Yang

Our patriarch, the epitome of every trait an American Pit Bull Terrier should encompass.
Born in Florida to Tatonka Kennels in 2010, he was gifted to Toe2Toe Kennels of Tennessee where he was raised and trained until 2014 when he returned to Tatonka temporarily to serve as a valuable stud dog. Being a strong proponent of the pairing that created Yang (Tatonka's Ice Man x Tatonka's Leilani), I'd followed the progression of the litter (Tatonka's Ying Yang, Tatonka's Troy, Tatonka's Shaman, and Tatonka's Chica). Upon Yang's arrival back at Tatonka, I made my intentions known to purchase one of Yang's progeny. Soon thereafter, Tatonka's Cerveza ("Banshee") was born from a dual sired breeding featuring Yang and Tatonka's Red Chaos bred to Tatonka's Yuengling. To my mild dismay, upon receiving the DNA results, Yang was not the sire of Banshee (however, due to the qualities that Banshee possessed in her own right, I made the choice to keep her, despite Tatonka's offers to exchange her for a future breeding. It was not long before the opportunity arose for another chance at a Yang offspring. In 2015, my patience was rewarded and "Kitten" came into my life, quickly proving to be everything I sought from a Yang-sired dog.
It was not long after Kitten came home that I finally reached out to Toe2Toe Kennels, asking if they would sell their interest in Yang. As Toe2Toe was amidst altering the direction of their bloodline, they were willing to part with the young dog. 
Yang arrived to me at 5 years of age and remained in my home until his passing in 2023. Due to a failed partnership, I was unable to accomplish everything I set out to do with him. However, I did complete his ADBA and AADRI championships within a short time, achieving first places in 90% of events he attended. Within one litter in my program, he produced UKC Champion ADBA BIS pointed Ornitholestes, AADRI BIS Champion ADBA BIS pointed AADRI tug pointed AADRI mill pointed Anthracotheriidae, ADBA BP pointed UKC pointed AADRI pointed Hylaeosaurus, ADBA pointed APDR pointed SDR pointed Shifting Gears, ADBA BIS 2xBOO Champion Gryphoceratops, ADBA pointed Gypsy Rose, and ADBA pointed AADRI pointed UKC pointed AADRI lure pointed AADRI mill pointed AADRI tug pointed Bambiraptor.
The loss of Yang was felt deeply. My program is based with a heavy focus of retaining the qualities that he imbued. From his unmatched determination and drive, to his nearly perfect structure, in every decision I aim to recreate his caliber of dog.