Lorene Wilson | AdoraBull Staffordshire Bull Terriers

Interview with Lorene Wilson, Breeder of AdoraBull Staffordshire Bull Terriers

Please tell us a little bit about yourself. Where do you live? What is your breed? What is your kennel name? Do you have a website? How long have you been in dogs? How long have you been breeding dogs? Who are some of your best-known dogs?

Lorene Wilson: For over 35 years, I have been consistently, actively involved in breeding AKC Registered bull & terrier breeds of dogs in California as a Master Breeder. Most notably, American Staffordshire Terriers (AST) under the SIERRA STAFFS kennel prefix as a GOLD achievement level and a BRONZE achievement level; and dual achievement level-titled Breeder of Merit by adding Staffordshire Bull Terriers (SBT) under the ADORABULL registered prefix.

For the purposes of this interview, I will focus on my transition to the smaller variety of Staffordshire Bull Terriers. Due to my previous experience as a top internationally recognized breeder of AST, I was able to swiftly seek out acquisition of the very best pedigreed bloodlines from Europe to build a strong consistent SBT kennel in the US that has produced a male dog named GCH AdoraBull Hammerhead Enters The Water who became the No. 1 All-Breed Male SBT in the US as well as producing the No. 1 All-Breed & Breed winning SBT Bitch in the US, named GCH AdoraBull Maxi Express Of LynWyn, and the No. 2 bitch, GCH AdoraBull Black Pearl of LynWyn. My first litter was well researched, and planned and executed by a skilled, experienced professional breeder, which resulted in the production of four Grand Champions that became notable Terrier Group Winning and Placing SBT.

As a Breeder, can you share your thoughts on your breed today? Is breed type strong? Are there things to be concerned about? Are there any health-related issues? Have you worked with breeders overseas? Are pet homes typically available for your breed?

Lorene Wilson: The breed head type we produce is considered the best and strongest because I follow the FCI/UK Breed Standard, which varies from the AKC version. This is a “head breed,” since this breed made its living with strong jaws and a powerful bite, and without a punishing head you fail to meet the breed type requisite. The smallest rose ears should be well-placed and sit neatly high on the head for typical expression. By my personal standards: weak or shy temperament, or weak underjaw with loose skin and heavy pendulous lips, or large, loose ears should be heavily penalized in this bull-baiting and canine gladiator breed. A tight-skinned, muscular canine warrior with a punishing head will set the best standard virtue for breed type. All of our AdoraBull-bred puppies are placed into pet homes.

All AdoraBull puppies are evaluated and many are carefully hand-selected for placement into exhibition-friendly and Performance pet homes. The dogs and bitches in our breeding program obtain their OFA CHIC Number and VPI Certification for consumer protection health certification with full transparency, published on the OFA.org database. Elbows were recently added in 2023 and the database for elbows appears insufficient. Personally, I believe that OFA should mandate that an orthopedic specialist conduct a physical exam and evaluation of any dog before a failing score is recorded. OFA should implement an appeal process for any HD mild score. In addition, the names of each of the three radiologists who reviewed x-rays should be disclosed and transparent.

As an Exhibitor, can you comment on recent entries in your breed? Are majors available in your area? Does your breed often participate in Companion and Performance events? How can newcomers in your breed be encouraged to join the sport of dogs?

Lorene Wilson: Newcomers to the world of AKC absolutely require breeder mentorship. Major entries are difficult to achieve in Southern California. I must assure that I retain a sufficient number of puppies locally to build majors. I must help to mentor puppy owners and “board and train” their dogs to encourage newcomers with added value to encourage the benefit of obtaining an AKC Championship title. AdoraBull-bred dogs are highly competitive in Conformation and excel in Performance Sports.

What are the biggest challenges facing the dog show community as a whole and how can we address them? And finally, what are some of the positive changes you’ve seen in your breed and in the dog show community as a whole over the past decade?

Lorene Wilson: The future of purebred dogs appears to suffer many challenges. The biggest challenges for California breeders are the constant battle against the anti-purebred breeder legislation and spay/neuter promoted by lobbyist animal activists. A few years ago, legislators banned selling purebred dogs in California pet shops. This resulted in the adverse consequence of the promotion of breeding of mixed breed “designer” dogs.

The AKC should consider their Breeder of Merit achievement level breeders as their best resource to serve as advisors to assure the future of the sport and to assist in conducting regular educational breed seminars throughout the country.

The AKC should consider their Breeder of Merit achievement level breeders as their best resource to serve as advisors to assure the future of the sport and to assist in conducting regular educational breed seminars throughout the country. AKC judges may benefit the sport through an AKC Judges Education program of continuing education credits. This may assist to advance the quality of judging in a more positive manner. In addition, one Group Placement should be routinely considered for a breeder/owner-handler. The breeders are the future of the sport of AKC purebred dogs.