WITH VICKI ALLENBRAND, SHERRY BOLDT, STACEY GAVIN, CARRIE LANE, BECKY MARTIN, CHERYL PIKE, KAY REIL & MARY WALSH
BIS, BISS, multiple Group Winners, Best in Sweeps and Futurity Winners. I am honored for this opportunity to judge Futurity at our 2017 National Specialty. My first Bullmastiff was sold to me as a pet. She was a plain-headed bitch. She did end up having a litter of one puppy! After she finished her Champion-
bred/owned or our stud dogs have produced over 100 AKC champions. Our breeding program has produced three top producing dogs and five top producing bitches including two Gold ROM sires, three BIS and 12 National and regional spe- cialty winners. I have continued as a member of the Judges Education Committee since 1994 and am presently serv- ing as President of the American Bullmastiff Association. I have been an AKC judge of Bullmastiffs since 2004 and have judged Bullmastiff National Specialties in the US, Canada, Sweden and Australia. Frenchies have also been a part of my life and I have owned them some 25 + years.
ship and Health Clearances, so began my love and dedication to our breed. I love to show my own dogs and been doing so since 1984. Outside of dogs, I spend time with my family and friends. CHERYL PIKE
1. Describe the breed in three words. VA: Symmetrical, confident and powerful SB: Powerful, compact and fearless SG: Majestic, powerful and loyal CL: Magnificent, soulful and powerful.
I live in Billerica, Massachusetts. I’m employed by the United States Post Office. Outside of dogs I like to do photography and spend time with my grandchildren. I’ve had 21 year in dogs, 15 years in show- ing, three in judging and 18 in breeding. KAY REIL I live on four acres in the heart of wine country in the Niagara Peninsula. I have a grooming salon, teach dog obedience and also am a roving science teacher for scientists in school and teach electricity and groundwater. I have been in dogs since 1978 when I finished my first champion, a Springer Span-
BM: Stoic, loyal and majestic CP: Stoic, loyal and stubborn KR: Faithful, stoic and giving MW: Powerful, agile and reliable.
2. What are your “must have” traits in this breed? VA: A properly constructed headpiece, compact body, good muscling, balanced body, soundness and confidence. SB: Structure, type and temperament. SG: Temperament, stability and the ability to do the job it was bred for. CL: My “must have” traits in this breed are a solid tempera- ment, sound movement and appearance. Temperament: This breed has to have a temperament you can trust. They were bred to work ‘alongside man’ and they must possess independence, intelligence and confi- dence while at the same time be willing to accept direc- tion from their guardian. If the temperament is lacking in any of these areas, you will have an imbalance that can result in a timid or fearful and or aggressive Bullmastiff. Sound movement: I work with dogs of all breeds at my canine hydrotherapy pool every day who suffer from structural, orthopedic and genetic based issues. All of the same issues occur in the giant breeds, such as the Bull- mastiff only due to their size they tend to break down sooner and suffer from an earlier age. There is nothing more beautiful than watching a sound Bullmastiff gait whether in a show ring or outdoors in open space. Even the untrained eye can tell when they see a nice moving dog. A sound dog should be able to gait effortlessly, even the heavy boned and muscled Bullmastiff. Appearance: A Bullmastiff should not be confused for an English Mastiff by anyone who knows what a Bullmastiff
iel. I did not own a dog but showed for anyone who would let me. I bred my first litter of Bullmastiff in 1997. This year will be a start of judging some specialty sweepstakes, which I am very excited about. MARY WALSH I live in South Boston, Massachusetts and am presently employed full time by Boston University School of Medicine as a research nurse in their general clinical research unit. I have owned Bullmastiffs since 1973 and bred them with Virginia Rowland under the prefix Blackslate starting in the late 70s. We showed our own dogs from the beginning but through the years used Gerlinda Hockla and Elliot and Linda More when they were still professional handlers. We have
248 • S HOW S IGHT M AGAZINE , D ECEMBER 2017
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