Hangin' Tree Special Breeding

Dillon was produced from a line bred Hangin' Tree cross of Hangin' Tree Spook x Hangin' Tree Rojo. Even though Dillon does not carry the Hangin' Tree name, make no mistake about it, he is full-on, undiluted Gary Ericsson Hangin' Tree genetics. This golden cross of brother-sister was done four times by Gary Ericcson and Davene Finkbeiner. This breeding produced some of the best Hangin' Tree farm/ranch dogs ever produced by Gary and was the reason why it was repeated four times.  This cross was particularly known for producing top-notch males.  Most of the offspring from these crosses were placed on working ranches and not trialed.  In total, there were 24 dogs registered (14 males / 10 females) from this cross. A well know dog from this cross was HOF WTCH Hangin' Tree Dude PATDcs RD RTDcs (Dude Pictures). Dude went on to sire 23 WTCHs, with 10 of them earning HOF status. The dogs produced from these litters where characterized as being highly instinctive, tough, and mentally and physically built to work livestock with no quit.

In the early 1990's Catherine Hollings (High Plains Australian Shepherds) was researching working breeds for her operation and saw an ad in Western Horsemen magazine for Davene Peter's Hangin; Tree bred dogs.  Ultimately she purchased a female named Peters Ranch Kali (Hangin' Tree Black Bear x Hangin' Tree Cinnamon Teal).  With the goal of having a litter or two, she wanted a male too.  Both Gary Ericsson and Davene spoke highly of the pups from the Hangin' Tree Spook x Hangin' Tree Rojo cross and their working ability.  At that time, from the first cross, Joni Swanke had a red merle male named Dude that was doing very well.  
Dillon was produced in the third Spook x Rojo cross. For 12+ years he worked with her on her cattle ranch and was her right-hand man in so many ways. Catherine ran a cow calf operation with around 75-100 head of mother cows and then from May to October grassed 300 yearlings for a feedlot.
Dillon was also Catherine' daughter's 4-H dog and visited senior nursing homes as part of her project. He was a true representative of the ASCA and AKC breed standard in many ways. He was reserved with strangers and kept a watchful eye on his property and people. Dillon was good with people and small children.
  

Choc Ericsson's Thoughts

When Dillon was just 11 months old he went to stay with Gary Ericsson’s son, Choc Ericsson, to receive stockdog training in Salmon, Idaho. Dillon stayed with Choc for several months in the time when the Ericsson family was relocating to Oklahoma. Choc fondly remembered “that black dog”. Choc worked as a Special Agent for the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs, and was the State Certifier and Chief Trainer for drug detection canines. Sadly, Choc was killed in the line of duty. Here is what Choc had to say about a young Dillon:

 “Dillon came to me before he was a year old. He was a highly instinctive, confident, and somewhat pushy working Aussie which were all consistent traits in Spook sons. He took a bit of work initially, but within a month or two, he came around easily. He has a lot of stock presence, especially with cattle, and he preferred to work cattle as well. There is no quit in the dog! He had some problems at first due to being an exuberant young dog, and not having any consistent training up to that point, but it was obvious to all when he arrived that he was full of potential and had all the makings to be a top-notch stockdog. Although he was brash and worked for himself at times, he was also exceptionally brave and tough. He was strong on the head by preference, but would heel when the stock really slowed up. By the time he went home, he was a dog I had grown to trust and count on. Dillon was a smart and fast learner. I was proud to say he was from our breeding.   I used him extensively the last two months when I was alone and the last Ericsson on the ranch in Idaho rounding up and shipping off all our stock, and he was dependable and effective working companion”.