State your name, your kennel, and where your kennel is located.
My name is Heather Kuzma, I am the Owner and founder of Oily Drop Bullies. We are located in Saratoga Springs, New York (north of Albany, NY).
What type of dogs do you breed, and what inspired you to get involved with that particular breed?
I breed and show XL American Bullies. I have always had larger sized dogs growing up. When I came across this breed about 6 years ago now, I fell in love immediately. Everything about them had me in awe. Their size and structure draw immediate attention. Whether people like Bully Breeds or not, the demeanor, temperament, personality, and eagerness to please, all add to this breeds potential.
In your opinion, what are the characteristics of a responsible dog breeder?
A Responsible breeder in my opinion, is someone who focuses on bettering the breed all around. Responsible breeders breed for a purpose, while focusing on structure, temperament, and the overall health and wellness of the dogs that are being produced and placed with future families. It’s a lifetime relationship you build with new families when they purchase a dog from you. A new owner should be able to reach their breeder at anytime during the life of the dog to share updates, ask questions, get guidance, etc.
What type of diet do you keep your dogs on throughout the year?
My dogs diets vary depending on what we have coming up. Some are kibble fed (Sportsmix Wholesome Lamb recipe), and we incorporate RAW and Young Living Vitality Essential oils frequently for special events coming up, such as dog shows or meet and greets. Our goal is to boost their performance, immune systems, skin, and coats.
What is your favorite bloodline?
My personal favorite bloodlines are Remyline and Razors Edge. The overall look of the dogs is what got me into the breed. From the moment I saw my first picture of an American Bully (LowJack Remy Martin), I was amazed by their tight skin, apple cheeks, body structure, and head shape. The temperament of the American Bully is perfect for me. I love that perfect balance of an on/off switch for working ability, whether it be weight pull, lure course, or dock diving.
Do you currently show any of your dogs?
We do currently show our dogs. I currently have a triple registry Champion male in ABKC, UKC and BBCR that I produced. This dog is handled by my great friend and show family Felix Guzman of Soundwave Kennels. Prince Charmer, is something like 50 points shy of being the first TBKC Champion, and only two Champion wins from being a UKC Grand Champion. I have a 5 month old female, Wyobulls Pause for Praise of Oily Drop Bullies, who will be making her show ring debut in the next few months.
What advice does Oily Drop Bullies have for any upcoming breeders?
My advice for upcoming breeders would have to be stay humble. Also find a mentor whose doing exactly what you want to do with the breed such as showing, titling, health testing. They should have the same morals as you. Never be afraid to ask for help or guidance and always go to shows, no matter what, win or lose. The show scene is a fantastic place to build bonds with not only your dog(s), but with people too. Networking with like minded people is something that not much can beat in this world. We’re all here for the love of our dogs.
What do you think is the most difficult thing for people in the bully game to overcome?
The most difficult thing for people in the bully world to overcome would be the overall health and wellness of our bulls and accepting change. Whether its the “OG’s” in the game or a new breeder with their first dog. We can all learn something from the next person. Your way may not be my way, but we can respect it and learn something new from that person.
How do you think they can overcome this thing?
I believe there is a lot we can do overcome these problems in our community. With all the health testing options available for our breed now through the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA), PennHip, Embark, PawPrint Genetics etc., there is no reason that we shouldn’t want to try to do better for our breed as a whole.
As far as accepting change, I believe we as a community should be more welcoming to the new people and willing to offer knowledge without hate. This would allow us to go far in our efforts of educating the public and other major registries about our breed and their endless potential.
Who do you look up to in the bully game, and why?
I have a lot of people I look up to in the bully world. They are all doing everything they can to better the bully breeds in general. They are focusing on producing the best possible healthy dogs for their future families and motivating those around them to do better. Soundwave Kennels, 2nd2nunBullies, Ross Bullies & Retrievers, Diesel Dogs, Shock-n-Aw Bullies, Southern Charm Bullies and of course Mr. TSE Connected himself FW Spielberg. I always love seeing people pushing hard in every way possible to educate others. All of these kennels owners are super humble, friendly, and willing to help anyone out at anytime.
Tell us about one of Oily Drop Bullies main goals for the year 2019.
One of my main goals for 2019 is to finish up the Grand Champion run in UKC. I would also like to get some great litters out there, and get to a few different registries national shows this year. We have only been to one ABKC national show and I’d love to do it again. I’m curious to see what else is out there in the other registries as well.
Describe how you would want things, in the bully breed Community, to be 10 years from now.
Ten years from now, I’d love to see a more unified community. I would also like to see a more visible standard followed for our breed. There should be no more breeding to specific “visions”. Our dogs are all still supposed to possess the same breed type, no matter what size variation they are.
What separates Oily Drop Bullies from the competition?
What separates my kennel from our competition is our overall outlook. We are a kennel that focuses on overall health and wellness, and holistic regimens on a daily basis. We are constantly traveling for shows in multiple registries. Oily Drop Bullies stays humble. We stay eager to meet new people and teach people about essential oils and their benefits for our dogs. Whether they like XL’s or not, they’re going to see us all over for a long time. Oily Drop Bullies is not going anywhere any time soon.
What other hobbies or interests do you take part in?
My other hobbies and interests include being out in nature as much as possible. I love hiking, swimming, traveling to dog shows, and teaching classes on safe and effective essential oil usage in your pet friendly homes. If I am not working, we are out in the community training, educating, and listening to the people and fellow breeders or dog lovers.
What do you think of Bully Girl Magazine?
What can I say? I love that BGM gives the community a platform to showcase what they are doing. It doesn’t matter if you’re a huge kennel or a newbie to the breed. BGM gives the underdogs a chance to shine. Bully Girl Magazine is a great way to give back to the Bully community and to show support to everyone all around. We support BGM 1000%.
