Since my email was quoted at the beginning of this thread, I guess I should chime in.
For those that don’t know me, I have followed these little hounds through the woods for 38+ years now. Have had at least 1 patch bred hound here since the winter of 1975/76, and since 1993 all my hounds came from or descended directly from the Patch kennel in New York of Mike Capozzi. (Mike became like a second father to me.) I am very passionate, like most of us, about the hounds. I have spoke with many great beaglers of the past such as the late Butch Keene and Tom Dornin (I still have those letters written in green ink) as well as several notable beaglers of today. I have picked the brains of many well known breeders and field trial judges and even some AKC conformation judges. I have an AKC judge’s # and a PBGA show judge certificate. I have seen many hounds run, some outstanding, some terrible and many in between. Beginning in 2010, I became partners in the Patch AKC registered kennel with Mike until his passing in 2014. Before his passing, Mike’s hounds all came here, as well as all the records of the kennel from Willet’s time. After Mike’s death, it has been me carrying on.
First off, that email was sent to the email address Charles provided to me. I don’t give MY wife’s email out for beagle purposes.
Secondly, the email was sent in response to several pm’s that were sent to me by Charles, not the thread on another forum as was mentioned. I sent an email so that I could attach some photos for Charles to view and respond to (which he didn’t). Instead of answering the questions, he stomped his feet like a petulant little school girl and posted my email to a public forum, assuming people would pile on me for speaking the truth. Charles says about his banishment from the Hunted Hare that Norwester should have posted the entire thread, not just pick and choose but that is exactly what he did posting my email without background. By posting my email to a public forum, it is unquestionably an attempt to drag me down. (It is a small man that tries to make himself greater by trying to tear others down.) It has been interesting how this thread has gone.
The pm conversation started as a civil discussion, Charles mentioned some faults in hounds (cherry eye, crooked legs, epilepsy etc) that worried him and made him afraid to breed outside of his circle. I agreed and added a few more faults that concern me. Well… Charles fired back a pm blasting hounds in an article 25 years ago that he believed had every fault that I mentioned. I was taught to not start fights but end them, hence the email.
The response from Charles revealed a lot about him. For the past 20 years, Charles has spoken about the greatest trip of his life going to New York and Beaver Meadows. Mike was gracious enough to take Charles to Beaver Meadows (Charles’ Holy Land) and show many things to Charles pertaining to Willet and the early Patch hounds. Now that Mike has passed, Charles could not wait to disparage him. I believe it is very disrespectful to wait to downgrade someone’s hounds until after they are gone and especially someone who went out of his way to be kind to you. Mike is no longer alive to defend himself, so I defended him with facts (as well as my opinions). What do you think Mike’s reaction was after Charles went to North River, snooped around, fished for information but did not buy a pup from him and then Mike saw Charles’ multitude of internet posts calling himself “SR Patch”? As recently as a few days ago, Charles is mentioning Mike’s widow in a post, still trying to align himself with them even after his criticism. Mike and his wife were onto Charles many years ago. Charles is a polar opposite of Mike and his family.
Charles says he has no animosity towards me and the very next sentence says “…have you read what Chris has said about others?” He has shown nothing but animosity toward me since the time he learned that I had the AKC registered kennel. I have been called many things and Charles has implied that I conned my way into the kennel. Nothing could be further from the truth. From Charles’ high horse, he honestly believes that he is superior to everyone and only he knows how to breed quality hounds (and only he can deliver
wisdom in the form of riddles and rhymes, original or plagiarized.) His Psalm quotation did not surprise me either as Charles believes he is the savior of the beagle breed. Charles has downgraded many hounds and breeders but once his own hounds were crossed into that line suddenly the hounds were superior. (Yes Charles, I save emails as well, and I have your email about Pearl, but once your Sugar Ridge was bred into Pearl she was then ok. Same with Plowboy, all the sudden after Bossman, Plowboy was doing “great” things, in my opinion, the worst kind of kennel blindness.)
As far as the Patch name, from where did Charles acquire his information that Mike was OK with others using it? I know the story here and have the letters to and from AKC to prove that Mike did
NOT find it ok for some to use the name. Charles shouldn’t state his own
opinions as
facts. Do you honestly think that Willet, or Mike (or myself) would be making the crosses that some guys are making and calling them patch? I know for a fact that is not the case. Before Mike died, (he knew it would be the last time we spoke) he told me to take care of the hounds for him & Willet and to protect the Patch name.
All I will say about Willet’s & Mike’s breeding choices is to look at the pedigrees. Where in Willet’s writings did he say not to outcross? He did state that he had the best success when he stuck closest to his original lines but study the pedigrees and you will see what he meant. For them, it was all about the hounds, not the way a pedigree looked or how many times someone could put their name in a hound’s pedigree or if it only said patch up and down. Look in Wilderness Patchwork, you will see Sister Girl, Jeff Cole and others. How about Rattler Patch or Willa? Do you know the pedigree on those hounds Charles? Like Bill (flint river) said, (validating many of the points I was making):
guys have line bread and inbread the hounds to death to keep the look
Although Bill (flint river) talks in circles,
the patch name was bull crap
and if i would have kept TAZ he would have ben called shafs flint river patch TAZ.
I would like to know if Bill has ever seen a hound from the Patch Kennel or just the knock-offs? He also states that the patch of today are not what they were in the 80s. Again, I believe he is speaking of the knock-offs. That is because they (the patch wackos) have gotten further and further away from the original hounds, literally (more generations/selections away from Willet) AND in both type and field work. Mike and the original Patch kennel have stayed true to the vision and standards of Willet.
Bill (flint river) also says everyone else is too sensitive, but I believe Charles is too thin-skinned. He can try to dish it out but can’t take it. “…It shook me to the bone” and he “was hurt and upset” that someone finally said what obviously many had been thinking.
So enlighten us Charles, what patch hounds are you breeding into your “patchwork” hounds? Tell us about the pictures I included in the email, what are your opinions on that quality?
I personally could not care less what the wise ole sage Charles Aldridge says or thinks about me. I’ve got a kennel full of beautiful, quality hounds that also don’t care what riddles or slander he utters. Some people just have diarrhea of the mouth.
http://www.thepatchkennel.com
She's a gundog, and a darn good one.