JONES’ REDDY TEDDY
by Terry Martin
Since time is short, I decided to do a piece on a controversial dog from the 1970’s. This dog is CH Jones’ Reddy Teddy CDX OTDdsc SCH HA. This is taken from my own experiences with this dog.
I think Ted’s first public appearance was at the first ASCA sanctioned trial in Phoenix. It seems hard to believe now, but red dogs were a rarity then, and a lot of people had never seen a solid red with no trim. Coming from Colorado, Cathy Jones and Ted made a real impact with his unusual appearance, silent low heeling style on cattle, and controlled fetch on sheep and ducks.
My personal impressions of Ted came from several “visits”. Ted’s personality had definitely given him a reputation. His critics were hard on him for his temperament. Was it deserved or not? I can only go by my experiences. Ted was a ferocious sight when someone approached Cathy’s Datsun truck or put a hand on his crate. He also had been known to growl in Obedience and Conformation, which was certainly a stumbling block to titles.
Cathy and Ted stayed at my house one weekend, and I remember Scott and Randy feeling him cinnamon rolls at breakfast and then running around the kitchen with Ted “heeling” them wildly but never biting. Ted would do all his obedience commands for them: sit, down, etc. We all found that weekend that Ted could be a real beggar, and would come up and “root” your hand to be petted. When you stopped, he would nose your hand again. Yet if you talked to him he would curl his lips back and growl. The message was convincing, but he never made a wrong move.
A real interesting week with Ted was a trip to the Nationals in Kansas City in the 1970’s. Scott was about twelve, and we went with Cathy Jones and Leslie Sorensen., Scott had his constant companion, Martini, with him. I remember Scott lying on a bed with Martini and petting Ted, who was on the floor. Scott said something to Ted, who growled at him, causing Martini to bail off the bed and fly into Ted. Yet there was no fight! Apparently Martini was justified, and this aggressive dog three times her size recognized her right to protect her “person”.
The sight of a “play-fight” between Cathy and Ted that same trip is something I will never forget! It was a true attack; lip curled back, all teeth showing, fierce growling. This was as real as any dog attack I ever want to see. All except Cathy laughing, and when she said “Quit”, it was over. Quite an interesting dog.
My experience with this dog never gave me a real understanding of him. Certainly his unique personality left the door open for criticism by those who did not like him. My real appreciation of the dog came from the intense working instinct he produced. He was known and promoted as a silent low heeler, which he was. He also produced the strongest instinct to keep stock together and to fetch I have yet encountered in this breed. He is without a doubt one of the exciting early working sires promoted during the infancy of our stockdog program.
(The photos in this article originally appeared in Spring 1975 issue of the Aussie Times and in the 1977 ASCA Yearbook.)
this article was first published in the November/December 1992 issue of The Aussie Times.
For more information about this author go to Slash V breeder page
