Authored and written by Alesia Dixon of Rare Bulldogs in 2009  ©Rare Bulldogs 2009 to present . Scroll Down to read Updates. 

This is sometimes a hot topic for discussion, especially among Bulldoggers(show breeders). This reading is to give you my honest, experienced dealings with these Rare Bulldogs and also the show world, which I was a part of for over 5 years as a member of the BCA.

Contrary to popular opinion, Black Bulldogs and other rare colors, are NOT inferior or of less quality than any other well-bred bulldog, they just don't meet the BCA standard for Bulldogs as far as color goes. The color DOES NOT affect their health, skin, or structure as many would have you believe, and unless you are wanting to show your dogs in competition, this is insignificant (actually, black and gray bulldogs can be entered in shows). I have been breeding "to breed standard" bullys for years now & have found that you get more health issues with those "well-bred" bloodlines than you do with the less desired bloodlines. I have for the past 3 years been bringing back some of my older bloodlines for this very reason and I saw a  marked difference after only 18 months & now at the 3 year mark, I can honestly say that I have virtually eliminated 99% of the major difficulties in whelping & raising litters.

Just because a pedigree is stacked with Champions does NOT mean you will get healthier bullys, as I now know, most of times it is the opposite. One reason is because show dogs are closely bred with the same lines of ancestors in them in order to bring out the best. The only problem with that is that you also bring out the worst. It really is all trial and error no matter how educated you are, and there are some great Lines of Champion bullys out there, no doubt. NO ONE can breed a perfect bulldog!

As of this writing, I have been breeding dogs for over 35 years and am very experienced with this issue of health. I would never knowingly breed inferior, unhealthy dogs, I LOVE my bullys! I have people(mostly show breeders) accuse me of being in it for the money. If this were the case, then I would actually HAVE some money! I put literally 90% of my incoming BACK into the care, feeding, comfort, & upkeep of my babies. As my vet put it the first time she did a farm call for me, " Man, these guys have it made!" Most show breeders will ALWAYS put down other breeders whether they are breeding rare colors or not...this is just the way it is in the Show World, only ONE of the many reasons I resigned from the BCA.

NOW REMEMBER, I AM SPEAKING FROM EXPERIENCE as one of them formerly. I am not trying to bash anyone, I am just simply telling the TRUTH. Were it not for the BASHING of me and every other breeder out there who does not show, this would not even need to be said, but I am a GOOD breeder, as are MANY others who do not show, so I have to take up for us!

Where did these Rare Colors come from, you might ask. Well, guess what!! They all started with Show Lines! Yes, the first Black Tri Bulldog that can be traced in the US came from a Show Breeder's Champion Stud. She sold the dog for twice what she normally would for her Champion Sired pups, and on top of that sold the dog with breeding rights. Yes, these dogs that, according to show breeders are inferior came directly from their own Champion Lines!!

How do I know?? From firsthand experience, as I bought a son of this first black dog when I started looking at the Beautiful Rare Colors. Right there under his Dad's name is the name of the person who bred him...a famous show kennel owner, who by the way was one of the bashers of Rare Colors! Yes, she came after me relentlessly posting ugly things about me until I brought to her attention that I did not think she would want me to let others know what I found out about her lines producing this black dog and then her selling him with full rights. She stopped immediately and I never told her show friends to this day what she did or who she is and I don’t intend to.

The reason myself and many others call these Black Beauties "Rare" is because there are few born every year. And as I said before, the color is undesirable according to the BCA breed standards and therefore Show breeders try NOT to produce black bulldogs. There are beginning to be several educated, experienced Black bulldog breeders in the States and Canada now, that will produce VERY NICE Black and other color Bulldogs, so maybe in several years we may not be able to call the Rare anymore.  

This is an excerpt from the BCA Bulldog Standard:  Color of Coat The color of coat should be uniform, pure of its kind and brilliant. The various colors found in the breed are to be preferred in the following order: (1) red brindle, (2) all other brindles, (3) solid white, (4) solid red, fawn or fallow, (5) piebald, (6) inferior qualities of all the foregoing. Note: A perfect piebald is preferable to a muddy brindle or defective solid color. Solid black is very undesirable, but not so objectionable if occurring to a moderate degree in piebald patches. The brindles to be perfect should have a fine, even and equal distribution of the composite colors. In brindles and solid colors a small white patch on the chest is not considered detrimental. In piebalds the color patches should be well defined, of pure color and symmetrically distributed. 

Notice they mention Black....so there ya go, it is and has always been naturally in this breed. So have the other hidden rare colors. Brown nose (chocolate) is a DQ. Why would this be a DQ if it were not naturally occurring in this breed? Gray and Gray Brindle(Blue) have been AKC color designations forever in this breed. so, no matter how much the BCA and Bulldoggers want to deny it, the proof is in the pudding, these colors are naturally occurring in this breed and have always been there.

This was authored & written by Alesia Dixon of Rare Bulldogs in 2009
©Rare Bulldogs 2009 to present 

BCA Presentation on banning Rare Colors. Read it HERE. 

BCA article specifically referencing THIS WEBSITE. Purpose of which is to ban the rare Colors, but in so doing, admits in the article that these rare Colors have always been in the breed. Read the article HERE. 

The BCA got their way with eliminating the Rare Colors from the AKC Show Ring. But that has not stopped us! Here is our Stance:

At Rare Bulldogs we are AVID AKC supporters, but, AKC & BCA Judges refuse to put up quality color dogs in the show ring even though they are closer to the Breed Standard than the dogs put up over them. I have watched this trend closely for about 5 years now & it is getting worse, not better, to the point that BCA has now changed the breed standard to disqualify our beautiful Rare Colors and Light Eyes.. Sooo...we have decided to go with a world known registry that is the BEST registry out there other than AKC, so that our Quality dogs can get the recognition they deserve. Therefore, most of our CHAMPIONS are ABKC CHAMPIONS. Check out our CHAMPIONS HERE.