CH BIONIC'S MIKIE OF MOOSE RUN (PEDIGREE)
NKC# NKC10-900373649; ABRA# AB13213-11
HEIGHT AT WITHERS: 25"
WEIGHT: 91 LBS.

Blasco Family Bulldogs© is very proud to welcome CH Bionic's Mikie of Moose Run to our Blasco Family Bulldogs© family. Mikie is a simply gorgeous Standard American Bulldog male, and he comes to us with a prestigious history well worth reading...

To begin with, our Mikie is an award winning dog, and not awards taken from smaller or more random shows either: Serious resume already established, Mikie handily won the 2011 NKC Nationals.

2011 NKC Nationals:

• Best in Show Standard (1st)
• Best Standard Male 2-4 (1st)
• Best Standard Male 2-4 (2nd)

2011 ABRA Outer Banks Bullie Bash:

• Best Standard (1st)
• Best Standard Male (1st)
• Best Standard Male 2-4 (1st)

2010 ABRA Outer Banks Bullie Bash:

• Best Senior Adult Male Standard (2nd)

2010 NKC Alabama Classic:

• Best Senior Adult Male Standard (2nd)

Mikie was bred by Alaska's Dave Pope of Moose Run American Bulldog Kennel, where he received his name and good looks.

From birth the pressure was on, Mikie's pedigree stacked with numerous other notorious dogs out of Moose Run, as well as other highly esteemed working American Bulldogs out of Hine's, Symmes, and Thunder Alley.

Mikie's dad is Moose Run's Go Train, a well known dog in his own right. Mikie's mom is none other than world reknowned BST Moose Run's Great Southern Trend Kill a/k/a Frosty, one of the most gorgeously impressive Standard American Bulldog females I have ever seen.

We like how Mikie has that happy puppy look even as an adult. He just always looks like he's smiling... at least until there's work to do, and then the fun and games are over...

Mikie left Alaska for South Carolina, and began his professional show career with Chris and Lydia Thompson, owners of the famed Bionic American Bulldogs. Bionic American Bulldogs are icons of the American Bulldog world, having bred and/or trained up countless award winning American Bulldogs, including:

Supreme Gr.Ch. Bionic's Iron Grip's Sentinel "Ellie"
(first ever female Supreme Gr.Ch. in NKC history)

...and so many other Champion, Grand Champion and even Supreme Gr. Ch. American Bulldogs they would be impossible to list here. So be sure to check out their website: www.bionicamericanbulldogs.net. If you're wanting a Standard type American Bulldog, Chris and Lydia Thompson have my strongest recommendation: They know dogs, they love dogs, they have fantastic dogs, and they're straight shooters who tell it like it is regarding any dog they have.

Chris Thompson of Bionic American Bulldogs is a licensed NKC Senior Judge & Breed Inspector. He is also Vice-President of The National Working Dog Association, Certified Decoy for Schutzhund USA & NWDA, Apprentice Judge for Schutzhund USA, President of the North Beach Schutzhund Club, and Winner of the 2012 USCA Southeast Regional Championship.

Needless to say, it was a big deal around here when Chris and Lydia Thompson emailed me out-of-the-blue to see if Blasco Family Bulldogs© might be interested in adopting CH Bionic's Mikie of Moose Run.

Champion Mikie had sustained a serious working injury to a pastern. Any further competition would present high risk of a much more debilitating injury. For a dog that competes at Mikie's level, any joint injury is a major problem.

Risking a more serious injury to Mikie by continuing to work him was out of the question for Chris and Lydia Thompson. For many months they nursed Mikie back to health, redirecting limited resources in an unlimited fashion, committed to making their Mikie whole again. They did this the entire time already knowing that in the peek of Mikie's very noteworthy professional career, that career had ended. The Thompsons forever earn my profound respect for the values that decision demonstrates. I am aware of many dog sports competitors who do differently every weekend, placeing injured dogs at risk in further competitions. Choosing a better path (a path loyal to their dog), Chris and Lydia contacted us here at Blasco Family Bulldogs©, desiring only the highest level of lifelong care for their injured boy Mikie.

There's a lesson to be learned there for those of you who compete with your dogs. Chris and Lydia Thompson are among the fiercest, and most highly accredited professional dog competitors on earth, with more awards and titles on their dogs, and more time and money invested into their dogs than most. In their case, however, these pursuits do not corrupt the soul. First and foremost above all things, Bionic American Bulldogs truly do love their dogs.

Maria and I were in the truck less than 24 hours later driving to South Carolina. We weren't about to trust an injured dog to a commercial airline. Furthermore, the experience of shaking hands with Chris and Lydia Thompson, seeing some of their dogs, and just listening to them talk about dogs for an afternoon... that's a list of privileges I'll count as blessings for the rest of my life.

So then, while Bionic easily could have recouped their investment, selling Mikie for many thousands of dollars to fellow competition breeders, they refused the inherent risk that Mikie might be worked again. Instead they contacted Blasco Family Bulldogs©, and offered Mikie to me for an agreement of gentleman's honor alone...

That's it. No coin delivered. No treaty enscribed. Patriarchs of two great dog families sat down together, broke bread and took counsel. A cherished member of one household was entrusted to another. Oath was given and oath received, covenant sealed with a handshake. No more was required.

The agreement: First, that I keep Mikie, loving and providing for him as a Blasco dog for the rest of his life. Second, that I offer Bionic American Bulldogs the option of a single Blasco puppy, sired by Mikie from a future breeding. That's all the Thompsons wanted, a good forever home for their dog.

Subsequent to these facts we proudly announce, that as of November 15, 2013, Blasco Family Bulldogs© is the new home of NKC Champion Bionic's Mikie of Moose Run. Mikie will enjoy the rest of his life as a well loved member of our family, running through our Colorado forests and tall grass, with a harem of pretty bulldog girls to breed.

Correct Structure at a Glance...

Here's my 12 year old son John, he and Mikie having built a deeply loving relationship. Mikie is crazy about John and the time they spend together daily.

In this picture we see a Standard type American Bulldog with the essentially perfect structure of a combat running dog, a catch dog, bred to chase down, seize and battle large game.

To begin with, Mikie is what has traditionally been called a "square" dog. That is, the measurement from his chest to patella (rear "knee") is roughly the same as the measurement from ground to withers (the highest point of the shoulders just behind the base of the neck). Many dogs in comparison have much longer backs, thus making for a longer dog. Why does being square matter so much...? Because a dog built for combat, whether against hog or man, that dog needs to be able to spin on its own axis, back to front and back again, and very, very fast.

Regarding docked tails, it is unfortunate that Mikie's tail was docked as a puppy. Dogs built square for combat duties also tend to have strong, thick, and downward held tails. This allows the dog's tail to be used as a kind of rudder (like on a boat). The tail helps whip the dog around lightning fast, spinning in order to always stay centered on, and in control of the opponent.

Now let's talk about leg structure a bit...

Why Good Legs Matter...

Left, Mikie's back legs stretch out straight, driving him into the bite. Dogs with outwardly turned rear legs (many American Bulldogs), they can't do that as Mikie is doing here. The dogs with that commonly overlooked structural flaw are not fully functional for protection work.

Similarly, note the neat, clean lines of Mikie's shoulders, front legs in front of and below him. Dogs with front legs slung out to the side creating a horseshoe shape in front can jump straight up in the air fine. However, the forward driving leaps required for protection work are much slower, often impossible when front legs are not below and straight in line with the shoulders.

Dogs with the described handicaps also lack the balance that Mikie demonstrates here and cannot run longer distances.

Squashed Noses are WRONG...

Look how Mikie gets the whole sleave in his mouth, yet his nose still turns slightly upward, allowing for clear breathing throughout the bite. Dogs with squashed in noses similar to English Bulldogs (often two inches or less in length), they'd be gasping for air executing a similar bite (and forced to let go). This in part is why Blasco Family Bulldogs© always wants our dogs to have the slightly longer noses of dogs like our Mikie. Today many people want that English Bulldog or "bully" look on their American Bulldogs. Not long ago American Bulldog enthusiasts mocked the English Bulldog for that super short nose. It was common knowledge that most of what determines a dog's stamina is how well the dog can breath. Avoid American Bulldogs with the English Bulldog's extreme facial features. American Bulldogs need their noses, to perform their traditional jobs, and also just to be the active family dogs we all love.

 

NKC Champion Bionic's Mikie of Moose Run.