Old-fashioned Black and Tan English Shepherd Association
Dear Mr. Dawson, With a heavy heart, I am writing to inform you that your son Lewis was killed by a bear. I was his companion and his friend. Some of us were hunting and a few others cooking, and a couple of men had gone off picking some grapes. Suddenly, a gun was fired … Read more
Born during the mid-nineteenth century, Virgil Grinder lived an eventful life during a dangerous and violent period in the United States’ history. Starting with his youth in war-torn Appalachia, every step of Virgil Grinder’s lifelong fight for survival was aided by his gritty, loyal black and tan English Shepherd dogs. In the chapters of “Virgil … Read more
My family settled near Wartburg, Tennessee in 1845. I was born a short three years later in October of 1848. I grew up during a troubled time in the history of our country. Up until the time I left home, I expect that I ran into about as much trouble as any other boy in … Read more
I grew up the son of a preacher. I can remember a time during my childhood when dad was in-between churches. During that period, we spent about eighteen months living on the northside of Memphis in a neighborhood called Frayser. Times were tight without dad working. To make some extra money for the family, we … Read more
By the time I found grandpa, I had cried myself out of tears. As I recall, I was about eight years old at the time. Ever since I could remember, our dog Old Shep had been by my side. He was my constant companion, and my keeper. But at breakfast that morning, dad told me … Read more
In the summer of my twenty-fourth year, I earned my living by working as camp tender on a Montana sheep ranch. The great western ranges, unlike other sheep countries of the time, were devoid of sheep fence. As a result, we herded sheep every day of the year except during the winter when we kept … Read more
I turned eighteen in the spring of 1968. That was a controversial time in our country’s history. But my family has a long tradition of military service, so I enlisted in the U.S. Army on the very day of my majority. I was due to ship out to basic training in early June. By late … Read more
Prince was a wiry dog who weighed a lean sixty-five pounds when wet. He was a farm shepherd, alert but non-spectacular in any noticeable way. In looks or general behavior Prince shared little in common with bench-show dogs. He had a glossy black coat, a tan spot above each eye, and a tan bar across … Read more
I grew up on a farm in Appalachia. We were a small community that was still isolated even when I was growing up in the seventies. I cannot imagine they ever used dog breeders there. At least not as we know them now. I recall so many dogs in the area that looked pretty much … Read more
Twelve years ago this past March, my husband Arlo came home with a six-week-old puppy. He had stopped off at a dairy farm in Liberty, North Carolina to make a delivery for work. There he found a litter of puppies who reminded him of the farm dogs his family had owned growing up in Tennessee. … Read more