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MEMBER
since 1997
Dogo Canario Club
of America  Pennsylvania Hip
Improvement Project |
Hooligan Acres is a hobby breeder/refuge kennel run by Steve and Carla
Walker,
located in Central Virginia. We have endeavored to contribute positively to
this breed in all aspects of our involvement in it.
One of the most asked questions we get from people is how we got into this
breed. Well like most presa fanciers, we got into it through another
breed. In our case it was the APBT. Steve and I met while working
together in a pet store in Northern Virginia. At the time, Dave
Wilson, of Razor's Edge Kennel APBT/"American Bully" fame was also a
co-worker. Dave was just beginning his breeding program in the APBT
world, and cast an eye on the presa which was just getting started here in
the States. To make a long story short, he got us interested in this awesome
breed, and while he decided to keep his attention on the APBT, we got hooked
on the presa.
 It
all began with two... our initial dogs Rabies and Rampage, in 1995.
Dave spoke Spanish and had an acquaintance with the wife of the Spanish club
president, so he helped us go "right to the source". It wasn't until
we had these dogs a year and a half, th at
we attended our first dog show, and began to see the terrible state the
breed was in here in the USA. When you meet a 10 month old male who is twice
as tall as your imported 1.5 yr old, you know something's not right. Then
there were the "blue" dogs with yellow eyes and the mostly white dogs with
brindle patching that resembled American Bulldogs...
While
we had been doing our research on the breed, calling US breeders, we also
were told many lies and fallacies about the breed which came to light the
further involved with the breed that we got. So our mission became to
try to put this breed back on track, and resurrect it to it's Spanish ideal.
We were heartbroken when in our attempt to keep on the right path, our first
pair were OFA'd and failed due to DJD and Hip Dysplasia. So we picked
ourselves up, and started over.
We
discovered the internet in 1995, and that opened up a whole new world for
us. We met international presa owners, and found a forum dedicated to
the breed. It was hosted through the first website about the breed created
by a Canarian .... Presa Canario on the Web, by Elias Rodriguez of
Gran Canaria. On this website we first learned that one of the things we
were told in our initial research was a lie- presas DID get Hip
Dysplasia/Degenerative Joint Disease. We also met up with a person who
would change our lives and fuel our purpose in this breed, Tracy Hennings of
Dark Force Kennel. Tracy posted one day looking for interested partied
to help and join the presa club she had recently taken over- the Presa
Canario Club of America. We hesitantly replied, fearing she would be a
little leary of two people who had already made enemies in the breed, by
being strong opinioned about breed issues. In fact, it was the
opposite. Tracy was looking for people not afraid to stand up for the breed,
and so our crusade began.....
*********************
 We
have had a little success in almost every area of the breed, enough to give
us some knowledge, but not enough to make us think we know it all. We
have competed in Confirmation shows of almost every venue that accepts the
Presa or Dogo Canario, trained in PP to various degrees, light weight pull
training and an attempt at hog catching. We made the journey to Gran Canaria
and Tenerife before many others in the breed did, and although we have not
been able to go back since, we still carry the experience with us. We have
been active in the breed rescue, and always active in education and positive
exposure whenever possible. We also are the first to offer a life-time
guarantee on our show/working/breeding propect puppies.
Being a
hobby breeder, we both have full time jobs to support the dogs, not the
other way around. So we have not bred that many litters despite our 13 year
history. But we have learned something with each litter, and learned even
more about watching other breeders ... and we have a few simple rules:
*We
do not Co-Own. This rarely goes right, no matter how well you know
the other person.
*
We do not accept deposits for puppies prior to 6 weeks
of age.
*
We will ALWAYS accept a dog back if neccessary for any
reason.
*We
are always interested in educating the public. HOWEVER, please read
the site before contacting us, so that you don't spend the entire
conversation rehashing what's already available to learn...
*We are not in it simply for the sale...
Oftentimes we don't have a litter, or have any planned. We will refer you to
someone we personally recommend who may have what you're looking for. We
simply cannot see ourselves making our livelihood off of our dogs. We are
also always interested in taking our dogs back if needed at anytime in their
lives. For more information, please feel free to contact us at:
hooliganacres@wildblue.net
or by phone 804-633-2841
evenings EST
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