Puppy picture

Breeder photo

First day at our house

Yesterday I made an 8 hour round trip to pick up our new dog. You may rightly be wondering why I would drive all that way to adopt a dog? There must be local shelters, right?

Well, there's a story behind it. In the early 2000s I became interested in a dog breed that is now called the American Bulldog. It's basically a farm dog bred in the south of the United States. No one is 100 percent sure what different breeds make up an American Bulldog. Two breeds that definitely seem in the mix are pitbull and mastiff. If you're interested in the history, it is fascinating if you enjoy that kind of stuff. Anyway, I got interested in Schutzhund training back then, and got a "hybrid" type dog from a well known breeder in California. She was the best dog I ever owned. I did Schutzhund with her for two years, but we never competed or did a trial. It was mostly my fault, not hers. It didn't matter. She turned into the sweetest, smartest, most loving family dog- affectionate, mentally stable, and fully capable of scaring the crap out of anyone she felt was a threat to her family. Unfortunately, she developed bone cancer at the age of 9. They gave her six months to live after amputating a leg. She made it another happy, healthy four years.

A few months back I heard about a breeder who has similar blood lines to our old dog. He is an old time breeder who actually still knows one of the two original founding breeders. We had a family meeting, and decided to get a puppy. We reserved one from an upcoming litter. Sadly, all the puppies were stillborn. The breeder knew we had a similar dog in the past. He told us about a nice 1 year old female that had been living in his kennel for a year that he was looking to place. He said he would happily give her to me for free if I came to pick her up. She was supposed to be used for a breeding, but the breeder who had the mother had disappeared, and never sent the genealogy papers. Without the papers, working bulldog owners wouldn't take a chance on puppies without a pedigree. These dogs are mainly used for hog catching and weight pulling.

I didn't care about the pedigree, and I intend to have her spayed anyway. He sent us a few photos. He warned us she hadn't been socialized with humans, but she seemed incredibly good natured. During the introduction he warned me that she might be stand offish and to be alert. She practically jumped into my arms, licking me everywhere. I was immediately hooked.

Getting her into the truck was a process. She had never worn a collar or leash before. Once we got her in the crate, it was a smooth ride home.

So far, so good. I know the training process will be a little tougher with an unsocialized one year old dog, but I really enjoy the process. I might be on Stacker News a little less! (Nah. I doubt it)