Dollar Billy

Dollar Billy was a Patrick dog out of Patrick's Four Bits and Wyatt's Sable. Here is his story.

Disclaimer: I do not condone dog fighting, I do not fight dogs, and it is a felony offense to fight dogs. This story is soley for the purpose of informing others of the history of dog fighting and the pitbull breed in America as represented by the following story. In no way does the following story intend to condone, encourage, or support illegal dog fighting.

It was during the spring of the early 1980's that my father purchased a dog named Dollar Billy. He purchased him from a man who lived out in the country. Dollar Billy was a country boy dog, being raised out doors on a thick, heavy chain, on the side of a steep hill covered with grass and overgrown with pine trees. He was an increadibly muscular dog, which probably had something to do with him pulling that heavy chain up and down that hill for most of his life. He had a beautiful white coat with Tan markings. He was broad shouldered, bow legged and had a huge head. He loved people in a special way. When he would see someone coming to pet him, he would patiently wait at the end of his chain as still as a rock, and as soon as the person was in range, he immediately would wrap his front legs around the unsuspecting visitor's leg and start humping it. He would do it so fast that there was no escape, and when he got his legs wrapped around, getting him off was like trying to peal the skin off of an unripe orange. The man who sold Dollar Billy garuanteed his gameness. He said that Dollar Billy was ready for matching the day we took him home, which was a good thing, for a match had already been contracted for the very next day.
The next day, sometime in the afternoon, Dollar Billy was taken to an agreed upon location to be matched into a dog named Chester Pully. Chester Pully was was a rangey, brindle dog, who was sleek and muscular in his own right. He was owned by an African American man, who was well schooled in the ways of dog fighting. He had handled Chester Pully in the pit many times, never loosing. Chester Pully had the reputation of being a very athletic, hard mouthed, and above all game dog. Everybody in attendance knew he was a special dog, and he was generally expected to win by everyone, everyone except those in the corner of Dollar Billy.
When the dogs were released from their corners, they met in the center of the pit, immediately they took hold of eachother. It was obvious that the dogs were equally matched. Niether could dominate the other. One would look to be winning for a short time, then the other would comeback, and look to be winning. It looked to be dead even going past the hour mark. The whole time Dollar Billy masterfully work Chester Pully's front legs, back legs, and chest. Chester Pully did his best, rolling Dollar Billy around the pit, working on his ears, front legs and chest. The dogs rarely came out of hold. At about the 1 hour and 20 minute mark, Dollar Billy was on his back, biting into Chester Pully Chest; Chester Pully pushed his full body weight onto Dollar Billy, making it difficult for him to breath. Dollar Billy lay motionless while clamping down onto Chester Pully, his chest expanding and contracting slowly, deeply, like an accordion, the air moving into and out of his nostrils could be heard all around the room. Both dogs were were exhausted, but there was a vital force within Dollar Billy that could not be extinguished. Chester Pully looked nearly as strong, but with each scratch, it was obvious that he was slowing down. The dogs continued to battle, and everyone there was wondering how long these two dogs would continue to scratch; the match had gone over 1 hour and 30 minutes. At 1 hour 49 minutes the dogs were out of hold and picked up. They were brought back to their corners. After a 60 second rest, Chester Pully was released by his handler. He stood in his corner, dead on his feet. The referree called for Dollar Billy's handler to release him. Dollar Billy was looking across the pit at Chester Pully. All of the spectators were hanging in anticipation, wondering if he would scratch. When he was released, there was no hesitation. He scratched hard. Those bowed back legs and broad front shoulders that were built strong from living in the country on the side of that hill, hauling that thick chain up and down it since puppyhood, carried his spent, mauled body across the length of the pit, ramming Chester Pully into the corner. The sound of their boddies thudding into the corner of the plywood pit reverberated in the ears of everyone watching. Chester Pully was immediately broken free from Dollar Billy's bite. The match was over. Dollar Billy won.
I never saw Chester Pully again. The word through the grape vine was that he died within hours after loosing the match. Dollar Billy was nursed back to health by people who were familiar with the art. For the first 48 to 72 hours, his life hung by a thread. He was force fed and hydrated for almost a week before he was able to get up and feed himself. It was atleast 3-4 weeks before he began to look himself again. He barely survived. He did recover fully, and showed no long term effects from the trauma of the match.
That dog match was the most astonishing thing I have ever witnessed in my life. After watching it, abstract things like "heart", "courage", "character", and "tenacity" were suddenly given new meaning. Their definitions were expanded, and the ideal became a real thing, something that could be done.

revised