We have had a passion for the Bulldog breed for as long as we knew such a breed existed. My friends and family call it an "obsession", but call it what you may, there is truly nothing like devoting oneself to such a wonderful breed as the Bulldog.
With the price of Bulldogs being much greater than other breeds, we made the choice to wait until we could locate the very best specimen we could possibly afford. We wanted to be 100% sure we had done our homework for this breed good and proper. Basically, we have studied the breed now for well over 35 years. The more we study and are involved with the breed, whether owning a sweet companion, going to shows, or just having them lie at our feet, we do know that we learn something new about Bulldogs every day of our lives. Afterall, life is a never-ending learning process and I would be terribly disappointed if I were unable to learn something new daily!
It was not until 1993 that we purchased our first show hopeful puppy. "Alistair" did not mature as we had hoped as a show dog.....afterall, nothing is guaranteed in the dog world......his legs grew a bit too long and his head a little small, but he turned out to be the loving family companion of our dreams. He was the perfect "Bulldog clown"....so much so, he could do some of the most hilarious things; then turn around and look at us, as if to say, "Am I a funny fellow, or what"? Sadly, he had to be put down due to lymphocytic cancer at the young age of 5 years. Dearly loved, sadly missed, our "Alistair" will always be the champion of our hearts!
Our next show prospect was a gift from a friend - a 13-month old from a show home. "Sammy" as he was called before we bought him, had a few wins in the ring, but developed an anomaly, thought to be inherited in Bulldogs and Boston Terriers. This required surgery and eventual castration, ending his short show career almost as soon as it had begun. He became a beloved pet and devoted comical friend, but died in his sleep of cardiomegaly before he was 3 years old. "Sammy" has been sorely missed by all who knew him! He was such a devoted companion and never knew a stranger......he had to get to know you whether you wanted him to know you or not.....he would not take no for an answer! There will definitely never be another "Sammy".
With the devastation of the loss of two wonderful, loving and lovable Bulldogs so close together, we hardly had time to grieve for one before we lost the other. We were not deterred in our quest for at least one of the best of the breed. We put our names on a waiting list of a foreign kennel, Of The Tivoli Bulls, Belgium. We waited nearly 5 long years to get a nice specimen of the breed from Hans and Anneke and we feel sure our wait was not in vain! Our "Dutchman Of The Tivoli Bulls" turned out to be everything we ever wanted and MORE!
Since we imported our Dutch, we have imported a female and assisted a few friends with importing their special Bulldog. We sincerely believe that the future of our breed lies with importing the best of the best to enhance our American Bloodlines. We want to import show hopefuls and foundatoin stock from the 'cream of the crop', so to speak, and that can only be from the best of breeders found across the big pond! We have a special admiration for the Britishpride Kennels and Of The Tivoli Bulls Kennels. We feel confident in choosing dogs from these bloodlines to produce the "typey" Bulldog we want to present in the show ring and to carry on their great lineage for generations to come.
As Americans, many have become somewhat "greedy" in selecting 'popular studs' simply because these studs are winning every ribbon in every show ring across the nation and, sad to say, there are some out there who are more concerned with thinking they can make a fortune by selling puppies. In choosing these popular and often times over rated studs, we have so narrowed the gene pool from which to select new breeding stock, it is almost impossible to find a Bulldog anywhere, including overseas, that does not have a least one or two of these most popular dogs within a pedigree! It can be done, but very difficult, indeed!
