General Impression
The American Bully should give the impression of great strength for its size. Compact to medium/large size dog with a muscular body and blocky head.
Powerful in it’s movement and should display effortless movement at the same time. Keenly alive and alert to its surroundings.
The American Bully should have the appearance of heavy bone structure with a Bully build and look. HEAD
Medium in length, deep through, broad skull, very pronounced cheek muscles, distinct stop, and high set ears.
Ears- Natural or cropped
Eyes- All colors except albinism. Eye shape is oval to slightly roundish, low down in skull and set far apart.
Muzzle- Short-Medium blocky upper side or slightly squared to fall away abruptly below eyes.
Jaws- well defined.
Under jaw- to be strong.
Lips- semi close and even, some looseness accepted (more so with the XL and Extreme varieties) but not preferred.
Upper Teeth- to meet tightly outside lower teeth in form or scissor bite accepted
Nose- all colors acceptable NECK
Heavy, slightly arched, tapering from shoulder to back of skull. (some looseness of skin is accepted with the XL and Extreme varieties)
Compact to medium size should have minimal or no loose skin. SHOULDERS
Strong and muscular with blade being wide and set wide. BACK
Fairly short to medium back, slight sloping from withers to rump or straight accepted with gentle short slope at rump to base of tail.
(slightly higher rears accepted for XL and Extreme varieties) but not desired in the compact medium size. BODY
Well-sprung ribs, deep in rear and all ribs close together
Forelegs- set rather wide apart to permit chest development
Chest- should be deep and broad TAIL
Short to medium in comparison to size, low set, tapering to a fine point
Kinks and Knots- are faults however accepted in the show ring but not preferred LEGS
Front legs- straight from legs, large or round bones, pastern upright are preferred
Feet- slight turning outwards is accepted as long as feet do not measures a 45 degree, should be of moderate size, well arched and compact
Hindquarters- well muscled, let down at hocks, turning neither in nor out (slight turns accepted in the XL and Extreme varieties) COAT
Short, close, stiff to the touch and glossy COLOR
All colors and patterns are permissible SIZE
Dogs should be healthy and should NOT reach the point where it is considered obese. Height and weight should be in proportion of the body frame.
Height-Females 16 to 19 at withers Males 17-20 at withers
Weight- There is no particular weight for the breed GAIT
Should be effortless and powerful. The action must, however, be unrestrained, free and vigorous with powerful drive off the rear.
(Some paddling and lumbering accepted in XL and Extreme varieties), but not preferred in compact to medium. FAULTS
Faults to be penalized but not disqualifications for showing are:
Kinked tail
Twisted tail
Knotted tail
Long tail
Curled tail
Overly Short tail
Pink or Albino eyes
Undershot mouth
Overshot mouth
Severe turn fronts
Severe turn to rears
cryptorchidism-undesended testicle
Pocket
Pocket Bully
This is an amendment to the basic standard which a Pocket Bully is determined by its adult height. Males under 17″ at the withers. Females under 16″ at the withers.
XL
XL Bully
This is an amendment to the basic standard which a XL Bully is determined by its adult height. Males over 20″ at the withers.Females over 19″ at the withers.
This is an amendment to the basic standard which a Extreme Bully is determined by its body structure and build.Both sex dogs with heavier body frames and more overall body mass.
Martinelli is hoping that a Sept. 4 public dog show at California State University East Bay in Hayward will help to reverse the long-standing perception that the dogs are inherently aggressive and dangerous.
He expects a couple of hundred members of the American Bully Kennel Club to take part in a show competition that will also include English and French bulldogs and Staffordshire pits. Trophies will be awarded for best in class and best in show.
The bully breed was established in 2004 with the express desire to train the aggressive nature out of the animals and re-establish them among the dog breeds that make safe, secure, domesticated pets.
"We're trying to breed all of the fight and all of the game out of them," said Martinelli, who has bred more than half a dozen litters of the dogs.
Only well-behaved dogs are eligible for breeding, and dogs that repeatedly exhibit aggressive behavior are put down, he said.
On more than one occasion, Martinelli said he's had to shield his own dog, Poison, an 11-month old bully, from more aggressive dogs because she will not fight back.
"She's been bred that way, and I make sure there are no dogs that will challenge her when I take her to the park," he said.
Poison was named best in show at a bully dog competition at the Solano County Fair last month. She actually made friends with a potbelly pig, Martinelli said.
Ironically, Martinelli's comments Monday were made outside the Oakland Animal Shelter as he watched two pit bulls go after each other until animal control officers pulled them apart.
There are more than 50,000 bully dogs registered with the American Bully Kennel Club, a Southern California organization with members all over the world.
"In essence, (bully dogs) are a cosmetic breed," said Charles May, president of the kennel association. It may look like an impressive animal with muscles on top of muscles, but that's really not a true reflection of the breed's nature, he said.
"We hold these events all over the country to educate the public," May said. "We try to show the general public that we can create a show environment and that despite our dogs' looks, they can be as docile and friendly as the next dog," he added.
While that may be the case, Martinelli, who also works as an Oakland city building inspector, could not find a venue in Oakland that would host a dog show that included pit bulls or any connected breeds.
"We tried to put on a show in Oakland, but there were a lot of problems with getting the right park, and there were concerns because of the recent stories of people being attacked and killed," he said.
It's not as if Martinelli doesn't understand those concerns.
In his work around Oakland, he's encountered many cases of animal abuse and is among the first to admit the dangers associated with a dog trained to exhibit its ferocious nature.
"If they are raised or bred in the wrong way, then yeah, they can be very dangerous," he said. "We want as much attention as we can get to show another side of these dogs."
General Impression
