Showsight - May 2022

ANNE HIER — AMPIRION BULLDOGS

“I love the breeding, training, and showing in the classes and companion events, but am not a big fan of campaigning specials with myself on the end of the lead. There are better handlers, and campaigning is too much ‘chicken one day, feathers the next’ for me.”

water in your veins to do so. A principal reason to linebreed is to bring deleterious traits to the surface so that they can be eradicated from your breeding program—or at least mitigated going forward. Most do not wish to linebreed, so the majority of Bulldog pedigrees today are generations of outcrosses. Additionally, it is difficult to properly linebreed anymore because of social pressures on owning a significant number of dogs. However, the use of frozen semen has helped to utilize some of the good dogs of the past, and from around the world. And, more and more, with all the anti-purebred dog propaganda, especially in brachycephalic breeds, it is essential to do health testing and screen for breed-specific problems. Positive results are legitimate proof of health in these breeds. I prefer to be behind the scenes with the dogs. I love the breed- ing, training, and showing in the classes and companion events, but am not a big fan of campaigning specials with myself on the end of the lead. There are better handlers, and campaigning is too much “chicken one day, feathers the next” for me. However, I am very active in the Bulldog Club of America, Detroit Bulldog Club, Companion DTC of Flint, Michigan, of which I am also an AKC Delegate, and Michigan Association for Purebred Dogs. How many Bulldogs do you typically house? Tell us about your cur- rent facilities and how the dogs are maintained. When my husband was alive, we usually had about 20 dogs in the kennel. After his death, I went to work for AKC and did no breeding for seven years. Today, I generally have about four to six dogs at any one time. I do not place old dogs. If longevity is a selec- tion factor, it is important for me to see how my dogs age as well as what health conditions they develop during their lives. This is essential for anyone who linebreeds. The problem with placing old- er dogs with others is that they usually let them get fat, do not give them sufficient exercise, or are not vigilant in complete veterinary care to help the dogs live as long as possible. I understand many people can only keep a limited number of dogs. So, to continue to breed and show, some of the older dogs need to be placed. Cur- rently, all of my dogs are in the house. I live in a rural area, so they have several large fenced areas for plenty of exercise. Additionally, I am continually training and giving individual attention each day. Who were/are some of your most significant dogs, both in the whelping box and in the show ring? Well, anytime you have the good fortune to breed a National Specialty winner, that is a big deal. Uli’s granddaughter, the 2019 Bulldog Club of America National Specialty winner, GCHP Showbiz Graybulls New Girl in Town (Denali), was bred by Joan Fisher, Anne Hier, and Kay Gray. Denali was whelped here in Michigan and initially raised by me before going on to show ring

Joan Fisher has a reputation for owning or being associated with the highest-quality dogs. Over the years, she has bred and owned more than a few Specialty, Group, and BIS winners. In my opinion, she is an expert at picking the best puppy out of a litter. The prime example is her GCHP Kepley’s Showbiz Razzle Dazzle (Uli), the top-winning Bull bitch of all time, with over 40 BIS wins by the age of three, handled by Phoebe Booth. Your Bulldogs are widely known, highly successful competing in multiple disciplines, and well respected. What breeding philosophies do you adhere to? I have finished a significant number of champions over the years, but because I don’t actively special dogs, my reputation is better known in the obedience and rally rings where I have had multiple High in Trial awards as well as High Combined awards in rally and over 50 companion titles on my dogs. The breeding philosophies I follow are pretty much what I learned from Joan Lueck, starting with linebreeding. The prob- lem with linebreeding in Bulldogs, however, is you must have ice

134 | SHOWSIGHT MAGAZINE, MAY 2022

Powered by