23/10/2026
🏛️ RISE OF AN EMPIRE 🏛️
A wise man once told me something that stuck with me. Look at nature. Nature is perfect. Look at the deer. They're perfect because there's no human influence controlling how they breed.
There's no such thing as a perfect dog. I don't care how impressive their pedigree is how many titles they've earned, or how highly someone thinks of their own breeding program. Every dog has strengths, and every dog has weaknesses. If you can't recognize the weaknesses in your own dogs, you're doing your breeding program a disservice.
I couldn't have asked for a better foundation female than Laila Ali. She's confident, intelligent, structurally sound, and has the natural guardian temperament that made me fall in love with this breed. She has a great head type, a beautiful topline, a great muzzle, and good overall balance. I'm not going to pretend she's perfect just because she's mine.
She has great rear angulation, but I'd like to see a little more. I'd also like to continue building on the confidence and stability she already possesses. I'm extremely proud of Laila, but being proud of your dog and being blind to their faults are two completely different things.
That's where AKC Grand Champion Cash comes in. Cash is a great all-around dog. I really appreciate his rear angulation, confidence, and overall structure. He's proven himself in the show ring, earning both his AKC Champion and Grand Champion titles. There's more to choosing a stud than simply looking at titles.
Another part of this pairing that's become increasingly interesting to me is the bloodlines behind him. I'm a huge fan of the old American Cane Corso lines. That isn't changing. On Cash's father's side, he carries American bloodlines I've respected and loved for years. But what I've become particularly interested in is his maternal pedigree. His mother's side brings in different European bloodlines, including Italian ancestry that traces back to dogs involved in the early recovery of the Cane Corso. The more I dig into the history of this breed, the more fascinated I become with those older Italian dogs and the roots of the Cane Corso itself.
When you're just starting to establish your own bloodline, I believe bringing in new blood is an important part of laying the foundation. It's about carefully selecting dogs that complement what you already have, introducing desirable qualities, and giving yourself something to build upon for future generations. I'm not looking to replace the American lines I love. I'm looking to build upon what we already have and hopefully bring together some of the best qualities from both sides.
This particular breeding has actually been a long time coming. We attempted this pairing once before, but unfortunately, Laila didn't take. Now we've finally had the opportunity to revisit it, and I'm excited to see what these two produce. I also want to give a huge thank you to Jeanelle Jimenez over at Shady Acres Leggett. She's been absolutely wonderful to work with throughout this entire process.
At the end of the day, I know one breeding isn't going to produce everything I'm looking for. Genetics don't work that way. But I do believe every breeding should have a purpose, and every generation should give you something to learn from and hopefully improve upon. I'm still learning. I'll probably never stop learning about this breed, and I'm perfectly fine with that.
My goal isn't to convince everyone that Campione produces perfect dogs. My goal is to build a program that continues to improve, generation after generation, and produces dogs I can look back on years from now and be damn proud of.
LAILA ALI × AKC GCH CASH
🏛️ CAMPIONE CANE CORSO 🏛️
RISE OF AN EMPIRE
