ESCOBAR BULLIES

RAZORSEDGE HISTORY

BY DAVE WILSON

This is a long one, very sorry. It might not be anything

you want to read. But for all the heated people today,

here is some history on what made this line.

No offense to anyone by this post either,

 just some info and answers to some rumors.

Before RE was really a line, there was a concept. There

was also a lot of learning...

Some people have asked me how Razors Edge was

formed. I guess there are a lot of misconceptions and

rumors floating around. For those who have no interest,

excuse this post. For those that may think this post

pertains to them, it doesn't. Just history and the way it

is. If you take offense, then you must be spreading lies!

How was Razors Edge started?

Razors Edge was started in MD and DC long before

there was ever a Knuckles. My friend Carlos Barksdale

and I started it with game dogs. We researched

everything we could find. We read every book

publicized at that time. Subscribed to many dog

magazines like the ADBA Gazette, even some

underground ones. We called damn near every breeder

that we could find and questioned them, LOL. If it said

Pit, we were on it. We all had already owned some

unpapered BYB Pits. We even had our own Pit club and

went hiking and other things back in the woods.

Eventually we got enough money to get some real

papered, good bloodline, game dogs. We purchased

some of the best around at the time. Even paid 3500 way

back then for a Grandson of the great Plumbers

Alligator, mainly Mayfield lines. We were very heavy

into the game lines. I had dogs from Hemphill/Wilder

blood. These were big game dogs.

Later on I hooked up with George Williams in DC and

we purchased a dog we named Diablo, from Wildside

Kennels. Diablo's dad was a bigger catch dog,

Hollinsworth Bull. His mom was a game girl named

Wildside's Ms. Leaky. This was the turnaround time

when Razors Edge started adding more size. The first

every registered ADBA Razors Edge breeding was from

my Mayfield boy Zeus to a Mayfield girl named Jinx.

Jinx was actually given to a friend back then named

Curt Plater, now CLP Kennels. He owned the first ever

Razors Edge dog. We would lose contact after this for

many years before hooking up again. I had another

pure Colby male named Dante that was placed in DC

with my man Dave Conrad. Dante went on and shook

up DC, but that was the old days, LOL. They banned

Pits in PG County and I was forced to move.

Eventually, through my job in the Pet Store industry, I

landed a manager's job at a Pet Store in VA. Virginia

was the spot for pet lovers! I managed a Pet Store,

worked as a professional dog trainer, and still bred

bigger ADBA game dogs. Basically, I bred my own now.

I also put fliers in the Washington Post explaining what

the breed was and what Razors Edge was. I had to

move to VA. I hooked up with Jeannie Howe who

became a co-owner of Razors Edge. I met a guy named

Ron Smith who came aboard and took it to another

level. I saw this blue dog named Steel Town Blue

Monday! I was hooked! Ron already knew every UKC

and AKC breeder under the sun. He had been

researching on his own for years, so this man had all the

pictures, info, etc. He had fliers and pictures from every

AKC and UKC breeder from coast to coast. He literally

had pictures of almost all the dogs in all these pedigrees.

That man really is the Pit Guru.

We first contacted Cock 'n' Bull Kennels, the ones that

produced Monday. They turned us on to people in Cali

with that blood. Candace Eggart was one. Candy sent

us pictures of what she had and what she had going on.

Just to give you a time frame, she sold a dog years later

to Tony Moore named Showtime! Showtime went on to

be one of the foundation bitches in the Greyline! So this

was years before Greyline was even around.

We went to every breeder on the East Coast, up north

to Bobby Morehouse, Beth Jones, my man Lee

Fitzgerald, Flying A's, Minot's Ledge, etc. We actually

purchased a blue brindle female named Sadey from

Minot's Ledge. This litter had an extraordinary

pedigree. The top half were mainly Flying A's dogs like

Oreo and Reo Speedwagon, dogs I had seen and liked.

You could see in the extended pedigree how these dogs

stemmed from Ruffian Dogs. Then you could see how it

went back even further, from the AKC Ruffian dog to

the UKC Colby dogs. This top half of the pedigree

actually showed how Pits eventually were registered as

Staffs! I thought that was cool to see on paper and in a

dog I owned. Then the bottom half of the pedigree went

right back to Stratton Dogs, dogs like Going Light

Barney, dogs I grew up reading about! Thanks to

Richard Stratton, LOL! Then behind them were the

same Colby dogs I saw on the top of the pedigree. So I

had this dog that showed the history of the Am. Staff

and the directions the Colby line went in the UKC. We

also purchased a male named Razors Edge Blue Maxx.

His top half was a dog named StoryTime's Upon this

Rock AKA Peter Peter, a dog bred by Beth Jones. He

was a big ass dog, but kinda ugly. They bred him to

Wassuc's Farm Maggie May. I really liked this compact

girl. We researched her lines and found she was Ryan.

When we got to see the Ryan dogs, we were surprised to

see they were game dogs. They were AKC registered

Staffs, but they still bred for game dogs! This was

something I had never seen. I'm sure that's why the

AKC people didn't like that line, LOL. However, I

loved it! Bully, game, blue, staffs! Now that's what I am

talking about! LOL. Maxx was our boy from this blood.

Now Razors Edge was big ADBA game dogs, one UKC

Blue Brindle girl and a big hot Blue Fawn AKC boy.

In VA, there was Sharon Stone of Cloverhill, who had

the biggest Staffs I had ever seen! Her old stuff was

huge! Too tall for what I was looking for, but huge!

They changed years later and went more showy. Paco

was, in my opinion, actually a throwback of her older

days. Ginny York, Pam Perdue, Gigi, The Garretts, etc.

We visited them all. Even went down to Florida and

checked out Marsha Woods. Met KC Courtier of

Watchdog Kennels. Eventually, we went up to MD and

met Kimmar Kennels. As soon as I stepped on the

ranch, I knew I had found the build I was looking for!

The Razors Edge package was almost complete. We also

had been advertising in the Washington Post for many

years. Some young Kats from DC used to come down

and hang out and bring their dogs. Edwin Salinas and

Joey Nevils were two of them. These guys had been

buying dogs from Kimmar and mixing their own stuff

in them too. Kimmar used to have an ad in the Post

under the Pit Bull ads. It said Petey pups. They didn't

want their dogs to be labeled as Pits, but they advertised

directly under Pits? Hmmmmmm? Not as Staff?

Anyway, local kats knew the deal and picked up a lot of

her dogs. Joey, Edwin, Joey's pop and their boys had a

bunch of these dogs. Even some old friends of mine,

Jerry and Gerrold, had yards with these dogs. We all

also had game stuff in the mix. I tapped into a lot of

their dogs as well.

In Kimmar's yard, I learned a lot about breeding and

genetics. I spent every weekend there for almost three

years. I actually put on a training class for all her

buyers every Sunday. Razors Edge had been breeding

now for a few generations. We even used a lot of her

dogs from other people in the mix. Ron also had some

York dogs and some other AKC stuff we experimented

with. Before we got Knuckles or any of them, Razors

Edge was already in the game. Kimmar actually used

our dog Maxx for some breedings. Eventually we

purchased around 15 dogs from her line, including

Knuckles and Rage. While these pups were growing,

Razors Edge already had it formula. We just wanted a

different head. We also were not given papers on some

of these dogs and they had to be UKC registered

instead! This is where Razors Edge became heavily

involved in UKC. Ron made a sharp turn and went

back into the game dogs. He jumped heavy into the

RedBoy line and vanished? I started searching for a

better head and came into some Watchdog stuff. KC

was not breeding anymore, so I had to find that blood

somewhere else. I bought dogs from Grapevine Kennels.

I hit up Hughzee's, who I believe later on became Chaos

Kennels. We had been talking to Pam from Gaff

Kennels for a few years and really liked a boy named

Seiko! So we got a dog from her. We experimented with

a lot of lines and different dogs. Razors Edge started

having a real consistent look. The heads were big, but

we still wanted them to be a little more blocky. A few

generations later it was pretty much there.

"This was creation from research..."

The reason for posting this is because we have been

asked how this line began. Also to show that it goes way

beyond the dogs you see today. It wasn't just as easy as

breeding two dogs and waiting a couple of generations

and calling it a line. This was creation from research,

and as you can see, many years and lines went into it.

This is just the backbone info too. Razors Edge had

many years to follow before the line was complete.

Razors Edge Maxx had kids featured on the cover of

DogWorld at this time. So the name was out, and

Knuckles was still a pup!

Then one day, a man called from an advertisement we

placed in The Washington Post. He came by with this

little blocky head blue puppy male he called Mr.

Brooks. There it was, the final ingredient. By the way,

this was 1992-ish. Gary and I collaborated on many

breedings from that point on. We both started showing

our dogs and doing quite well in the ring. By 1994,

Razors Edge had its final look and was consistently

producing it. Thanks to all these lines and people

involved. A lot happed from that point on, but that's an

even longer story, LOL. A lot of people claim to know

these dogs and this line, but this is before they got into

the dogs.

Dogs like ShortShot were made almost 4 years later and

remained in Razors Edge's yard until around 1999.

Then we were reunited with an old friend, Curt, and he

was placed with him. He had the first RE dog ever made

and he got one of the best RE dogs created!

I used him for an example, to explain how these dogs

went into other yards and onto other lines and kennels.

Razors Edge dogs were always placed amongst friends.

That was the point of the line, to share with everyone. A

lot of the guys came around years later and also got into

this line. No, this isn't against True Tank, like it may be

perceived. I don't have any problem with that. What I

have a problem with is people discrediting the line and

saying it's just this and this, without giving credit to all

the years it took to make it. Now the way I see TT

posting these days is very respectful. There is an

understanding. They use this line as their foundation.

Maybe things haven't gone smooth, but now it has gone

in a better direction. Respect for that. Respect for using

this line.

To Dispel The Rumors

Name Changes: A lot of people have got dogs from

Razors Edge and changed the names and added their

own. We all know how wrong that is!

Mixing In Other Breeds: Never happened at Razors

Edge. Yes, some lines out there have done that, and they

know. No, I will not be the one to drop the dime. It's not

my line nor my place.

Razors Edge and Presa Canario: Yes, we owned the

first Canary dog ever in the US. I actually got the club

in the Canary Islands the program to start their

registry. I was friends with the head of the club in the

Canary Islands in Spain. In return, they sent me the

first Canary dog ever in the USA. He was 3 months old.

I kept him until he was slightly over 5 months. After

owning Pits, I was too picky, so I couldn't get over the

look. I placed him with friends Steve and Carla of

Alexandria. They went on to be Presa breeders. I never

saw the boy again.

So, I never mixed another blood into the line! That is a

taboo to me! I am and always have been a true Pit man.

I stay true to the breed and that's that. I really don't

like the looks of Mastiffs and Bulldogs anyway. When

you cross them, it makes a Bandog! Razors Edge may

not be the purpose of the original Pits, but at least the

blood stayed pure! You can make dogs like this without

adding in another breed. A shortcut is not the answer!

It just takes time, and patience isn't easy!

Paper Faking: You know I'm not going to comment on

this. The way I see it, everything I've heard is always

about dogs I owned or had in my yard. Either way, they

question things that were all here.

My Answer: You weren't in my yard, stop speculating.

Make your own accomplishments and stop trying to

tarnish others! All this gossip, man that is some petty

shit! Let's enjoy what we have, while we can.

The Real Deal: These dogs might not be around if we

don't come together and fight!