How I Started Showing Bulldogs

Prior to my "Bulldog Days" I exhibited Quarter Horses. In fact, I was the Indiana Reserve All-Around in Quarter Horses in 1995 aboard my gelding, Omega Step. I purchased this unbroke gelding at the age of 2 and proceeded to break and train him myself. When most of the other exhibitors had high priced trainers fine-tuning their mounts between classes, I worked my horse all by myself. Mega and I earned many High-Point Awards and several year-end Championships.

In 1996, I decided it might be easier and cheaper to start showing dogs. After all, they could be shown out of a simple van instead of a 47 foot horse trailer. That may have been true in the beginning, but isn't so after acquiring a whole kennel of bulldogs.

My first dog show took place at the Wheaton Kennel Club near Chicago in January of 1997. Bill was only 6 months old and neither one of us really knew what we were doing. Carol Williams was judging and gave us Reserve Winners Dog at a 3 point major show. I asked the other exhibitors if that was any good to which they replied, "Yes, for your first time!" I went on to finish Bill's championship before he even reached a year of age.

Next, I acquired a wonderful little white bitch from Cody Sickle who was named Cherokee Only Oprah. I started showing her at 6 months of age just after Bill completed his Championship. She was my favorite dog to show. Oprah started winning early on and completed her Championship at 8 months of age. This is where my kennel name derived from. I wanted a short, simple kennel name that was easy to remember, hence came - Only Bulldogs Kennel.

During the summer of 1997 I became friends with many people from Ohio including Barbara Edwards, a longtime bulldog breeder. Barb had a very cute (but overweight) red puppy bitch named Hollyhock that she was attempting to show. Holly was running circles around Barb in the ring and I stepped in to offer to help show Hollyhock. Barb and I later agreed that I would take Hollyhock home for a while to train and show her. A few months later, Barb discovered she had terminal cancer and I purchased Hollyhock from her without realizing at the time that Hollyhock would become the Matriarch of my line.

Most all of the bulldogs from the Only Bulldogs Kennel line is derived from the combining of Ch. Cherokee Legend Mouser Bill and Ch. Edwards' Hollyhock. Together, they produced 5 Champion offspring. This combination has been proven very successful. I have taken the Cherokee line which is known for its wonderful heads and jaws with great movement and soundness and combined it with the heavy boned, thick bodied Edwards' line to produce my own distinctive line of bulldogs.

On the Personal Side

I am a 1991 graduate from Indiana University School of Business with a Bachelor Degree in Real Estate Finance. For 7 years I appraised commercial real estate properties including offices, warehouses, shopping centers, apartment complexes and subdivisions. After getting bored with reading and writing 100 page appraisal reports, I started law school.

I graduated from Valparaiso University School of Law in 2000. I went to law school to become a real estate attorney but somehow decided trial work and criminals were much more entertaining. After graduation, I became a Marion County (Indianapolis, Indiana) Deputy Prosecuting Attorney. Some time later, I decided that it was even more fun to work with the criminals rather than against them and became a Criminal Defense Attorney. In just 2 short years of practicing criminal law, I have done more than 100 trials. Trials are similar to dog shows, they give you a great adrenaline rush.

I am also an avid hunter and have bagged several deer using a muzzleloader.

Current Statistics

I have finished a total of 16 bulldogs with 12 homebred champions and 3 BCA Hall of Fame Producers. I was inducted into the BCA Hall of Fame as a Breeder in 2003.

Ch. Cherokee Legend Mouser Bill is a BCA Hall of Fame Producer as a sire. Ch. Edwards' Hollyhock and Ch. Only Chateau de Merlot are both BCA Hall of Fame Producers as dams.