Page 16 - ShowSight Presents - The French Bulldog

breeding produced around 30 AKC Bullmastiff Champions. Patty has also bred Rottweilers and French Bulldogs, having bred over 100 AKC Frenchie Champions including several Best in Show and National Specialty Winners. Bandog Frenchies have won 43 Best in Shows and the breed at five National Specialties. Four of the BIS and three National Specialties were Breeder/Owner/Handled. Patty handled in the late 1980s, showing mostly Working, Toys and Non-Sporting breeds.
Patty is currently Treasurer of the Louisiana Kennel Club, and is a member of the French Bull Dog Club of America, the American Bullmastiff Association and the Morris & Essex Kennel Club. She had the honor of judging the ABA 2009 Top Twenty, the 2009 French Bulldog National Specialty, the 2010 French Bulldog Club shows in Sweden and Moscow, the 2014 French Bulldog Club of Gr. Victoria Show, American Bullmastiff Association 2017 Inde- pendent Specialty in conjunction with the National Specialty, and the 100th Anniversary French Bulldog Club show in BØ, Norway in 2019.
We live in Madisonville, Louisiana. which is just north of Lake Pontchartrain from New Orleans. Outside of dogs, I love to cook and garden. Luis is an engineer and a photographer. I also love to photograph and help Luis when he needs help.
I got my first Frenchie in the 1980s as a gift from my friend Louise Sanders (Bandog Bullmastiffs). Louise had gotten a stud fee puppy and since she lived on a lake, she was afraid that the Frenchie could drown. Louise gave the puppy to my son as a gift to show in Juniors. She became my foundation bitch, Ch. LeBull’s Adams Dina of Ragtime, or Dina for short. Dina had a great pedigree being out of the pied bitch, Ch. Sun-oak Sunspot by Ch. Adams Gambler of Linewood, who in turn was a Quad son out of Adams Lucky Lady. I’ve been breeding and showing pretty much since get- ting Dina; I bought two dogs from Herschel Cox, both going back to Unique Physique (Rocky) sons. The first was Pierre, Ch. Cox’s Goodtime Pierre of K N D sired by Ch. Cox’s Good Time Dandy Andy; a Rocky son out of Mademoiselle Eve. Eve was one of the most beautiful Frenchies I’ve seen, and she went back to the Terrette and Hampton lines.
The second dog I bought from Herschel was Ch. K N D Foxy Joe of Cox’s Goodtime. Joe was an Ace son (Ch. Cox’s Goodtime Ace In The Hole) who in turn was out of Rocky. He was out of Mademoiselle Gigi who in turn was sired by the fawn Ch. Fair- mont’s Heart To Beat. So my early breeding and most of my dogs were based on two dogs out of two half brothers; both Rocky sons. Pierre was Ernie’s sire, Ch. Bandog’s Earnin’ Respect; while Joe was Gambit’s sire, our Ch. Bandog’s One In A Million.
I started judging in 2005 and presently judge the Working and Non-Sporting Groups. Luis judges these two groups as well as the Hound Group. In that time, I have been honored to have been asked to judge the FBDCA National Specialty, Club shows in Swe- den, Moscow, Melbourne, Australia and the Norwegian Bulldog Club Centennial show in BØ, Norway.
The secret to a successful breeding program is to linebreed, line- breed, linebreed, outcross. Of course that assumes that you’re line- breeding on quality dogs and outcrossing to dogs of a similar look (phenotype). Linebreeding on mediocre dogs will produce more of the same. I’ve never bred to the flavor of the day winner; and when I need to outcross, I imported dogs and used them in my breeding program. I health tested them, saw what they produced and deter- mined how to best use them.
What I feel the condition of the Frenchie breed is today? Unfor- tunately, when a breed becomes popular, the quality generally goes down. That does not mean that we don’t have some very good dogs today; only that they comprise a smaller percentage of the total population. We also don’t have as many long time breeders today who had established lines as we did in the past. Think of Dick and Angel Terrett (Terrettes), Janice Hampton (Hampton), Foster Han- son (Jimmy Lees) and Herschel Cox (Cox’s Goodtime), Luca Car- bone (Jaguar) to name but a few. There are very few breeders today where you can go and see five generation of dogs.
I believe breeders need to concentrate on breeding complete dogs and not just parts. Lack of balance to me is the single biggest shortcoming in the breed. We may have a dog with a nice head but no topline. Or maybe a topline but no head. Or they may have good type and look good standing still but can’t move. Correct type and four good legs to me is imperative to the correct French Bulldog.
Does popularity help or hurt in the long run? I’ve somewhat addressed this above, but I feel it hurts the breed in the long run. Everyone with an intact bitch is a “breeder” regardless of whether they know anything about the breed or not. When I got my first Frenchie, there was no internet, and no easy way to obtain informa- tion. We had a very small gene pool, so I bought every Frenchie magazine I could get my hands on, studies pedigrees and went to shows and the National to watch. I looked at the dogs I liked, saw whom they were out of; what was behind them. How were they bred and what did they produce. I tried to gather as much information and learn as much about the breed as I could. I was fortunate that since Bullmastiffs were my first breed; my mentor Louise Sanders had taught me a great deal about dogs and how to breed them to produce dogs with type who could move.
Worldwide Brachycephalic breeds are getting a bad rap. How I think that will affect the future? They will only affect the breed if we let them. Breed true to the standard and don’t let those who would like to extinguish our history and breeds to succeed.
My favorite dog show memory was at the Centennial National in Overland Park Kansas, Mrs. Ann Rogers Clark was the judge. When the Specials came in an exhibitor had a list of dogs she want- ed weighed. She gave the list to Mrs. Clark who proceeded to weigh the exhibits. Luca Carbone (Jaguar) was showing a dog and when his dog weighed in, he exclaimed, “Thank God”! Without missing a beat, Mrs. Clark said: You’re welcome.
French Bulldog Q & A
􏰄􏰅 believe breeders need to concentrate on
breeding com􏰆lete dogs and not just 􏰆arts.
LACK OF BALANCE TO ME IS THE SINGLE BIGGEST SHORTCOMING IN THE BREED.”
SHOWSIGHT MAGAZINE, JUNE 2019 • 295