Our bulldogge history doesn’t begin with “we saw a cute, wrinkled puppy and fell in love” but then as a family, we don’t do anything the easy way. Our daughter, Janessa, had wanted a white bulldog with an eye patch for a long time. She didn’t care if it was 3-legged, mind you, as long as it was white and had an eye patch. Her dutiful boyfriend at the time, Chris, went on the hunt. He did extensive
research on bulldogs and determined that an English Bulldog was not the way to go. He learned the Olde English Bulldogge breed was healthier, more agile, and had a longer life span. Shortly thereafter, they drove to Long Island and picked up the love of their lives, Ozzy. Meanwhile here in Kentucky, we lost our 9-year old Great Dane, Harley Ray, to cancer. My husband had lost his best friend and I feared his will to live would follow. They were together 24/7…literally. Harley Ray went with Donnie to work every day, stopping at Hardee’s for a sausage biscuit most mornings. The kids and I first thought it would be awesome to have a puppy out of Ozzy but realizing it would be a lengthy process for Oz to find the perfect wife and start a family, I went on “the hunt.”
I travel a bit with my job and began spending every spare moment in my hotel room searching the internet for Donnie’s new boy... I knew I would have to surprise him or he would never agree to another dog. Chris had done the research so I knew this was the breed for us. I would find what I thought was the perfect puppy and send a picture to Chris. He would promptly reply, “Not the one.” This went on for some time. He didn’t like anything I sent him. It turns out we were looking for two different things. I was looking for laser engraved, flawless markings and Chris was looking at confirmation…we were miles apart. Thankfully, I found my way to Nikol at MidWest Bulldogges and told her our story. She had a litter that wouldn’t be ready for several weeks but was so helpful and informative. Shortly after we hung up, Nikol called back and said she did have a blue fawn pup she had intended to keep but would consider letting me have. When I sent his pic to Chris he said, “That’s the one. Get him now.” That is the story of how we found our MidWest’s Blue Steel C**t .45. It was mutual love at first sight when I gave Donnie his new baby. They have been inseparable from the first minute. C**t is such a clown. Folks comment on him all the time causing Donnie to swell with pride. We wanted a girl to go with C**t and again, Chris, was in the thick of the hunt. He called and told me Shawn at Joyful Acres had a black female he really liked. The next day our other daughter, Janssen, and I headed out for Iowa and got our Joyful Acres’ Satin Black Kimber. She is a real sweetheart. Since then, we've kept our very own Uncle Oz's Browning Maxus (Max)...the little chocolate guy in the middle of the group shot on the homepage...and added Joyful Acres' Re*****on Steel of Uncle Oz (Remy) to our pack. All our bulldogges are triple registered with the International Olde English Bulldogge Association (IOEBA), the National Bulldogge Association (NBA), and the United Canine Association (UCA). With encouragement from Nikol at MidWest, we started C**t in the show ring at 4 months of age, where in October 2010 he earned his NBA Champion status as well as Best Male, Best in Show, and Best of the Best honors. He currently has 2 of the 3 majors needed for his Grand Champion title. Max is 2 majors away from his Champion title. All our dogs live in the house and sleep with us. Our puppies are born in our home and raised there as well. They are held and loved every day...big chunks of the day! Our grandkids, Hayden and Holden, are also happy to help with socialization. Chris and Janessa have since married, built a new house, and welcomed baby Braylon into their family. She told Oz from the beginning of her pregancy, “You will always be my number one.” Those that know her, know that is an absolute fact. For our granddaughter’s 2nd birthday party her parents had a load of farm animals brought in for the kids including two ponies, a calf, a pig, goats, chickens, and a rabbit (no doubt I’m forgetting something here). At any rate, Ozzy stole the show and was the hit of the party. He goes everywhere with them and is welcomed in most stores as he is so well behaved. He goes to the hair salon with Mom and waits patiently as she moves from chair to chair. He has a near cult following on her page. Friends don’t care much about what’s going on with her, they just want more photos of Ozzy. Constant comments stating “I love your dog” are posted on her wall. He has a closet of personalized shirts and dresses up for special occasions. He wore tails and a top hat for the wedding photos. So when it came time to choose a name for our bulldogges, we felt it would be very fitting to honor the guy who started it all…our beloved Oz.
