the female I owned out of Finley River Chief. She was a very natural good hound, but a trashy one. The E collars would have stopped that. So no, can/t say there is much of that chub blood any more. Will write later about what I remember about Tom/s Pack. AL

[al baldwin]

I've heard some stories lately about dogs that could really skin a cat. Would also like to hear about Tom Barnett's, split,spot-tiny & raggs dogs if you dont mind.

Their hunter, breeding, track style and how they used their voices are some curiosities of mine, anymore would be icing on the cake. Thank you. John.

John Split & Spot were both good balanced hounds, litter mates sired by a hound called Pack Saddle from KO Mullins line, Dam was Sadie, Charlie Tant female. My favotrite was Spot, very good hound voice, used right to suit me. Best bear dog in tom/s pack. Split was more vocal on track. When the hounds worked an old scent, not giving enough mouth, Tom would turn Split in and say we will get so barking now. That was not a bad idea before the tracking devices . And split had
a very cold nose. Both were hard hustling from road to tree.
Rages & tiny were litter mates, Sired by Wheeler, full runnin blood, tom purchased from the west family from the wlliamette Valley. Wheeler was one of Tom/s favorites& was a check dog & was tested often. Tom was always training young hounds for himself and other professional hunters. Wheeler & Tom had a tight bond as Tom had trained him from a pup. Wheeler seldom barked in the same place twice. Wheeler treed, tom stated it took a lot of game before he started treeing. I suspect the# of bear caught at that time helped make him a tree dog. The dam was Little Queen, a sister to spot & split, but a cople years older. Tom said Queen was the best cat hound he ever owned. Very good on a sneaking cat. Just a very nice balanced hound that knew how drive a track with big voice for her size. Rags and tiny were track driving specialest and really excelled on a hard running critter of anykind. High pitched voices, not much on the tree, not much voice on the cold track, wide open screamers on the jump.
John the stories you have heard about those hound being very good at catching cat, bear & coyote are true. Also true Tom followed the hounds on foot as they ran the track. After I got to know Tom well I ask why we did not stay on the roads and listen to the race. He told me the closter he stayed to those hounds the less apt they were to trash & besides we could learn alot more followering those hounds than standing around. However, must realize Tom at that time kept them in the brush and there was a bunch more critters than today. If a hound ran trash, Tom was on the run to catch them and he was sucessful more times than not. Realize hard for some to believe that but that was the way Tom hunted. Nothing made Tom more aggerivated that a young hunter standing around & not busting his butt to reach the hounds on a bayed up bear and he would let them know his feelings. Tom about killed me when I first started huntig with him, but determined to prove I could keep up with him. In later years a hunter from California hunted with tom, after a few days that hunter ask him if any hunter had ever manged to keep up with him. Tom said yes, Albert Baldwin. Later that day tom introduced him to me. Tom told me after they parted company with me, that hunter said you mean that little skinny guy kept up with you. Wish that was still the same for Tom & I today. . Al