FARAWAY KENNELS

THE FOUNDATION

Pointer Breeders' Almanac, 1980, p. 12 "Prepotency Index...The higher the index the more prepotent the sire. Dogs with indices over 1.00 are extremely prepotent. This is probably the most important statistic in this document." Of the dogs listed, three stood head and shoulders above the rest; no others were even close. They were A Rambling Rebel, Evolution, and Flush's Country Squire; their prepotency indices were 1.43, 1.20, and .89 (in the 1985 supplement it will be noted that Flush's Country Squire's index rose to 1.11). All others were less than 1.00. These three dogs were selected to be the foundation of our bloodline.

New data, however, indicate uncertainty as to the #3 bloodline between Evolution and White Knight's Button. As far as the ability to hit the homerun (major circuit winners) it would still have to be Evolution. If, however, one examines over-all production (% of winners, Prepotency Index, etc.), then White Knight's Buttons emerges as #3. Which is the true #3?  We don't know! Therefore, in order to sure that we have the top three bloodlines we have introduced the Buttons bloodline to our program. This insures the integrity of our 1984 claim "We are the only kennel that uses the top three bloodlines exclusively AND requires that all of or brood bitches be shooting dog or all-age winners."

All other bloodlines were rejected for one major reason. If you record the information on registrations and wins from every "Field" for more than the past quarter century, as I have done, the following facts will emerge: descendants from Rebel/Squire/Evolution/Buttons are more likely to win field trials than dogs from any other bloodline. A pup of one of these bloodlines from a good bitch is likely to win (i.e better than a 50-50 chance from the first two and almost 50-50 from the second two). A pup from any other bloodline is not as likely to win- the odds against winning from the best of the other bloodlines ranging from 3-1 to 4-1 against winning. These are probabilities based on factual information from "The Field." Hall-of-Famer Jack Harper attributed 75% of breeding success to chance. If this is true then 25% is due to factors other than chance. You can have some control over that 25% by stacking the odds in your favor. Leaving the forementioned bloodlines reduces the chances of winning - regardless of the major bloodlines to which you go. Of course you could be lucky and get a champion or many champions from any bloodline of pointers. The odds against you are merely higher when you leave the Rebel/Squire/Evolution/Buttons lines. We are fact-driven in making breeding decisions. Such statements as "the best I've owned," "ask anyone who owns one," "the judges said," "a leading trainer said" are indicators of the kennel blindness of those who use anecdotes, old wive's (good ole boy) tales rather than the facts from The American Field.

WHO WILL CARRY ON?

The Squire line has become very diluted, and it is difficult, if not impossible, to locate individuals with high concentrations of his blood. It was carried on very well by the My Main Man > Understatement > Krug descendency. All three apparently inherited and transmitted some of the Squire prepotency. The problem is that since each generation halves the inheritance, Krug is 12.5 % Squire. He is only putting only 6.25% Squire into his get. From the Squire line we have two 25% Squires: Karate's Faraway Duke and Karate's Faraway Opal - both all-age winners and proven producers.

As to who will carry on the Evolution prepotency, the picture is cloudy. Unlike the Squire line there are plenty of them around. Several have demonstrated Evolution's ability to "hit the home-run," but all have proven not to have the ability to consistently produce a high proportion of winners as evidenced by their low Prepotency Indices, low Winability of offspring, and low Percentage of Winners. The field trial fraternity must, therefore, place its hopes on the Evolution prepotency being carried on through one of his female lines. Regrettably, because of the small sample sizes involved, any statistics concerning production records of brood bitches is of questioned validity and probably meaningless. Our dogs with Evolution lineage include Faraway Blondie (25%), Faraway Penny (19%), and Faraway Roy (12.5%). Blondie, a shooting dog winner with five straight maternal generations of dams that are shooting dog winners, is a daughter of Faraway Triple Rebel. Faraway Penny is an all-age winning daughter of Faraway Triple Rebel out of a line bred Evolution bitch. Faraway Roy is out of Faraway Blondie and is sired by a son of Guard Rail that has a dam and grand-dam that were champions.

In some respects the same situation exists with the Rebels as in the Squires. There are several productive branches of Rebels (productive = high percentages and high Prepotency Indices). Except with our dogs the dilution problem exists. One productive line is the Buckboard > Barshoe Buzzsaw > Buzzsaw Stormy Bud. Bud is 12.5% Rebel. Another very productive line is Rebel Hawk > Mortlach > Barshoe Brute. Black Crude (6.25%) is a son of Brute (12.5%). Then there is the Nell's Rambling On > Guard Rail > sons (12.5%) of Guard Rail. Guard Rail was probably the best one course shooting dog producer of all time. We have the Rebel Hawk > Hawk's Rex > Faraway Triple Rebel line. Rebel Hawk was one of the greatest producers of sires of champions; his rate was 4 champion producers per 100 registered pups (other famous name sires average 1 per 100). Hawk's Rex had a Prepotency Index of .91; only four sires in last twenty years have had a higher P.I. He sired the great Whippoorwill's Rebel. Hawk's Rex's most prepotent son is our Faraway Triple Rebel which has the highest Prepotency Index in the South and the 6th highest in the nation. He is the nation's top wild bird finder for continuous course trials. By inbreeding we have preserved the Rebel genes to the same proportion that his direct sons and daughters had i.e. 50%. A proportion this high cannot be found except at our kennels. Faraway Blondie is 37.5%; Faraway Penny is 25%; Karate's Faraway Opal is 25%; Faraway Roy is 25%, and we have a litter (Faraway Triple Rebel X Faraway Rambling Nell) which are 50% Rebel. Sire and dam of this litter are champion or RU champion producers. This litter will preserve the Rebel blood into the next century.

THE BROOD BITCHES

Some claim that it isn't necessary for a female to be completely trained before she is used as a brood bitch. We don't subscribe to that notion. Trainability may be inherited; we assume that it is. The only way to prove that a dog has this trait is to train it completely. Those that say all-age or shooting dog wins aren't necessary apparently haven't seen a dog that has been close to perfect in week after week of training blow it all in a public appearance at a trial. In horse racing, one that does this sort of thing is known as a "morning glory." A dog that can put it all together away from home, around strange people and dogs, and in unfamiliar types of terrain, has what can be called the "winning factor" (or the "w-factor" for short). The "w-factor" may be inherited. All of our brood bitches have had their trainability and "w-factor" proven. In fact, one must go back four or five generations on the bottom lines to find a bitch without the "w-factor" proven. Like producing good wine, breeding bird dogs requires patience and time. We will breed no bitch...before her time. We are the only kennel that uses the top three bloodlines exclusively AND requires that all of our brood bitches, their dams, grand-dams, and great grand-dams be shooting dog and/or all-age winners. On our pups' papers you will see an unbroken bottom line of shooting dog and/or all-age winners for four or five generations. Because of this, we are able to offer the following.

WHAT WE OFFER TO YOU

Our stud dogs are of the best breeding available. They meet the same criteria as our brood bitches. If you breed good bitches to them, and if the puppies you get don't win, then you get a free return service.

Our pups are guaranteed to win for you, or they will be replaced at no charge (other than shipping). This applies no matter what your goals are - foot trials, one course horseback trials, or major circuit trials.

FARAWAY KENNELS

Frank, Marietta and Sarah Thompson, Owners

134 Pettigrew Rd NW  old address

Milledgeville, GA 31061

478 452-4653

6/19/90

Update 10/98

Update 12/2000