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The
Bulldog Club of America
1911 – 1930
by Edna R. Secor
In the 1952 Year Book, we tried to give
you the history of The Bulldog Club of America during its first twenty years. In
this Report, I have extracted from the minutes of the next twenty years the
items, which I thought, might be of interest.
In 1911, with
Mr. W. C. Codman as President and Mr. John F. Collins as Vice-President, there
was a membership of 94. Mr. Collins and others at the annual meeting spoke on
the recognition of all bulldog specialty clubs, and a committee was appointed
to consider the matter. Also in April of that year, a committee was appointed
to consider the revision of the standard. Both committees recommended no change
at that time.
In 1912, the
Philadelphia Bulldog Club was granted permission to become an active member of
the American Kennel Club. The same request from the Bulldog Breeders
Association of America, a national organization, was refused, and they were
advised that “this Club has in mind a federation of Bulldog clubs and feels
that refusal at this time will simplify the matter.” However, the Breeders
Association was granted permission to hold a 4-point Specialty Show.
Also in 1912,
attempts were made to have miniature Bulldogs recognized as a separate
classification. These attempts failed at that time. However, in 1914, the Board
voted “to attempt to have the American Kennel Club accept the Miniature Bulldog
Club of America to membership and to acknowledge the dog as a separate and
distinct breed”. In 1922, the following item appears: “The matter of separate
regular and winners classes for miniatures was discussed and it was unanimously
decided to request the American Kennel Club to refuse to allow in the future
any separate regular or winners classes for miniatures”.
In 1913,
representatives of the Bulldog Clubs of New Jersey, Philadelphia, Western
Pennsylvania and the Bulldog Breeders Association met with the Board of
governors of The Bulldog Club of America to discuss the amalgamation of the
various bulldog clubs. The consolidation did not materialize, although in 1914
the Bulldog Breeders Association did associate with The Bulldog Club of
America. However, after a period of six months, it apparently failed to work
and was dissolved.
The Bulldog
Club of New Jersey was granted permission to hold a Specialty Show in 1913.
Also in that year, The Bulldog Club of America ruled that in Specialty Shows,
75 or more bulldogs actually exhibited would constitute a 4-point show; less
than 75 would be a 2-point show.
In 1914, the
Standard was changed to disqualify a Dudley. Attempts were made to have Match
Shows monthly except for February, July and August. These were canceled in May,
as they did not draw enough dogs. Regular quarterly meetings of members were
instituted so that the members could administer the affairs of the Club
directly, insofar as it was possible. These quarterly meetings also did not
draw too many members and so were discontinued after a trial period.
The first
mention of the Chicago Bulldog Club was made in 1916, and it was permitted to
hold a 4-point Specialty Show in 1917. Financial difficulties beset The Bulldog
Club of America in 1917, and as a result they discontinued holding specialty
shows for a few years. Club members contributed to the Treasury in order to pay
the outstanding bills, and after a few years, the Club was back on its feet
financially.
The Bulldog
Club of New England was first mentioned in 1921, and the Pacific Coast Bulldog
Club in 1923 was granted permission to hold a Specialty Show. The request of
the Chicago Bulldog Club to become a direct member of the American Kennel Club
in 1923 was denied.
In 1924, The
Bulldog Club of America started a practice, which we seem to have gone back to
today—that of holding their specialty shows in various sections of the country.
In 1924, it was held in connection with the Maryland Kennel Club in Baltimore;
in 1925, with the Cincinnati Kennel Club. Then for two years it was held at the
Waldorf Astoria in New York in conjunction with the Specialty Show of the
French Bulldog Club of America, and in 1928 it was held in Chicago and managed
by the Chicago Bulldog Club.
During many of
these years, Annual Specials were offered to Club members as it is done today
in so many Specialty Clubs. Names appearing as new members – names familiar to
us today as well-known bulldoggers – are Mrs. Harry Brunt, Mr. Ferd Kramer, and
Miss Brooke B. Bensberg II. Joining in 1926: Mr. Thomas Hayden, Mr. George
Beckett, and Mr. Carey Lindsay joining in 1929.
In 1928,
membership cards were given out for the first time to all members. Also in
1928, the Detroit Bulldog Club, Inc., the Bulldog Club of Buffalo, and the
Bulldog Club of Maryland were recognized.
In 1929, a
Puppy Sweepstakes was established. Each specialty club was to conduct matches
to determine their finalists, the finalists then to compete in The Bulldog Club
of America Specialty Show, provided they were not one year of age at the time
of the Specialty.
Looking back
over these years, we find that many of the same problems in existence today
were even then problems. Many of the problems then were simply tabled and
forgotten, and others died a natural death through the trial and error method.
We hope that 20 or 30 years from now, our present records will indicate to
those following in our footsteps that we have made real progress in making The
Bulldog Club of America an organization truly representative of the bulldog and
the bulldog breeder and owner.
© 2006, The Bulldog
Club of America