Tell our readers a little bit about yourself.
UNTOUCHABULLZ was conceived and founded by two long time friends; Joshua Bell and Joshua Burtch. UNTOUCHABULLZ XL BULLIES or simply UNTOUCHABULLZ, is an up and coming kennel specializing in breeding XL American Bullies, located in beautiful Northern Ontario, Canada.
What type of dogs do you breed, and what inspired you to get involved with that particular breed?
We breed XL American Bullies. From a young age, we have been involved with APBT’s and developed a passion for “pit bull” type dogs. As childhood friends, we both owned APBT litter mates, Canaan and Cesar that we raised closely together; along with other dogs. During that time, BSL was imposed in our area that specifically targeted APBTs, Staffordshire Bull Terriers and American Staffordshire Terriers; banning those breeds and making them illegal to own.
Thankfully, our dogs were grandfathered into the legislation. This allows them to live out their lives under certain requirements such as being spayed/neutered, along with restrictions regarding their confinement and public handling.
Naturally, as our dogs aged we began wondering what breed of dog we would focus our attention on. Which breed could replace our beloved APBTs that we were no longer legally able to own? We entertained different breeds, before ultimately discovering the American Bully. We immediately fell in love with the breed. It was a natural progression from the APBT’s we had grown to love. In our opinion, the Bully was an upgrade in every way, for the type of dog that suited our style and lifestyle.
Unfortunately, Cesar passed away several years ago; however, we are happy to report that Canaan just celebrated her 16th birthday in November!
In your opinion, what are the characteristics of a responsible dog breeder?
A responsible breeder should always have the welfare of their dogs at the forefront. Responsible breeders never breed for the sole purpose of self enrichment. The goal should always be to carefully research and thoughtfully select breedings that enhance and better the overall breed. Produce consistent, healthy and temperamentally sound dogs. Responsible breeders feel a compulsion to educate anyone seeking advice or with questions about the breed.
From a business perspective, a responsible breeder should always seek out the very best homes for their dogs. Treat clients respectfully, honestly, and fairly. For a responsible breeder, the sale of a puppy is a long term commitment, not a simple one-time transaction. Responsible breeders maintain a relationship with clients for the life of their puppy and beyond; providing a constant source of information and guidance.
What type of diet do you keep your dogs on throughout the year?
We feed all our adults dogs and puppies super premium dry kibble. Orijen is the very best dry dog food on the planet. Shoutout to Champion Pet Foods! We use different varieties of Orijen dog food, primarily the Puppy, Original, Regional Red and Six Fish varieties. This keeps things interesting for our dogs and alternates the sources of protein. On occasion, our dogs enjoy fresh fruit and plain pumpkin purée mixed in with their food. In addition to their regular kibble, we also give our dogs nutritional supplements with additional vitamins, minerals, and nutrients.
What is your favorite bloodline?
The term “bloodline” is irresponsibly thrown around a lot, and is often incorrectly used. It often means something different to many people. That being said, some of the bloodlines and related traits we appreciate are CAMELOT for size, appearance and aptitude for weight pulling. ROYAL BLUE GENERATION for size and overall appearance. RAZORS EDGE for great structure and even temperament. GREYLINE for great structure and overall appearance. Lastly, GANGHIS KON for thick bone and large blocky heads.
We don’t focus on any specific name or bloodline but instead examine each dog’s pedigree; as well as, physical and mental traits. We select dogs for breeding that will compliment each other physically and maintain a calm and even temperament; while trying to avoiding or mitigate the effects of any obvious or known undesirable traits.
Do you currently show, any of your dogs?
No we do not competitively show any of our dogs currently. As an up and coming Kennel our primary focus right now is carefully cultivating our program and working and training our dogs. Also, we both maintain full time careers and live in a somewhat isolated area, which make traveling the far distances to attend these shows very difficult. However, it is certainly something we plan to do in the future as we move forward. We feel like shows are not only a place to compete, but also to socialize and meet others within the community.
What advice do you have for any upcoming breeders?
Have a vision of what you want to do. Don’t be negatively influenced by what others are doing. Plan things out, execute, and set realistic goals. Be fair and honest, and always conduct yourself with the highest level of integrity.
In a 2007 interview, Steve Martin (actor/comedian) was asked what advice he had for aspiring performers. In short, Martin replied “Be so good, they can’t ignore you”.
What do you think, is the most difficult thing for people in the bully game to overcome?
It’s difficult to get your name out there and gain widespread exposure and recognition.
How do you think they can overcome this thing?
Thoughtfully, pick and produce amazing dogs. Be persistent and consistent. Effectively use social media to spread your brand. Have a vision. Plan and execute. Have standards and follow them. Be so good, they can’t ignore you.
Who do you look up to in the bully game, and why?
So many individuals have contributed so much to the bully community and the breed. Dave Wilson and Saul Cervantes definitely can’t be overlooked. However, we wouldn’t be in this position without Bossy Kennels. We could just say Kat who is an incredibly intelligent and hard working business woman but she would be the first to tell you that she wouldn’t be where she is without her amazing team. Thanks to the entire Bossy crew who have been indispensable for us.
Tell us about one of your main goals for the year 2019.
This is our breakout year. In 2019, we plan to have our first official UNTOUCHABULLZ breedings, and show the community what we can produce. We will also be adding a few more key pieces to our program. Stay tuned!
Describe how you would want things, in the bully breed Community, to be 10 years from now.
In ten years, we hope the American Bully breed has developed a more consistent look with a more precisely defined standard. We would love to see the breed recognized by other large multi-breed registries such as the AKC and CKC.
We would also like to see a more comprehensive plan implemented by the UKC to allow for the proper registration of American Bullies, registered as APBTs. Although the UKC does offer a breed transfer program, in its current form, it actually discourages breeders from making the transition. We won’t detail the all the reasons here, but anyone familiar with the process surely understands. The dog’s pedigree and ‘PR’ status is affected and breeding options are now limited only to other officially registered American Bullies.
As the only big multi-breed registry that recognizes Bullies, UNTOUCHABULLZ feels that this is a huge problem that should be more seriously understood and addressed by the UKC. It was a huge step forward for the UKC to recognize the American Bully as its own unique breed, separate from the APBT in 2013. However, without a realistic and comprehensive mechanism in place for all those dogs historically registered as APBTs to transfer to American Bullies, it’s all just a meaningless gesture.
What separates your kennel from the competition?
We’re not in competition with anybody, but ourselves. For starters, we strive to be the very best at what we do and are constantly looking to improve and educate ourselves. Our dogs are not simply breeding stock that spend most of their time in kennels. Our dogs are family pets that live with us and our families. UNTOUCHABULLZ dogs ride shotgun with us in our trucks and accompany us almost everywhere. We spend a lot of time socializing, working, and exercising our dogs. We’re not just dog breeders, we’re dog lovers just like our clients.
UNTOUCHABULLZ takes pride in exceptional customer service. We offer a smooth and pleasant customer experience that our clients won’t find anywhere else. Our clients have an incredible experience that they can’t wait to tell everyone about. We invite everyone to look us up and see what it feels like to be UNTOUCHABULL!
What other hobbies or interests do you take part in?
In no particular order, other hobbies and/or interests of ours include: family, fishing, hunting, cottage life, sports, politics, traveling, sushi, poker and hip hop.
What do you think of Bully Girl Magazine?
Bully Girl Magazine is a great source of meaningful content and interesting articles. It’s an excellent resource for information and tips about the Bully Breed. Bully Girl provides news about the happenings in the bully community, and is a great place to showcase Bully Breeders and connect members of the community.
We would like to thank Bully Girl Magazine for this amazing opportunity, and for everything they contribute to this incredible community.
