A New Champ, But No Bulldog

Well, another Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show has come and gone, the 133rd to be exact, and we’ve got another stunner taking the “Top Dog” spot this year. Last year it was the Beagle (named Uno), this year it is a 10-year old Sussex Spaniel named Stump.

My congratulations to Stump on cheating death and coming out of retirement, as of last Wednesday, to become the oldest “Best in Show” at Westminster! This dog has quite a story! Check it out at USAToday.com; http://www.usatoday.com/sports/2009-02-10-westminster-dog-show_N.htm

All that aside, I’m still waiting for the English Bulldog to bust out of the Non-Sporting ranks and take the top prize. People will be saying, “Uno and Stump who?” An English Bulldog with the silver cup will blow peoples’ minds!

I’d do it, but there was a certain procedure that my good vet, Dr. Kurt Phillips performed on me back in the day that has since disqualified me from competition. Remember, these sorts of shows are judged upon “breedability” and the best dog to pass along his/her defining breed characteristics. I think you get the idea now as to why I cannot participate.

A-hem, anyway, as I was saying, I would be happy to capture the crown for the English Bulldog, but it wasn’t meant to be. So some bully, somewhere, is going to need to get their A-game together and make it happen. Personally, I think it’s only a matter of time. Our recent climb into the AKC’s Top-10 breeds over the last two years has us prime to make a stand at Westminster in the near future. When it happens, you can just remember that I told you so!

In a non-related story, I finally visited those “comment-leaving” HRC life guards this morning down at the HRC pool. My dad had to teach Boot Camp this morning, so that means a 5:30 a.m. wakeup call for this tired pooch and an early trip to campus. My reward was a trek down to the pool to pay the life guards a visit. I think they loved it! After all, they’ve been clamoring for it over the last two semesters!

Thankfully, I did not jump in the pool, so my dad says that I can come back and visit again. It was tempting, but I was good boy and refrained. That water sure did look refreshing, up until the point I remembered that I sink like a rock in water.

Finally today, I leave you with the promised pictures from my most recent photo shoot. You know the ones I mentioned in my last post regarding the recycling shoot and my new Nike jersey shoot. I’ve included some below (photos by Brent Smith), but for the rest, head to the album on my Facebook fan page, located here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=59617&id=23981937738&l=bbed4

I wish everyone nothing but the best on Valentine’s Day! If you haven’t got a special someone to share it with, then I’ll be your “Valentine!” Oh, that reminds me, I must send a special thanks to Leslie Bishop for sending me a Valentine’s Day card! It’s so nice to be loved! Thanks Leslie!

Much love,

Blue II

Happy Anniversary and Snow Day!

Happy anniversary and happy snow day to me! The anniversary is in honor of my blogging career and the credit for the snow day goes to Mother Nature, who dropped a foot of snow in my yard over night!

I’ll report on the snow first, since that seems to be the most pressing bit of news in Central Indiana today as it's Indy's biggest snowfall in 13 years and sixth largest in Indy history! After sleeping in a bit today, I ventured outside just to see how deep a foot of snow actually is. And let me tell you, for a bulldog, that some deep snow! As you can tell by the pictures and videos, I had a blast romping around in the stuff.




The snowfall actually got started the evening prior and so I got my first taste of it, literally, on my way out of work. Finally, a healthy dose of that fluffy white precipitation blanketed campus and I got to be around to experience it. It was glorious! Below are a couple of photos of my dad's idea of trying to get me ready for the weather...

And here’s a bit of video of my campus snow fun as well…



For more of my snow frolic videos, be sure to head to BlueTube!

Now, back to the anniversary celebration…in my previous post this month, I failed to mention that January 13th marked the first anniversary of “The Life and Times of Butler Blue II.” In my first year, I (read: my dad) pounded out a total of 89 posts, which averages out to be 1.7 posts per week!

A quick look at the dashboard reveals some pretty telling stats about my blog too. A snap shot of just the last four months (since the release of my “search for the bulldog costume” video) shows that my blog has been visited and read by folks in 60 countries! Amongst the United States and its territories, I’m only missing a visitor from those in Idaho, Wyoming and Alaska…so if anyone knows people in those states, could you tell them about my blog and have them check it out?!

The blog has received a total of 5,500 page views with about 4,664 visits and a bounce rate of 88.8% since September. A bounce rate that high would not be ideal for say, a business, but for a blog it typically means people are just coming in to read the most recent post and then moving on. Thus, I’ve got some repeat offenders, i.e. a solid following.

However, my blog is currently syndicated to http://go.butler.edu/cs, and that adds another 12,257 visits and 18,302 unique page views from the past four months! So all together I’m not doing half bad…consider me an internet superstar!

Perhaps what’s most fun about reviewing the stats is to see how some people stumble upon the blog. In other words, what key words are people using in their Google search that leads them to my blog. Here are some of my favorites from the past four months…and no, I did not make these up.

Some of the most bizarre Google search keywords that have led internet users to my blog include:

- “Cardboard Box”
- “UGA VI Breeder”
- “Turner and Hooch Slime”
- “Is there an IHOP coming to Butler”
- “Buy and English Bulldog of UGA Lineage”
- “Ed Carpenter and Friends”
- “Indianapolis Blues Veterinarian” (Drs. Phillips and Stephan, you can thank me later for that!)
- “Selling Booth at Bulldog Beauty Contest” (Not a bad idea…I may have to pursue that!)
- “Vacuum Covers”
- “Vets for Rooster Food”

Kind of makes you wonder what the most bizarre Google searches are in all of Google. I’m sure there are some real strange ones, to say the least.

Another one year anniversary milestone is also coming up for BlueTube, which was founded on Feb. 28, 2008. Since its founding, the Butler Blue II YouTube channel (aka BlueTube)has logged 37,942 video views!

A special thanks to all of my faithful readers (and viewers) for your support over the last year. I hope that you’ll stick around to enjoy another year of my futile blogging and maybe recruit some friends and colleagues to log on from time to time as well.

In an effort to keep the blog somewhat fresh, I added a new feature in the top left corner which displays my recent status updates that I’ve posted on Twitter. That’s right, I’ve got my own Twitter account, so if you Twitter as well, then be sure to “follow me.” Or, if you find Twitter to be a bit technologically advanced for you, then no worries, that is why I installed that new little widget.

Other than that, I just want to encourage all my readers to feel comfortable using the comments section of the blog. I always love the feedback and the added dialogue tends to led to some better blog posts so knock yourself out!

Moving on, how about those Butler Bulldog basketball teams? Both the men’s and women’s teams have been tearing up the competition like I would an innocent stuffed animal. The women’s team has an overall record of 12-6 with an impressive 7-0 record in Horizon League conference play.

Meanwhile, their male counterparts have racked up an 18-1 record and are also undefeated in the Horizon League with a 9-0 start. Those are both university records making this the fastest start in Butler basketball’s 117 year history! And they’re doing it with a second year head coach, age 31, and his cast of starters that include three freshman, one sophomore and one junior. In fact, there aren’t any seniors on this team! Their impressive play has earned them the 13th spot in the national rankings, which includes both the AP and ESPN polls.

Last Saturday some 9,400 fans, including myself, packed Hinkle Fieldhouse to watch them destroy the Horizon League’s second ranked team, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panthers. This Friday, Jan. 30th at 7 p.m., the next victim will be the Crusaders of Valparaiso University. You know that you don’t have anything else to do this Friday, so get your butt over to Hinkle for the game…you’ll love it! Its basketball played the right way; The Butler Way.

While I may just be the second, in what we all hope is along line of “Butler Blues,” I may just go out the with the most wins as a “Butler Blue” in all of time. If nothing else, I’ll have a tough reign as mascot to beat by my predecessors!

Speaking of basketball and mascots, at one of the recent games, the official name was finally revealed for Butler’s costumed bulldog mascot, formerly known simply as “Bulldog.” When the university had that whole missing mascot costume fiasco, the local news agencies started referring to that bulldog as “Blue.” That, of course, is incorrect since “Blue” is my name, and I certainly wasn’t missing.

So, a need for name for the costumed mascot was identified and as a result, the “Name that Dawg!” contest was created. After several great submissions and a fantastic voter turnout, the name “Hink” was selected. Why “Hink?” After the late, great Tony Hinkle, of course! Regardless of the name, at least the costume has one now. So, problem solved, right? Wrong.

(photo below by Heather Charles, Indianapolis Star)

“Hink” was announced and what do half the people I stumble upon at subsequent games call me? Yep, “Hink.” I thought Butler people were supposed to be smart. For those keeping score at home, let’s go over this one last time. My name is Butler Blue II, or just “Blue,” for short. Got that? The real looking bulldog that appears to be a living, breathing mammal, (a la ME), is named “Blue.” The over-sized, not-so-bulldog-looking, guy-in-suit version is named “Hink.” This shouldn’t be that hard. Oh, and there will be a test…it’s called life…don’t screw it up.

And while I’m all worked up, let me just chime in on all of those comments I’ve been receiving lately about my weight. I’ve got news for all of you chumps with Chihuahuas, dachshunds, and other ankle biting dogs, I’m exactly where an English Bulldog should be…62 lbs. In fact, I’ve probably weighed between 60-62 lbs. for the last 3-4 years, so no; I have not gained weight this season. Got that? I’m not fat and I’ve not put on weight! Sorry, I just had to get that out of the way and clear the record, yet again.

The topic of my weight is a nice segway into my next item of discussion regarding my new custom tailored Nike jersey. Thanks to the good folks at Nike, the Butler athletic department received a few yards of Butler blue Nike jersey material which is to be used specifically to fashion a new, custom jersey for me. So my dad called up his haberdashery at the Tom James Company and they agreed to fit me and complete the creation and tailoring of the jersey.

Much like UGA’s jersey (pictured below) mine will have a block “B” on the chest, with my name “BLUE” across the back and the Roman Numeral II for my number. Nice! It’s in production now, so when it’s time for a fitting, I’ll be sure to post some pictures and possibly some video. Until then, many thanks to Nike and the Tom James Company for their efforts!

In other recent news, the annual top-10 dog breeds were announced by the American Kennel Club, and not only did the bulldog make the list again this year, but we moved up from 10th to eighth! Remember last year when we made the list we did so after a some 50 year hiatus. So it feels good to be back, and to be moving up! Watch out dime-a-dozen labs, the bulldogs are coming after you for that top spot!

Here’s the official list…

1. Labrador Retrievers
2. Yorkshire Terriers
3. German Shepherd Dogs
4. Golden Retrievers
5. Beagles
6. Boxers
7. Dachshunds
8. Bulldogs
9. Poodles
10. Shih Tzu

Finally, I leave you today with a story from this past summer (July 2008) that I missed regarding a fellow colleague in the bulldog mascot ranks, Chesty the Marine Corps mascot. Chesty called it quits this past summer and hung up the rifle, baton, or whatever piece of weaponry he uses, to enjoy the fruits of retirement. It’s a good story, so be sure to check out the video below. Chesty, I hope that you are enjoying retirement and continuing to live life to the fullest!



I hope to see all of you soon inside Hinkle Fieldhouse for a men’s and/or women’s Butler basketball game!

Until then, Go Dawgs!

Blue II

P.S. Did you see me this past weekend on the intro to ESPN's SportsCenter?

Costumes Still Missing; Reward Increased; Bulldogs are HOT!

It's been a busy week in the life of Butler Blue II, and it's only getting busier. I love it!

This missing Butler Bulldog mascot costumes caper has kept me hard at work and while we’ve yet to find them, the plot has thickened. For starters, thanks to the Butler faithful, the reward for the safe return of the costumes has been raised from $100 and one of my bones, to $550 and one of my bones. Now we’re getting somewhere.

And sure enough, just as the reward increases then so do the rumors, anonymous tips and unsubstantiated leads as to the whereabouts of these unique suits. I even got the photo below suggesting that our suit may have been picked up by the dog catcher and sent to the pound. Very funny.


Following the example of one of my beloved heroes, McGruff the Crime Dog, I’m hot on the case and sniffing out all possibilities. Should you hear anything, keep me posted at blue2@butler.edu, and better yet, call the authorities! You can reach the Butler University Police Dept. at 317-940-9396. They would be happy to take your call.



I hope to have another video up next week that illustrates my detective work. The massive amount of rain that we are getting today and this weekend isn’t really conducive to shooting film so sorry for the delay.

The media continues to pick-up the story and again, we’ve received national coverage. This time it is the world-wide leader in sports, ESPN. Check out this clip…



Since I am the only mascot that Butler has at the moment, I will be especially busy tomorrow as we host our first home football contest of the season and we welcome the Lugar Run to campus. My day gets started at Hinkle Fieldhouse at 7 a.m. for the Lugar Run as WISH-TV will be on campus to do some live TV hits for that.

Then it’s on to the OBS Gridiron Brunch and pre-game event and then kick-off against Franklin College at 1 p.m. where I will get to run the team out on to the field for battle. A win on Saturday will make the football Bulldogs 2-0!

It’s looking like it might be a little warm, muggy, windy and wet tomorrow, but I don’t care. No matter the conditions, I am ready!

Finally, I’ll sign off with a story that show’s just how in vogue us English Bulldogs are. Not only did we make it back into the top-10 of AKC registered breeds this year, but now we’ve been voted the hottest in Hollywood!

http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/ask_the_answer_bitch/b28361_a-list_secrets_hollywoods_unlikely_hot.html

My good friend Jackie, a young Butler alumni who resides in our Nation’s capital, sent me a link to story on E! (watch The Soup on E! w/ Joel McHale, Fridays, 10 p.m. EST…it’s hilarious) that explains just how the English Bulldog has become all the rage amongst celebrities (Adam Sandler, The Kaltenmarks, etc.) and just all around “cool people.”

Specifially, the article states, "Hollywood's dog o' the moment is an unexpected breed...That dog is the English Bulldog." It’s no wonder our bulldog mascot costumes were stolen!

By the way, if you have a chance some time, check out Adam Sandler's website and watch his videos with his English Bulldogs. They are great! (http://www.adamsandler.com/index.php?section=matzomeat)

Have a great weekend, keep looking for those costumes, stay dry, and GO DAWGS!

Blue II

Bulldogs Win College World Series and Dressing for Success

Bulldogs Win, Bulldogs Win, Bulldogs Win! ...the Bulldogs of the Fresno State variety that is.

Fresno State beat the University of George Bulldogs last night in the best of a three game series in the NCAA College World Series at Omaha, Nebraska. Granted, I wish it were the Butler Bulldogs that were being crowned champs, but as a representative of the breed, I’m still proud that that it was Bulldogs V. Bulldogs in the World Series championship.

Earlier in the year the Bulldog made the top-10 list of most popular dogs for the first time since 1935 and now we have Bulldogs battling Bulldogs for titles and championships. It’s a dog eat dog world out there and the Bulldogs are ready for dinner. In other words, we’re on the rise people, so get on the bandwagon!

Well since last week I haven’t been up to much…just work, pleasure and more camp pictures. Only this time it was with students attending percussion and piano camp. Below are some pictures.

Outside of that, I’m just trying to beat the heat. Remember, us Bulldogs are heat-sensitive so little to no time at all in this hot and humid weather is more than enough for me. Air conditioning, water and shade are all my good friends this time of year.

As I posted last week with that video of Gus the Bulldog devouring that watermelon, I think I’d like to try that for myself. I hear that watermelon is a refreshing summer treat and rumor has it that my parents are hitting the grocery store this weekend, so I just might get lucky!

Finally, as promised, I said that I would respond to the comments left for me on the blog. As it turns out, there have only been two in recent weeks. Nonetheless, they are…

“What tricks can you do? It would be great to see a video of some of your best tricks.” – Anonymous

My repertoire of tricks includes the “high-five,” “rollover,” “dead dog,” “speak,” and “pout.” I’m also re-mastering commands like “stay” and I have a feeling that with this AKC Canine Good Citizen training business, I am going to have to learn all kinds of fun stuff.

Unfortunately, I don’t have any video of my trick routine so I’ll have my dad work on that and get something posted in the near future.

Our second and last post reads…

“In any of your official duties as Butler Mascot, have you ever been asked to dress up in something completely embarrassing? I know you get to wear shirts a lot and the occasional bow tie. Take a look at your fellow bulldog (pictured below) dressed like an idiot for his parents' wedding ceremony. And that is getting published nationally!” – Jackie P.

Good question, Jackie! Hemingway the Bulldog looks ridiculous in that picture. Granted, in my debut on the cover of Sports Illustrated I was sporting a Dawg Pound t-shirt, but that is in no way the same as Hemingway’s jester get-up or whatever he’s donning.

It’s true; I’ve worn everything from jerseys, to sweaters, to t-shirts, dew rags, bow ties, neck ties, arm bands, coats, special collars and Halloween costumes. What can I say, it goes with the job.
Most of the stuff I wear is within reason and in fact, I actually get excited when I see things like my jersey or when I get to put on t-shirts…it means that I’m going to get to do something fun.

But I also know when what I’m wearing is just wrong, like our friend Hemingway. Typically that would be the Halloween costumes. One year I went as a pirate and another as a pumpkin. Captain Jack Sparrow and a Jack-O-Lantern I am not.

Anyway, I’m still looking for Nike to suit me up with a tailor-made jersey that I can wear to football games and other events. You’ll notice in the picture below that UGA, Georgia’s mascot found a way to make that happen.

I figure now that the Butler Athletic Dept. signed an exclusive Nike deal, I might actually be able to get something in the works.

But for now, the only thing I'll be wearing in this heat is my fur coat.

Have a great weekend!

Blue II

An Eventful Close to Spring 2008

Well, when I last posted I was getting ready to head off with my mom to Wabash, Ind. for a little R&R in the country. It was just about everything I hoped it would be and more. Not only did I get to enjoy a one-dog pool party in my wading pool, but I also got to sample a little bit of cheeseburger and steak during a couple of grill outs that my grandma and grandpa Richards had. It was delicious!

The only thing I didn’t get to do was go boating when they went to Salamonie Reservoir one afternoon. Mom didn’t have my life jacket and besides, I probably would have been too hot anyway.

After that, my dad returned from Texas and we had ourselves a pretty interesting week. Of course, there was the usual dreaded thunderstorms that continued to roll through the Indianapolis area, but I also visited the girls basketball camp and took pictures with campers, went to the vet for x-rays on what was thought to be a broken toe, attended an event called Bullyfest, helped my parents celebrate their fifth anniversary and traveled back to Wabash for Father’s Day. Needless to say, last week was quite eventful!

Wednesday the 11th was when I stopped by the Women’s basketball team’s camp for pictures. I’ve been doing that camp every year since I was just a puppy so it’s just routine now. Here are a couple pictures from that appearance.

Also on Wednesday, I made some new friends with Hugo (4-month English Bulldog) and Frankie (1-year Daschund). They stopped by the office at the end of the work day so we went out on the campus mall and had a good time. Hugo and Frankie each have parents from the Butler class of 2008. I hope they come back to play again soon as we sure had a great time!

The next day, my dad and I were at home working in the yard, which is one of my favorite activities. I was helping him, and by helping I mean just running back and forth and around the yard at home like I own the place, because I do. Anyway, I must have done something to myself when I was getting all cocky out there because after I laid down to rest for a while, I got back up and found that I had a profound limp and was favoring my front right paw pretty significantly.

By the time my mom got home from work, I was in some serious pain and even fell while trying to walk. My dad just thought I had aggravated an old injury with one of my joints, but my mom (the physical therapist) noticed some swelling in my paw and quickly loaded me in the car and took me to Woodland Animal Hospital in Carmel, Ind.

Dr. Glore was able to see me and while my x-rays were negative, or virtually inconclusive, there was still a theory that I may have incurred a hairline fracture in my right front pinky paw. So I was sent home with pain meds and instructions to lay low and hit the ice pack every 40 minutes.

Below is a pathetic looking me, doped from pain pills with ice on my paw. Believe it or not, I was in so much pain that I left it alone.


All were worried because I typically not one to show much pain, let alone yelp or cry out, but I most certainly did when Dr. Glore was examining my paw. But, per usual, I made a quick recovery and by the next day, I was off of the pain pills and putting weight on all fours.

Nobody knows for sure what was actually going on, but there’s speculation that I might have stepped on a sharp rock or something and just suffered a deep bruise. Who knows?

By Saturday, my parents’ fifth wedding anniversary, I was back to my normal self, so my parents decided to take me to an event called Bullyfest which is held by the Bulldog Club of Indiana.

Basically it’s an excuse for local bulldog owners to get their bullies together in a warehouse, swap stories and learn various things from the demonstrations on how to show your bulldog in competition, obedience training, etc. But I enjoyed getting to see my first owners and breeders, Frank and Jeane King of Kong King Kennel. I couldn't help myself but to get excited when I saw them.

Since I am unable to compete in a professional dog show for reasons related to medical procedures (we’ll leave it at that), my parents are all hot on me becoming a “Canine Good Citizen” through the AKC Canine Good Citizen Program, which they learned about at Bullyfest. As if my role as mascot of a NCAA Division I institution isn’t good enough.

The AKC Canine Good Citizen program was created in 1989 to reward dogs who are well-behaved companions at home and in the community. Sounds simple enough, but there are 10 steps to completing the test and earning the accreditation. You can view them here. I know I can do it, so whatever, bring it on. I guess the cool part is, I get a sweet AKC dog tag that signifies my new status as a good citizen and I can add it to my resume.

I’ll let you know how the training goes and when and if this canine good citizen thing ever comes to fruition. Until then, I’ll be getting as much bad behavior in as possible. Just kidding, that’s not my style.

Sunday was Father's Day so we migrated back north to Wabash to visit both the Kaltenmark and Richards residences. I rather enjoyed it as the weather was warm, but not hot and I could be outside with all of the kids (my cousins). Here are a couple of videos from the day and there are more at BlueTube as well.

In case you didn’t know, today (June 20) is national “Take Your Dog to Work Day.” (Check out http://www.takeyourdog.com/) Of course, this doesn’t really apply to me as I go to work everyday (note the picture in the top right corner), but the irony is, my dad didn’t bring me to work today, Uncle Kyle did. My pops is at the Iowa Speedway preparing for the Iowa Corn Indy 250…the next IndyCar Series race which can be viewed on Sunday at 1 p.m. on ABC.

So if you didn’t take your dog to work today, make it up to them and spend some quality time with the old pooch this weekend…maybe take them on a long walk, slip them some people food or let them lift a leg on the flowers just one time.

I think that’s about all blogging that I have in me for today. I know I said I would get around to answering those great comments and questions that people leave me and I will do so soon. With everything going on, I just haven’t had a chance to get to it yet.

In the meantime, I want to leave you with a video that my Kaltenmark grandparents emailed me (yes, you can email me too at blue2@butler.edu). It’s video of an English Bulldog named Gus who likes to eat watermelon. Here's a link to the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBIuHJHlUzU

You can bet that I added watermelon to my parents’ grocery list! I’ve got to try it for myself!

Blue II

all SHOW, no DOG

In the wake of the 132nd Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show (aired on the USA Network) which wrapped up last evening in Madison Square Garden, I received a couple of comments as to why I haven't registered my AKC number for competition.

Personally, I didn’t watch much of the dog show given that the Bulldogs played last night up at Milwaukee as well, but I did catch some of it. But anyway, to speak to those comments, I originally had hopes to compete in the show ring and even pass along my genes to younger kin, but it wasn’t meant to be, I guess.

In a nutshell, it is my understanding that the criteria in which these dogs are judged includes their natural/pure representation of the breed as well as their ability to "mate" with fellow purebreds, thus transferring those great traits to offspring.

I think I do a fair job of representing the breed, acting somewhat obedient, etc. It’s a technicality with the sexual reproduction part that’s got me ineligible to compete.

In addition to serving as Butler’s mascot, there was a desire to make a show dog out of me as well as allow me to sire a litter or two. However, a few months after I was born, it was found that I had a condition known as cryptorchid…look it up and draw your own conclusion. As a result, my hopes of going pro were dashed by a couple of snips. (wimper)

Hindsight is 20/20, but it wound’t have worked out anyway given the eye surgeries to fix a couple conditions known as entropion and distichia. (A special thanks to Dr. Deborah Stephan of Indiana Veterinarian Specialists for taking care of that for me!) Once you get a little plastic surgery done, you’re out of the competition as well.

That’s okay, we all know what I was born to do and I wouldn’t trade it for the world. They can aspire to win some ribbons and I’ll see if I can’t get my paws on some NCAA hardware!

Besides, did you know that a show dog trying to make it to the top travels the country doing up to 150 shows per year! That's hardly a dogs life!

But back to the dog show…had I competed, would have been in the Non-Sporting group coming out of the Bulldog breed. This year’s bulldog bred winner was Ch. Cherokee Legend Rock.

Good looking bully. I’m no stranger to the Cherokee Legends. In fact, my great grand-father via my mother’s mother, was a Cherokee Legend. Cherokee Legend Mouser Bill to be exact.

You can learn more about the Cherokee Legends here:

http://www.cherokeebulldogs.com/

http://www.legendbulldogs.com/

I am a product of Frank and Jeane King’s Kong King Kennel in Lizton, Ind., and in my family tree I have eight champions.

Now you know where I got my stunning looks!

At any rate, in this year’s WKC Dog Show, the winner out of the Non-Sporting was some poodle. Look at that thing! It looks more like a manicured shrub than a dog. The Bulldog was second within the group.

Best in Show was the Beagle named “Uno” who turned out to be a real crowd pleaser. Uno made history last night, becoming the first of his breed to win the event. Big deal, you might be Best in Show, but as Elvis once sang, “you ain’t nothin’ but a hound dog.”

Oh well, for all of us wannabes and has-beens, there’s always the annual Bulldog Beauty Contest at Homecoming. See you there!

Blue II

P.S. Voting Period 6 is now open in the BISSELL Most Valuable Pet Contest. Please be sure to vote for me again this week and get me on that vacuum box!

To vote for me, click on this link:
http://www.bissell.com/redirect.asp?page_id=47081&Pet=4757

Best in Show

The American Kennel Club recently released the Top 10 dog breeds. As it turns out, the Bulldog is the 10th most popular breed in the U.S. (This is big news people, check out the Thurs., Jan. 17th edition of ESPN's Sports Center as they even did a story on it...featuring yours truly...and a few other famous bullies. That's my second time on Sports Center in a week!)

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/22670868/?GT1=10755&pg=11#tdy_Pets_breeds

(Google News Search)

I suppose it's nice to make the list, especially after a more than 70-year absence (last ranking 10th in 1935), but to get beat out by the Shih Tzu (No. 9)! C'mon! They can't be serious. I mean, just look at that thing. It's like a cat, a King Charles Spaniol and a mop got together and birthed this beast. Don't ask me which one actually gave birth to it.

I have a pair of cousin Shih Tzu's and I'm sure they'll never let me hear the end of this.

Anyway, if you're curious about the English Bulldog breed and our unique history, characteristics, etc., have a look here...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulldog

http://www.akc.org/breeds/bulldog/index.cfm

Did you know that the name of my breed was derived from our sole purpose...baiting bulls before they were sent to slaughter. It was thought that our baiting of bulls served to tenderize the bull meat, but it was also considered a form of "sport."

Thus, I consider my forefathers to be something of a cross between Russell Crowe as "Maximus" in Gladiator and Belmonte, the famous matador.


But, I suppose back then my owner might have been someone like Sam the Butcher from the Brady Bunch.

Oh well, I digress. After all these years, it's nice to be ranked again. I'd like to think I had a hand in that. Why not? How many Shih Tzu's you know with their own blog?!


P.S. This post has me thinking about my very own family tree/lineage. I'll share that with you sometime. Russell Crowe or not, I come from good stock and I've got the AKC paperwork to prove it.