Bulldog Club of Northern California

The Bulldog Club of Northern California was founded around 1931 by bulldog fanciers in the San Francisco area.

Early meetings were held in members’ homes and in a member’s kennel supply store.

Principal founders of the club were H. P. Beddau, William Draycott, William Ballantyne, and K.V. Van Arsdol.

Charter members were: William Draycott, president (1932 – 1938); William Ballantyne, vice president; Dr. Gladys Boxton Olson, secretary, Mr. and Mrs. George Place, Mr. and Mrs. K.V. Van Arsdol, Mr. and Mrs. W. S. Bayus, Mr. and Mrs. G. E. Nelson. Mr. and Mrs. E. O. Bonniers, Mr. and Mrs. E. O. Pieper, A. C. Fisher, H. P. Beddau, and Alice Hager.

The first match was held at the estate of Mabel Fox in 1939. It was truly a fun match with classes for the Bulldog with the longest tail, the biggest head, and so forth. The event ended with a costume parade.

The club's first AKC-sanctioned show was held May 23, 1948 at the Presidio. Fifty-one Bulldogs were entered, and they were judged by William Fox.

The club’s insignia was adapted from the Bulldog head that was used for years by the Golden Gate Kennel Club for their trophies and catalogs. That club had many Bulldog fanciers, but its use of the Bulldog head ceased in the 1940s.

In 1970, BCNC hosted the first of its BCA National Weekend specialties. That event included the first ever Bulldog obedience trial. In 1975, BCNC hosted the largest Bulldog specialty in the country, exceeding even that year’s National specialty. The club also hosted the BCA National in 1987 and again in 2003.

BCNC serves all of northern California, excluding Sacramento and a 50-mile radius around it, which is the territory of the Mother Lode Bulldog Club.

General meetings are held the fourth Thursday of each month at 7:30 p.m., except in July and December. The location is the Pet Food Express office, 2141 Williams St., San Leandro.

Jane Pharr, Corresponding Secretary, teamkipling@yahoo.com, can be contacted for more information.

In its early years, BCNC was a parlor-sized organization. After World War II, there was a surge in showing and dog club activity everywhere in the state.

BCNC was incorporated in 1950 and began to grow from a 40-50 member organization to its present strength of about 130 members.

Submitted by Jane Pharr

Sources include: History of Northern California Bulldogs by John Newport and This is Your Bulldog Club of Northern California by B. M. Thackrey