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I thought I would share that I found out today that my pup goes all the way back to some of Ben Lillys dogs. I think its pretty neat.

Very cool

how did you figure that one out?

The sire if my pup is from new Mexico and they swear on there life that the blood goes back to Lillys dogs. I am going to call them and see if they can email me the lines and if they do I will post them on here.

Was this Ben Lilly fella some sort of important hound breeder? I'd be more worried about what it or it's parents are doing. If you get back too far your genes are more than likely pretty diluted.

Ben lilly was probably one of the most successful hound men ever. Either way if the genes are no good thats pretty cool you have dogs going back that far, you have a piece of history in that dog..very cool

Big game hound hunters who are not aware of Ben Lilly probably need to do a little research and before they go back to the woods. Nothing bad intended but you are missing a grat deal if you have never researched the history of the sport.

Terrell Shelly of Cliff New Mexico who still lives on great grandfather's ranch that was part of the Shelly allotment and that of the GOS Ranch has hounds and historical records that trace back to the time that old Ben lived there and killed over 1000 lions and bears withouth the aid of motor vehacles or ellec. tracking , or even a horse for that matter as he chose to walk. Historical record thru the US Biological Survey indicate bears and lions were scarcer than they are today.

the history and legends are cool dont get me wrong but dont get to caught up in it. hope your dog does good for you and count the history as a bonus if its true. happy running.

Lilly also worked for the Diamond A (Grey Ranch), in the Bootheel of New Mexico and caught Lion and Bear in the Animas Mountains. He once trailed a bear from the Bootheel, into Sonora Mexico and up into S. Arizona where he eventually caught and killed it. People like him don't exist anymore. The best book I've read about Lilly is "The legend of Ben Lilly", by J. Frank Dobie.

Yeah, it was meant to be tongue in cheek Mike. It was more or less to caution a guy about A: believe what some hound guy "says" his dogs go back to and B: Caring what the dog is related to 80 years ago. The idea that any of those dogs, even if they are in the pedigree, are going to make an impact in what he turns loose today is just obsurd. It's not taking away from the guy's legacy. Just dabbling in facts. Just out of curiousity, how many years did Ben lilly hunt with hounds? I didn't see an age that he started but if he started at age 20 he averaged around 16 animals per year for the rest of his life.If he started at 30 it averaged 20.

"My reputation is bigger than I am. It is like my shadow when I stand in front of the sun in late evening.”- Ben Lilly

I posted it just because I thought it was something cool to share. I know having those lines now won't really affect the dog in todays hunting scene. It's my first hound and I thought it was pretty neat.

It is neat don't let these guys ruffle your feathers. Good luck.

i think its pretty cool as well. you should put a picture up of your hound when you get a chance.

Riley Dabling wrote:It is neat don't let these guys ruffle your feathers. Good luck.

X2, And if the dogs were line and inbred for that many years you can bet it does have a influence on the dog you have now. Mike

Heres Bella, she trailed a hot dog and got up on the tree right around 7 weeks. Her sire is from New Mexico and Im not real sure about the dams blood. Shes about 3/4 redbone and 1/4 english. Im 15 and pretty new to this so any piece of advice would be helpful. Let me know what you guys think of her.