Buckeye Bulldog Club

According to the 1953 Annual Report of the Bulldog Club of America, one of Division II’s earliest member clubs, the Buckeye Bulldog Club, was formed in 1942 and based in Columbus, Ohio.

The BCA’s Quadrennial Report of 1966-1969 confirms the club’s existence in a Buckeye Bulldog Club report which states that the club’s first specialty show also was held in 1942. The popular theme of the club’s annual spring specialties has long been known as the “The Red Carpet” specialty shows.

The club’s annual specialty show was often offered in conjunction with the Central Ohio Kennel Club all-breed shows near Delaware, Ohio. Its 27^th annual specialty was held in 1969, according to the same BCA quadrennial report. Its 58^th annual specialty was held at the Ohio State Fairgrounds on April 22, 2000.

The club began publishing a monthly bulletin or newsletter for its members named “Bull Chips” and established a distinctive club logo early in its infancy. There were reportedly 110 dues paying members by 1969.

Some of the Buckeye Bulldog Club’s most notable breeders, exhibitors, judges and officers during the club’s long history included such former bulldog luminaries as Joe D. Laughlin, owner of Ch. Nugget My Ideal, the first BCA National Best of Breed winner during the reorganization of the BCA in 1949. Other officers, to name a few, included H. C. McElhenny, J. R. Lockett, Damon Guthery, S. William Laswell and Charles and Ruth Bain.

A prominent Bulldog judge, Dr. John A. Little, who resides in Bloomingburg, Ohio, was active in the club in its early years. He is the author of “The Bulldog Monograph 2002,” a highly authoritative analysis of the AKC and BCA approved Bulldog Standard of Excellence.

The Buckeye Bulldog Club is one of the oldest of four specialty clubs located in the state of Ohio. The others are the Bulldog Club of Greater Cleveland (1933), Cincinnati Bulldog Club (Reorganized 1970), and the Toledo Bulldog Club (1980).

Researched and provided by G. William Andree