Able Bulldog
Bulldog Breeds
Able Bulldog:
The Original Able Bulldog is a breed created by Mike May of Serenity Kennels Bulldogs in Pennsylvania. The foundation dogs are 50% American Bulldog(AB) and 50 % Leavitt Bulldog(LE). Initially the breed was born out of the concept of adding outcross blood to the relatively young Leavitt Bulldog gene pool. "Being an owner of both breeds, I began to see how each respective breed could help to clean up and compliment the other".
The Able Bulldog is a working bulldog created out of two working bulldog breeds. The Able Bulldog should be able to perform any of the tasks the American and Leavitt Bulldogs were created to perform including; catch work, personal protection, property guardian,weightpull,therapy work,sport work, all around property/farm utility dog, and of course, best friend and companion.
Paramount to the breed is a stable temperament with a great willingness to please his master, no matter what is asked of him. The Able Bulldog is a healthy, structurally sound bulldog, a benefactor of hybrid vigor. The Able Bulldog is a strong willed ,intelligent bulldog that does best when given a job, a bulldog that wants and needs a master. The Able Bulldog should exude the power , strength , tenacity and grit of the true bulldog and, at the end of the day it should be a dog that wants nothing more than to curl up with its owner and be loved.
This being a breed in development, the standard has not been set. A standard may be set once the initial first generation crosses are evaluated and graded. In the meantime several other first generation crosses will take place and provide several lines of Able Bulldogs to breed around, pillaring around one main dog. This undertaking is for the purpose of creating a working bulldog, not breeding a dog for a look. It is important for me and for those I have chosen to participate, that the dogs are bred for temperament,health, working ability, and conformation. A Bulldog that looks like a Bulldog and can function as a working dog is the goal. Short muzzles without compromising free breathing, short backs and well muscled frames that exude power, deep/wide chests that provide for great stamina and serve to adequately cool the body, and a well developed head and jaw that aid in the performance of his duties. Producing Bulldogs of color will also be a focus in order to steer clear of serious problems such as deafness, which is alot more common in white dogs. Skin cancer is also a concern with dogs that lack pigment. We want the Able Bulldog to thrive in all weather conditions without issue.
Tail docking on Bulldogs really comes down to personal preference. Personally I do not like being whipped by a Bulldogs tail nor do I like its table clearing propensities. In active, happy, driven dogs I have seen tails injured and cause injury. One of the most common injuries I deal with is with my pack of 5 or 6(at all times) Bulldogs that reside in my home. When a pack of 5 or 6 Bulldogs becomes excited, tails are flailing in every direction and I am always dealing with a dog that gets whipped in the eye. There are many arguments for and against tail docking which I will not go into. Suffice it to say that I prefer the look and other benefits that come with a docked tail as do the others who are assisting me in this endeavor, so, the Able Bulldog will have a docked tail. Tails will never be docked to cover up flaws such as kinked or screw tails. * All Able Bulldog litters will have their tails photographed and documented prior to docking, to ensure defect free tails.*
When you look at the various strains of both the American and Olde English Bulldog, you find varying degrees of "bullyness". Some dogs lack"bullyness" to a degree that makes it difficult to identify them as Bulldogs, others are grossly overdone to the extent of compromising functionality. The Able Bulldog will have a "bully" appearance and yet remain completely functional.
I am proud of the fact that the initial Able Bulldog cross was endorsed by the creator of the Leavitt Bulldog, David Leavitt. David approved the Able Bulldog as an outcross for his Leavitt Bulldog breed which has been established for 35 years. This alone makes me believe that the Able Bulldog is on the right track and has much to offer other Bulldog strains. Not only do I plan to use this Bulldog to cross into my own Leavitt line, I was so pleased with the results of this cross, that I decided I would continue developing it, and hence, the Able Bulldog was born.
It is known that in the past, English and Olde English Bulldogs were used in breeding certain strains of American Bulldog and vice versa.This provided each respective breed with genetic diversity since that very first cross years ago. I believe genetic diversity is just as important today, in order to ensure the future health and soundness in our Bulldog breeds.
I suscribe to the beliefs of Dr. Jeffrey Bragg in terms of achieving genetic health in our dogs. He writes on the healthy continuation of breeds, " Purebred dogdom is even now in serious trouble through a general failure to distinguish between what is necessary to establish a breed and what is desireable to continue that breed in perpetuity. Most registered breeds are less than a century old, many are but 50 or 60 years old. Yet nearly all breeds now show levels of expression of genetic defects that must be considered unacceptable. Over 500 distinct genetic defects have been noted in various breeds of purebred dogs."
How do we remedy this? According to Dr. Bragg, " We absolutely must open stud book registries, in every breed, to new genetic inflow. There can be no long-term genetic health in small populations such as our registered breeds without the periodic infusion of new genetic material."
So, My original purpose of combining these two Bulldog breeds has grown beyond simply infusing new blood into the Leavitt Bulldog, it has taken a path of its own. Myself along with a handful of friends and fellow breeders will complete other planned F1 breedings and successively breed future generations of Able Bulldogs. As the breed develops, a Standard will be formulized and adhered too. This project is not some haphazard experiment but rather, a well mapped out scheme, by a group of passionate dogmen who care greatly for the future of the Bulldog.
In my opinion, a good Bulldog is a good Bulldog no matter what Bulldog breeds comprise it.
The Able Bulldog is a work in progress, a work whos journey is no less important than its destiny!!!!
This description is submitted by Vinay.
Written by Mike May owner of Serenity Bulldogs-Creator and Home of The Original Able Bulldog.
