Barth's Solid Rock killed in action!
By Steve Fielder
9/16/2009 11:20:12 AM
Minong, WI - Hearts are heavy and heads are hanging low today in the Northwoods and across the nation as bear hunters reflect upon and realize the impact of the news that Chad Barth's great Rock dog has died. Barth's Solid Rock died at 8 PM yesterday, September 15th from injuries inflicted on Sunday by a 400-pound bear. Rock was at the vets for two days before Chad brought him home at 5 o’clock yesterday afternoon. Rock died from his injuries last night at 8 o’clock.
On Sunday, some of Chad’s friends tried to start this bear and failed. The dogs couldn’t take the track and so they all gave up the effort and left the scene. Chad called a friend to go by his house and to get Rock. Rock had a little trouble tracking at first where the other dogs had been but soon took the track out. I personally witnessed this dog’s ability to take a nearly impossible track out and jump it when I was up there hunting with Chad and that’s exactly what Rock did on this bear track. Chad was able to pack in his Buddy and his Dodger dogs. He said the track went from a cold trail to the bay when they obviously caught the bear in his bed. Chad’s three dogs were on the bear for three hours before Greg Michel’s Rachel female who is a littermate to the Shooter dog I had, and Dan Place’s Magnum and Satan dogs were turned in. Rachel ended up getting caught by the bear too. She’s out of Rock and Ruby.
Chad said the dogs were bayed for a total of 4 hours. It was very thick and they couldn’t get a shot at the bear. He heard Rock, who would have been nine years old in December, get caught by the bear but he couldn’t get in there. The bear wouldn’t let Rock up and the bear took a terrible toll on the veteran hound. Rock’s injuries would prove to include being bitten through the back of the neck, having several broken ribs, and several bite holes in his diaphragm. There were tooth marks in Rock’s nameplate and Chad figures that may have prevented the bear from killing him right there.
Rock had a truly amazing ability to cold trail a bear and make him pay when he caught. Chad showed me, by the GPS, where Rock cold trailed a bear for eight miles and jumped him out of his bed, just as he did this bear.
Knowing that Chad had buried the great Trigger dog in the woods where he caught his last bear I asked about where he buried Rock. He said that he wanted to bury him in the woods but his wife Michelle asked him to bury him at home and he did.
Chad had the satisfaction of killing the bear that killed Rock.  I'm sure when he drew the kill tag this year he didn't realize the high price it would demand when he redeemed it. When I talked with him he was obviously still very emotional about the death of his dog.
Few of us will ever own bear dogs in the caliber of the Bronco dog, the Trigger dog, and the Rock dog that Chad has owned. I take a lot of pride in knowing they were all Bear Pen-bred on at least one side if not both. Chad is a phenomenal hunter and he and his friends, the Dump and Run Gang, deserve the credit for giving these dogs the opportunity to become all that their genetic makeup allowed them to be.
Chad, we are very sorry for your loss and wish you continued success in the Northwoods of Wisconsin with Buddy, Dodger and the rest. I know that you have a female that’s full of Rock pups right now and hopefully they will all live to punish the black bears up there the way their daddy did.
Barth’s Solid Rock
Born December 14, 2000 - Died September 14, 2009
May He Rest In Peace.
For more information on Barth’s Solid Rock:
http://www.plottdogs.com/asp/modules/breeddata/view.asp?Action=breeddata&psubid=41
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