Honcho's Story, Part I

San Joaquin Honcho is an ancestor of Man In Black "Cash." He was the National Field Trial Champion in 1976. Dr. Ed Aycock has written a wonderful account of Honcho's life.

Below is Part I of Honcho's Story, authored by Dr. Ed Aycock.

HONCHO'S STORY, PART I

The story begins at the end and it will require several chapters, for there is much too much to say about my magnificent old friend in only one chapter. Had he been a man, his life would be legendary. I wrote his obituary for the RFTN one evening and it says a great deal about him: " San Joaquin Honcho - He was kind, gentle, and forgiving.
Judy Aycock and Honcho
We called him the King, and he accepted the role, we wept and our hearts ache, not for him, for he had a wonderful life, but for ourselves, because we know that there will never be another one like him". Also an obituary from Bill Schrader, Jerry Wickliffe, and others "In memory of Honcho, from his sons and daughters, and their sons and daughters, and those of us who have been priviledged to know them". He was a grand old dog, regal and gentlemanly.

We appeared together on the cover of Dallas Life Magazine February 2, 1986. He was seated in an antique chair, while I, his loyal subject, knelt on the floor next to him. If man could worship dog, then I plead guilty. I loved that dog more than life itself. He never won anything for me, in fact, I had very little impact on his competitive career, other than having the priviledge of throwing birds for him.

After his brush with death and early retirement he was my constant companion, we even spent some time in the duck blind together. He loved puppies and kittens and wouldn't harm the hair on their backs. Puppies crawled all over him, and the cats slept on top of him. Never once did I see him even curl his lip. Honcho's life is the classic tale of the kid who grew up on the wrong side of the tracks, who later became president.

He was born in California, sired by Judy's brash young male Trumarc's Raider, and out of Doxie Gypsy Taurus, a daughter of FC-AFC Carr-Lab Penrod (NFC-NAFC Super Chief's brother). This is a classic cross breeding of Cork of Oakwood Lane on Paha Sapa Chief bitches, which has produced many, many fine dogs. John Folsom, who was working for Rex Carr at the time, got Honcho as a puppy. He trained him for awhile but gave up on him early because he kept overrunning marks, even on repeats. He traded this wild pup for the hunting rights on a ranch. John didn't go there much, but when he did, he discoverd that Honcho was not being cared for properly. In fact he was running loose on the ranch, chasing deer and hunting, a childhood that would explain some of his wanderings in his later years.

Upon learning that Honcho wasn't being cared for properly, John repossessed him and began training him again. Judy had 2 dogs at the time, Dual Champion Trumarc's Triple Threat and AFC Trumarc's Raider. She needed money so she decided to sell Punt. He was in the southeast on approval, but it appeared that the sale might not go through, so someone called about Raider, so she sent him off, expecting to get Punt back. When both dogs sold, she found herself dogless and was in the market for another dog. Since Judy and Rex knew Honcho she decided to attempt to buy him from John. He was 20 months old and had a JAM in the derby.

The first time I saw Honcho, was in the summer of 1975. He was 2 1/2 years old and running the amateur at the Albuquerque trial. His owner, Judy Weikel, was blond and athletic, and the cutest thing I'd seen in awhile. I didn't see him again until the spring after he won the 1976 National Championship Stake at Bosque del Apache Wildlife Refuge near Soccorro, NM. He was lying on a child's mattress in Judy's winter residence on the north shore of Cross Lake in Shreveport, La. One would have never thought that this powerful animal in the field could be so laid back in the house. That was in the spring of 1977 and Honcho and I, only casual acquaintances, were soon to become best of friends and confidants................ to be continued...

Click Here for Part II of Honcho's Story.

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