Name: (Sunstar Devonshire) Ananda
Picture:
Breed: American Bulldog, female, spayed

Born: Born 1/24/04 to the Sunstar American Bulldogs breeder's Devonshire, a champion female American Bulldog. I had to drive 3-hours to see the breeder first, you know to check them out and meet the mommy doggy. I was abundantly impressed. I was looking for a breeder that cares, that raises the puppies indoors and handles them every day to help kick off the socialization. I also wanted to know if we would maintain a relationship after the purchase and sure enough, this breeder is available for the life of my dog. Devonshire had an amazing personality! I think you would have to meet her to get an idea of her nature, one of a kind! I loved her the moment I met her and definitely wanted a puppy from her lineage. Anyway, then I went back two more times, once while the puppies were only 3-weeks old and another time to pick up my new fur baby when she was 7-weeks old, and ooh was she cute! Her nose coloration even included a little heart.

About his owners: My name is Sammi. I live in Oregon. I am a technical writer, webmaster, communications lead and instructional designer for a major international company. My house's yard is a typical suburbian lot (more like the old kind that has10,000 square feet). Most of that footage is in the front yard although the fenced back yard is really plenty of room for me and Ananda to get exercise. ;o)

Why Fido: I did considerable research before selecting this breed. I wanted to get a guardian-type dog but didn't want a yipper. I wanted the breed to be people friendly (to friends not enemies), dogs and cat friendly who had the longest possible life span. That eliminated pretty much all the guardian dogs I was looking at. German Shepards can be raised with cats but their natural inclination is to herd them, American Pits tend to have dog aggression, Doberman's were attractive to me but they were exceedingly expensive and finding a good breeder was challenging. There was a chance of getting one that wasn't well bred and could have been high strung. Dobbies have a shorter life expectancy as well.

I have a friend who has an American Bulldog named Pig. When I first went to visit my friend she was frighteningly aggressive when I approached the house. I was afraid to go in. But once he invited me (after assuring me she was OK as long as he invites you in), she was a totally different dog. She spent my whole visit poring love at me. I fell in love with her and that was the clincher. I wanted a guardian dog, one that was under control and friendly until his/her home or people were threatened, then I wanted a impressive guardian. And this breed fits the bill. It is a natural quality they have and it is not recommended that you encourage that behavior. I didn't and she turned out perfect. She has great genes but lot of her excellent obedience and good behavior is from hours of us working on it together. I am a firm believer of being the leader not the boss because it is a relationship, after all, and they are your truest bluest companions http://www.involvement.gatech.edu/BossVsLeader.pdf.

What Fido likes: Ananda is quite the show stopper. I take her almost every where I go and boy do people flock to her. She is so friendly to new people. Folks indicate to me that she is so beautiful. People are just plain drawn to her. She obviously lifts their spirits with her lavish affections. She is such a love. Her favorite hobby is cuddling with me and my cat on the sofa watching TV with me. She is wonderful with my cat. She is careful with him; she let's him run the show. She even let's him take a nibble out of her without repercussions (well except a look of "dude what's your prob?" (Don't worry they are light nibbles and he never uses his claws on Ananda or draws blood I won't have that either). I couldn't be happier with the relationship they have. My cat loves her and I come home often seeing them cuddled up together. That was extremely important to me. I wanted a harmonious household.

And believe it or not she will actually let the squirrels chow down in the feeder without running after them...most of the time. What is super funny is the absolute nirvana her face exhibits when she is digging. This dog is no part-time digger, this is a serious hobby for her. At the beach she really tries to dig for China! In my garden she has a special place where digging is allowed and she sticks to that area only (took time to train her but it worked). Her cutest trait is her sense of humor, she is so full of fun that it is totally impossible to stay in a bad mood around her.

Recommendations:

Other dogs: There originally was a dog before Ananda (an elderly greyhound that I deeply loved which is why I wanted a breed that wouldn't have a risk of dog aggression) but she passed away before Ananda was even born, although I had been on the breeders list for months before that occured.

I followed that general socialization rule of 100 new people and animals in her formative puppy years. That was a really important effort. She hasn't met a person or animal (big or small) that she hasn't liked as result.

She loves to play with other dogs and makes new friends easily. She has a medium temperament and handles aggressive dogs perfectly while also being careful with smaller ones. The bottom line is she loves playing with other dogs and has never shown one ounce of dog aggressiveness.