Why you should show your LB in the US

Dog shows. Conformation. Sounds like something scary and foreign and not for you. Right?

That’s what I thought.

Did you know that the Leavitt Bulldog wasn’t a recognized breed in the UKC (united Kennel Club) until 2015? They aren’t recognized in AKC at all.

In order for an LB to get permanent registration in the UKC, they have to already be registered with the LBA or OEBKC (Olde English Bulldogge Kennel Club) first (they have to be 1 year old for permanent registration too – a point of frustration for me because of their reasons.. but I digress).

The ‘Olde English Bulldogge’ became a recognized breed in UKC thanks to the hard work of the LBA and OEBKC. The standard UKC uses is that of the LBA. This was a great victory for our breed.

In 2016, the UKC relaxed the standard and ‘allowed’ a crop tail, stating “crop tail is acceptable, but not preferred”. Frustrating for LB breeders and those that worked so hard to get them recognized in the UKC.

But back to 2015, these folks worked so hard to get the OEB recognized and I know we were all excited to see them at conformation shows. The truth is, few showed. The UKC has to make money. They likely heard from some OEB owners that wanted to show, but their dogs tails were cropped.. hoping they’d get more entries, they added the allowance of a crop tail the next year. Supply and demand. It’s crappy but I understand even if I don’t like it and think it’s wrong.

So what’s the answer? How can we show respect to the people that have worked so hard to preserve this breed? How can we show the UKC that we, as owners and breeders, believe in our dogs and that they were bred soundly and have the ability to work?

It’s simple. We have to take our dogs to shows. We have to put them out there. This is not about giving the UKC our money. It’s about far more than that. If we want our breed to be respected as the true Olde English Bulldogge, then we need to get them out there and off the couch. I get it. Conformation shows aren’t for everyone. UKC shows often have performance events too! It is possible and encouraged to trial your dog in performance events and shows.

And if you think ‘what’s the big deal, they are already recognized by UKC. Our job is done’…. let me tell you what happens next… if we don’t start showing our dogs in UKC, there will be dogs that don’t meet the standard showing. Perhaps the UKC will even register dogs that do not have the proper approval from the LBA or OEBKC. In fact, it’s already happened in 2017. One dog that is not registered with the LBA or OEBKC has earned his championship through UKC, and another has one qualifying win left to earn theirs. There is an appeal in place (or so I hear) but still. It has happened.

If we don’t respect our breed enough and believe in it enough to show them, then how can we expect others to understand what the real OEB looks like?  I mean.  Maybe in the grand scheme of things it doesn’t matter, but I’m pretty passionate about it and strongly believe it does.  I just think if we want our breed to be recognized by the masses, then we need to get them out there, registered with the UKC and showing them.  Why wouldn’t you want to show off your beautiful dog??

We can prevent some of this from happening by selling dogs to show homes and educating owners. I hope owners will look into showing. The UKC is really fun and way more relaxed than the AKC. They have been welcoming and understanding of my very green handling, and we’ve learned SO much.

That’s what I hope. It’s incredibly disheartening to see these things happening and knowing we can try to prevent it. This was a major impetus for this blog. We live in Massachusetts and generally do UKC shows in Mass. and Maine. If there is also weight pull, we are almost always there. If you are in these areas and think you’d like to check it out, please contact me. I’ll show you around and help you out.