State your name, and where your kennel is located.
My name is Gerrit van den Oever. My wife Christina van den Oever and I, are the founders of the most dangerous kennel to ever come out of California….”Bully House”. We’re currently located in the beautiful city of Pilot Hill in Northern California but originated in Long Beach, CA.
What type of dogs do you breed, and what inspired you to get involved with that particular breed?
As of right now we breed the standard and exotic French Bulldogs. However, we will soon be breeding English Bulldogs, American Bulldogs, and Pit Bull Terriers. Bully House, like everything else, began as a dream. We started off our dog career together with a French Bulldog when we met. He was our riding buddy while my wife and I lived on the roads of California, traveling up and down the coast on our Harley Davidson motorcycles. His affection and loyalty created a bond so strong we knew that we would have a bully in our family forever. Not too long after our escapades we had a daughter, Harley Quinn van den Oever. Bully House grew from the idea that we wanted to create something special for our daughter that brings us the joy, love, and affection these amazing pets have brought into our lives.
What type of diet do you keep your dogs on throughout the year?
Bully House utilizes the B.A.R.F (RAW) diet on all of our adult animals. We found that sticking to the most simple natural diet is not only best for the dogs, but best for everyone. It’s a lot of work to be honest, but we want the best for our furkids.
What is your favorite bloodline?
What’s my favorite bloodline?…. Thats extremely hard to choose since there are so many great bloodlines. If I had to pick one, i’d have to say our Turbo Machine’s bloodline from the famous Micro Machine. She is a beautiful blue brindle and full of so much spunk.
Do you currently show, any of your dogs?
Well, Porkchop does play dead when you pretend to shoot him, and a few other tricks, so I guess you can say he “shows off” haha.. As for dog shows, we plan on getting into shows in the near future.
What advice do you have for any upcoming breeders?
My advice would be to take the extra time out of your day to give love to the dogs. For you, the dogs are only there for part of your life, but to them you are their whole life.
What do you think, is the most difficult thing for people in the bully game to overcome?
I think the biggest challenge for people in the bully game is probably the fact that the bitches need cesareans. It’s also a tiny bit sad when the litter leaves the mom. Other than the occasional genetic health problems for the stubby short cute snorters, risk of diseases, and of course do not forget the frenchie farts.
How do you think they can overcome this thing?
Well you usually can’t overcome a cesarean, but as long as you find a great vet and don’t overwhelm your female with litters, you will have a healthy happy pup. As far as parting her from the babies, here at Bully House we aim for a lifetime bond. Future play dates and lots of love for our furkids. For genetics, I think that if breeders do what they’re supposed to do, and don’t cut corners, the general health of the bully breed will only purify itself from the bad seeds. Now for the farts, don’t breathe with your nose.
Who do you look up to in the bully game, and why?
I have so many breeders in mind that I look up to for different reasons. If i had to pick one for a mentor type, I’d have to say 951 bullies. They have an amazing bully program, but for me it’s that they take the extra steps to make sure the puppies are as healthy as possible, and have always been there to answer any questions when it comes to experience in breeding.
Tell us about one of your most memorable moments, in 2017 so far.
Besides the Bully House family BBQ’s and moving our pups from Southern California beach life to Northern California farm life, the best memory so far is being able to watch our daughter grow an amazing bond with each and every pet we bring into our home. Watching our baby and furbabies play and cuddle is one of the most adorable admirable moments that make every second worth it. Even the long nights of waking up every hour to care for puppies. Worth it!
Describe how you would want things, in the bully Community, to be 10 years from now.
I want to see healthier dogs. I want the abuse and neglect to stop. I want to see the world look at the bully breed differently. It’s so upsetting when we hear people are afraid of the bully breed. If people had hearts like dogs this world would be a better place.
What separates your kennel from the competition?
What separates us from everyone else is we’re in it for the animals. We want to see these breeds protected and respected. When anyone adds a Bully House family member to their household they become part of the Bully House family, and will have lifetime support from us. Our ultimate goal is to provide life support that offers our home as a second home for their dogs. We hope to keep in contact with every family that takes a Bully House bully home, and offer playdates, puppy parties, and social furfamily gatherings.
What other hobbies or interests do you take part in?
Aside from the bullies we ride motorcycles any chance we get. We all own our own bikes including our 10 month old daughter, we’re hoping she will ride by the time she is 3. We also believe in 2A and have a green thumb.
What motto do you live by?
The Bully House motto would have to be “Family First”.
What do you think of Bully Girl Magazine?
No f–king around, Bully Girl Magazine is the business. Bottom line, my goto for anything bully.
