Ch. Nite Ch. Shetler's Sonny Boy 
                    "A Legend"

Sonny Boy is the father of  Nite Ch. Finley River Chief.  At 10 years of age Sonny Boy  won a hunt over 200 hounds.  Which in that day was a big hunt.  Finley River Chief is in many of the great hounds of the day.  His mother was Ch. Nite Ch. Bixler's Supreme Sally.  This was a special mating that produced a special hound.

                                                                                                                                                
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After being away from the sport for 20 years and looking at  it now, I realize this.   If I was just starting  coonhunting or an interest in the treeing walker breed how difficult it would be to find out very much information about the foundation of the hounds that made the treeing walker breed what it is today.

This part of the website will be an ongoing work of an attempt at putting the Roots of the Foundation of the breed out, so that people can see where the breed has came from.  I went on some message boards just to see what people were talking about.  One part that jumped out a number of times was they were talking about two different strains.  Yet if they knew the history they would have known the one strain they were talking about came from the other.

One of the differences in the last twenty years is that there are more pedigrees in the advertisments.  Not that there weren't twenty years ago, but now it seems like almost everyone puts in at least a 3 generation pedigree.  Which is good.  But if I was just getting started it would be hard to tell much about where these dogs actually came from as far as the foundation.  Also the branches that would actually connect some of the different strains NOW.


If you love coonhunting and the Treeing Walker breed please visit us often.  This site will continually be updated with pictures, history and stories.  If you may have a picture or information that should be on this site, please contact us and share with us your treasure of knowledge and history.

The Foundation of the Finley River Strain

Two Great Bloodlines Combined

Grandfather of Nocturnal Nailor

As with Lipper's Pedigree there is also more to the story then a four generation pedigree.  Ch. Grand Nite Ch. Rock River Sackett Jr. is also considered one of the top reproducing studs of the day.  He is number 3 on the Historical Reproducing Male list of UKC.  With Ch. Grand Nite Ch. Wright's Pistol Pete and Nite Ch. Grand Ch. Kyle's Rozell you pick up a lot of Sailor Jr.   Pete being out of World Ch. Stan's Sailor Jr and Rozell's grand father Nite Ch. Brack's Blaze being a full brother to Pete.  Pete and Blaze's mother was Wright's Sue who was out of World Ch. House's Bawlie and Ch. Grand Nite Ch. Tut's Tillie.  Tillie's sire was Ch. Nite Ch. Bawlie's Rock who was out of World Ch. Merchant's Bawlie and a daughter out of World Ch. Incredible Rock.  Tillie's mother was out of 1968 - 1969 World Ch. Grand Nite Ch. Mathis Carolina Casey.  Casey was out of Derickerson's Singing Banjo and Stewart's Spring.  Banjo was out of Ch. Nite Ch. Johnson's Banjo and Nite Ch. Aling's Singing Sue.

Kyle's Rozells father Gr. Ch. Grand Nite Ch. Yadkin River Tom was also a grandson of Nite Ch. Finley River Chief,  Rozell's grand father on her mothers side was Grand Nite Ch. Merchant's Banjo II out of Ch. Nite Ch. Johnson's Banjo.  Also on Grand Nite Ch. Rock River Sackett's fathers side is Grand Nite Ch. Wolfe's Tree Picking Bill, a son of Finley River Chief.
On Rock River Sackett's mother's side you pick up again Nite Ch. Yadkin River Jeff.  Jeff is out of Ch. Grand Nite Ch. Wright's Pistol Pete and Gr. Ch. Nite Ch. Kyle's Rozell.  So the dogs I mentioned above you pick up again.  Sailor Jr., Finley River Chief and Banjo. Plus on Sackett's grand mothers side on his mothers side you pick up Dual Grand Ch. Spring Creek Rock who is a grandson of Finley River Chief.  You also pick up Grand Nite Ch. Merchant's Banjo II, a son of Ch.Nite Ch. Johnson's Banjo and Ch. Nite Ch. Ritchie's Rockwell Dawn.  Also World Ch. Grand Nite Ch. Deep River Mike.  You also pick up Grand Nite Ch. River Bend Flag who is a grandson of Grand Nite Ch. Norman's Coon Stopper.  Stopper was out of Rain's Banjo Jr. and Hershberger's Kansas Babe.  Banjo Jr. was out of Ch. Nite Ch. Johnson's Banjo.  Babe was out of Ch. Nite Ch. Hershberger's Okla Spot and Nite Ch. Ch. Hershberger's Texas Babe.  Of course Okla. Spot is a half brother to World Ch. Stan's Sailor Boy.  Texas Babe was a grand daughter of Mack Twain.
On Ch. Grand Nite Ch. Rock River Sackett Jr's mothers side Grand Nite Ch. Skean's Dolly you pick up Dual Grand Ch. Merchant's Bawling Barney 3 times.  Twice through Grand Nite Ch. Ball's Hickory Nut Harry and once through Grand Nite Ch. Rock River Ring.  You also pick up Grand Nite Ch. Norman's Coon Stopper.  What ties all of these dogs together is one dog.  Ch. Nite Ch. Hershberger's Okla Spot.  Bawling Barney is out of Ch. Nite Ch. Terrell's Palmetto Chief who is out of World Ch. House's Bawlie and Nite Ch. Hershberger's Kansas Bage.  Babe was out of Ch. Nite Ch. Hershberger's Okla Spot and Nite Ch. Ch. Hershberger's Texas Babe.  Hickory Nut Harry's mother is also a daughter of Ch. Nite Ch. Hershberger's Okla Spot.  Norman's Coon Stopper mother was out of Ch. Nite Ch. Hershberger's Okla Spot.  Bawling Barney also has Can Win Jude in his pedigree a female owned by Mr. Derden.  She was a daugther of Finley River Chief.
Also on Sackett Jr's mothers side you pick up Dual Grand Ch. Spring Creek Rock, a grandson of Finley River Chief.  Also Grand Nite Ch. Merchant's Banjo II and World Ch. Deep River Mike.  Also you pick up Johnson's Banjo again not only from Banjo II but another son Grand Nite Ch. Winchel's Jake.