Garrett's Ch. Jeep ROM & James Crenshaw's Keep

Garrett's Ch. Jeep ROM

The son of two other great and influential APBTs, Ch. Crenshaw's Honeybunch ROM and Ch. Finley's Bo ROM, Jeep went on to become a great matchdog and one of the greatest producing dogs of all time. Some enthusiasts argue that Jeep's only worth was in his ability to produce winning and Champion dogs, while others argue that his legendary 3 hour and 45 minute match over Ozzie Stevens' Ch. Homer proved his worth in the pit.

4 GENERATION PEDIGREE
First	Second	Third	Fourth
(Sire) CH FINLEY'S BO ROM	LOPOSAY'S DUBS	COLBY'S (AKA LOPOSAY'S) RUSTY	COLBY'S TEXAS
			BURKETTE'S DUTCH
		COLBY'S CHITA	COLBY'S BARNEY
			COLBY'S JENNY
	LOPOSAY'S DOT	LOPOSAY'S BULLET	TEAL'S JAKE
			LOPOSAY'S BETTY
		LOPOSAY'S (AKA BURKETTE'S) TIGER LILLY	LOPOSAY'S ACE
			BURKETTE'S DUTCH
(Dam) CH CRENSHAW'S HONEYBUNCH (3XW) ROM	WALLING'S BULLYSON (2XW)(1XL)	BOUDREAUX' ELI (2XW)	BOUDREAUX' SCRUB (1XL)
			BOUDREAUX' CANDY
		BOUDREAUX' SPOOK	BOUDREAUX' BOZE (1XW)
			BOUDREAUX' PENNY
	CARVER'S AMBER	CH CARVER'S CRACKER (3XW)(1XL)	TUDOR'S DIBO (3XW)
			CARVER'S BLACK WIDOW
		TRAHAN'S BEAUTY T	GR CH TRAHAN'S RASCAL (6XW)
			CARVER'S BLACK WIDOW

General History:

Throughout the history of the sporting American Pit Bull Terriers, no single dog has made quite the impact as Garrett's CH. Jeep, and that being the combination of not only his worthiness as a supreme pit dog, but the ultimate supremacy of his reproduction. Jeep was bred by James Crenshaw and sold to James Garrett as a young dog and was campaigned and brought to notoriety by James Garrett assisted by James Crenshaw. Jeep achieved his fourth win over Ozzie Stevens' Ch. Homer. This fight made [sic] history, for the caliber of these two dogs meeting in the pit is unusual in itself. Although, Jeep the victor, Homer, in his own rights, had proved to be just as good a combat dog and both dogs were truly entitled to the legacy that they have earned through this match.

Now that the formidable worth of Jeep has been established, we will go on to the greatest asset this dog ever possessed and that was his ability to reproduce a staggering figure of Champions, one Grand Champion and numerous one and two time winners. The conversation at many conventions always leads to great dogs and a dispute of which bloodline's are the best to utilize to get the highest percentage of game and winning dogs. I have often heard this one statement being passed when Jeep's name is brought up as to his high figure on the R.O.M. (Register Of Merit) list and that is, well look how many bitches Jeep was bred to create the amount of Champions he has sired.

My answer to those dog men is this. Take three major pit dogs that are from outstanding bloodline's such as STP's Grand Champion Buck, six time winner, STP's Champion Toro and Burton's Grand Champion Hank, as these three were considered exceptional pit dogs and many utilized these three different bloods for the sole purpose of producing or establishing new lines from them. All three lived approximately to the same age which was ten years. Two were campaigned approximately the same time and died not to far apart, that being, Ch. Toro and Gr. Ch. Hank. Hank made his pit history prior to theirs, but was bred as many times as Jeep, if not more. Gr. Ch. Buck, probably second to Hank in the amount of his breeding's and Toro, who was bred to 23 different bitches during this period.

The fact is all three of these great dogs combined together, produced about half the number of Champions as Jeep has. So common, sense will tell you how many champions doesn't hold water. In retrospect, dogs like Ch. Homer, Gr. Ch. Art, and Tombstone who was bred limited amounts of times and was still able to produce high quality dogs should also be considered. Certain dogs should be on the ROM list considering the number of times they have been bred, like: Jeep, Buck, Yellow, Frisco and Mayday to name a few.

Some of the crosses which are well known where Jeep created some great dogs and the blood seems to click the best with are Jeep/Red Boy and Jeep/Rascal.

Ch. Jeep was born in August 1976 on the yard of James Crenshaw, in the famous litter of Finley's Ch. Bo ROM to Crenshaw's Ch. Honeybunch ROM. That produced four champions. The most famous of the four was Ch. Jeep ROM. But there was also Crenshaw's (Super Gnat's) Ch. Charlie, who has been said to have been a better pit dog than Jeep. Ch. Missy who is seen in a lot of pedigrees today, and Swetman's Ch. Holly, who was said to be a terrible biter with lots of ability. This was a great litter that was made once, for reasons that I don't know.

James Crenshaw has stated publicly that he never liked Jeeps style personally, as Jeep was never a finisher in his eyes. This however severely contradicts Crenshaw's choice off dogs that he's personally based his yard on, as they were primarily off of Jeep, and crosses that he made with Ch. Rascal for the most part, and in later life he was well known for using Jeep/Red Boy dogs.

CH. Jeep is believed by many to be one of the best match dogs of his time. Garrett's Ch. Jeep ROM defeated Pylant's Ch. Kato at 43 pounds in :28 minutes. Cooper's Weenie also at 43 pounds in :58 minutes. Stinson Stepp's Black Dog, who was said to be a three time winner at 42 pounds in two hours and five minutes.

And, for his fourth and final match we went into Ozzie Stevens' Ch. Homer, at 43 pounds and won in 3:45. This was one of those classic matches, that history is made from. Two great game dogs met, and only one could win. One created a legacy and the other a dynasty.

Garrett's Ch. Jeep ROM died in the fall of 1989.

(from Sporting Dog Online)


James Crenshaw is one of the legendary dogmen. Each dogman had their own preference in how his dogs fought, the conditioning and care of his dogs, and the attributes they looked for in future dogs added to their yard. James Crenshaw's "keep" (or conditioning for a match) was as follows:

J. Crenshaw Keep

To begin with you must have a healthy dog. This is a 12 week keep. The first 4 weeks I walk the dog 10 miles per day. I walk him everyday for these 4 weeks and feed one hour after the walk. If the show is to begin at 8:00 p.m. then I walk my dog from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. This 4 weeks is to pre condition the dog and get him close to weight. It is very important to get all gut or internal fat out of him. If you can't get the fat out from his intestines, heart, lungs, and liver, you can't put him in shape.

For the first 4 weeks I feed the following:

1. 1 cup pro plan (chicken and rice) adult formula

2. 1 cup Kellogg's All-Bran

3. 1 or 2 cloves chopped garlic

4. 1 tablespoon chopped spinach

5. 2 cups chicken broth

6. 1 cup cooked chicken

Place items1-2-3-4 in feed pan. Heat items 5-6 (pour over 1-2-3-4). To make the chicken and broth I place 15 chicken thighs in a 3 gallon stock pot and fill with water. Cook until tender and place in refrigerator when cool.

WEEK 5:

The walk is still 10 miles (5p.m. to 8p.m). Immediately after the walk, while he is still warmed up, he gets 5 minutes on the treadmill. When he comes off mill, walk him 30 minutes to cool down. Then rub him down good and put him in his quarters. Prepare his food an feed him one hour after he comes off the mill. (If your dog is losing excessive weight, feed more dog food). If he is dehydrated, increase liquid. However, if he is losing too much weight it is possible you are going at the wrong weight. He should not have water between mill and feed time. But when you feed him, place at least 1/2 gallon clean water where he has access to it. The water should be changed and the container cleaned daily. I read once where someone said the green stuff in water won't hurt the dog.....But you give him one bucket of clean and one green with algae and see which one he drinks from!!!!!!!!!

Continue each day of week 5 the same. With only 5 minutes mill work, it shouldn't be necessary to rest him this week. But this keep is only a guide. You have to use common sense. If the dog is tired or doesn't feel good, "Rest Him".

WEEK 6:

Walk 10 miles (5p.m-8p.m)

10 minutes on mill

Rub down

Everything stays the same (If the dog loses weight, add additional dog food). Everything else stays the same. Be sure to replace water.

WEEK 7:

Walk 10 miles (5pm-8pm)

20 minutes on mill

Rub Down

Everything else same except feed:

With 10 miles walk, 20 minutes on mill, and 30 minutes to cool down, the dog should be drying out some. At this time I leave all ingredients the same except liquid and chicken. I put 3 whole chicken thighs (including skin) with bone removed. Broth: add 1 ounce per pound body weight (40 pound dogs gets 40 ounces broth daily). Wait one hour after mill and feed. Put water so he can drink.

WEEK 8:

Walk Same 10 miles (5pm-8pm)

Mill 15 minutes

Walk 30 minutes

Mill 15 minutes

Walk 30 minutes to cool down, Rub down, feed on hour after mill, and replace water.

WEEK 9:

Walk 10 miles (5p.m-8p.m)

Mill 20 minutes

Walk 30 minutes

Mill 20 minutes

Walk 30 minutes

Rub down

Feed on hour after mill

REPLACE WATER

WEEK 10:

Walk 10 miles (5p.m-8p.m)

Mill 30 minutes

Walk 30 minutes

Mill 30 minutes

Walk 30 minutes

Rub down

Feed on hour after mill

WATER

WEEK 11:

SUNDAY

Begin 10 mile walk at 4 p.m. Finish walk at 7p.m

Mill 30 minutes

Walk 30 minutes

Mill 30 minutes

Walk 30 minutes

Mill 30 minutes

Walk 30 minutes

Rub down

Feed at 10:30. WATER!!!!!!!!!

MONDAY, TUESDAY, WEDNESDAY, THURSDAY=SAME AS SUNDAY

FRIDAY

Walk 5 miles (ending at 8p.m)

Mill 20 minutes

Walk 30 minutes

Mill 20 minutes

Walk 30 minutes

Rub down

Feed one hour after mill (10:10), WATER!!!!!!!!!!

SATURDAY:

Walk 5 miles

Mill 15 minutes

Walk 30 minutes

Mill 15 minutes

Rub down

Feed one hour after mill (10:10p.m) WATER!!!!!!!

WEEK 12:

SUNDAY:

Walk 5 miles ending at 8p.m

Mill 10 minutes

Walk 30 minutes

Mill 10 minutes

Rub down

Feed one hour after mill (9:50p.m) WATER!!!!!!!

MONDAY:

Walk one hour ending at 8p.m

Mill 10 minutes

Walk 30 minutes Rub down

Feed one hour after mill (9:10pm.) WATER!!!!!

TUESDAY:

Today I put the dog in a kennel in my bedroom, keep the room cool and quiet. I take him out early in the morning for a good walk (about 30-45 minutes). Put him up until noon and take him for another 30-45 minute walk.

4-pm--walk for one hour

5pm-- feed, put back in kennel

9pm-- walk just long enough for him to empty or urinate. Put in kennel until morning. I offer him water after each walk before he goes back in the kennel.

WEDNESDAY, THURSDAY, FRIDAY==SAME AS TUESDAY

FRIDAY:

I made sure to arrive at the area of the show at least 30 (THIRTY) hours before showtime so I could feed the last meal there and to insure my dog got plenty of rest.

8pm. 2cc Dex 2mg-ml. Put under skin, NOT muscle.

SATURDAY:

6am. 5cc Dex under skin

ALL THIS IS A GUIDE IF THE SHOW IS AT 8PM SATURDAY

I never feed but once daily. This will keep your dog regular and insure he is empty at show time. Next to getting the gut fat out of him, this is the most important: making sure he is empty at show time. He will get hot an week if he has anything in his stomach.

To make weight, I use broth without any solids. I strain chicken broth through cheese cloth and save one pint. You can give this to him up to 3 hours before show time and it will not do any harm.

And last, this is only a guide. You have to use common sense to apply with any success.

Example:

If the dog loses weight, feed more

If he gains weight, work more or feed less

if he is tired, rest him

if you are lazy and don't work your dog, he won't be in shape

if he is dry, add more broth

if his is too wet, decrease broth

Don't push him too fast. Work according to schedule in pre-keep to prepare him for work.

Not many people have the ability to condition

I once read an article that Earl Tudor wrote which said he doubted it there was 5 men in the world that knew how to find a dog's weight, get the gut fat out, and knew how to condition him after he got the fat out.

I WILL GO ONE STEP FURTHER AND SAY:

If there are 3 today that know this and are not too LAZY to put him in shape, I do not know them.

GOOD LUCK

IT'S HARD WORK AND TAKES A LOT OF TIME




I do not promote, support, or condone any violations of the Animal Welfare Act of 1976, and/or any other local/state/federal laws. I am not affiliated with dog fighting in any way, shape, or form; I am simply a pet owner and enthusiast of the American Pit Bull Terrier and the great history and legacy handed down through the generations. I believe it is important to know where we come from to see where we are going. The articles posted are strictly for historical and educational purposes only; I do not necessarily reflect the views expressed within these articles.