Is it time for fresh blood in UGA’s Dawghouse?
Does the early death of Uga VIII mean changes are needed in the mascot line? (Associated Press)
The second straight premature death of an Uga mascot, this one after serving just six games, has prompted a lot of discussion both inside and outside the Bulldog Nation about what’s wrong with Sonny Seiler’s proud line of all-white English bulldogs.
As Matt Hinton of Rivals.com put it, “even for a breed with notorious cardiac and respiratory problems and zero tolerance for heat, the Ugas are beginning to resemble the mascot version of the royal hemophiliacs of Europe: Blue-blooded, inbred and increasingly feeble beyond function.”
The two words I’ve heard most from Georgia fans since Uga VIII’s death last week are “fresh blood,” as in a belief that Seiler needs to either abandon the current line that links back in circuitous fashion to the original Uga, give up on restricting the mascot’s job to only pure white bulldogs (one reason substitute Russ isn’t deemed qualified to be the permanent mascot) or at least introduce some hardier stock into the breeding of the line.
So I put the question to JD, a UGA fan who’s also a breeder of English bulldogs: What’s the word on the breeding circuit about the Uga line? Two sickly ones in a row died young. Is it a matter of Sonny needing to freshen the bloodline?
“Definitely,” JD replied. “Sonny has some legitimate health problems in his line. It is not standard for a bulldog to die so young. Average age of a bulldog is 10.”
What would Seiler need to do to strengthen the line and yet still maintain the link to the original Uga?
“He needs to engage in a planned breeding program,” JD said. ” If necessary, buy a quality female or two and then breed to the reigning Uga. That would improve his line (healthwise). Problem is when you have serious health problems, there is an ethical issue on whether you should breed that line any further.”
Some fans have even suggested that UGA look elsewhere than Seiler’s line for a new mascot. One popular suggestion has been the all-white bulldog puppy held up last week by Isaiah Crowell on signing day. JD says the pup, named Magical Munson Woods, was bred by an Athens area fan, Glenn Lyles, with the sire being a dog owned by my high school classmate Mike “Big Dawg” Woods (the ominpresent fan who paints a bulldog on his bald head). The upside of naming that dog as Uga IX would be not only a fresh bloodline, but the school would have a mascot who lived close enough to Athens to attend many more UGA athletic events than the Savannah-based Seiler mascots.
But the chances of the university abandoning an arrangement of more than five decades with a high-profile alum like Seiler seems highly unlikely.
So what can be done? JD believes Seiler “probably has to get off his idea of an unbroken line. … Bring in some new blood from some quality show kennels.”
The situation is complicated, JD said, because many reputable breeders “won’t breed with Sonny because of the quality of his male and the in-line health problems (the first rule of breeding is always breed your female to the best available male) and his restrictive breeding agreement that the owner of the female must sign” about maintaining secrecy and forgoing any marketing rights.
The bottom line, JD says, is that Seiler has to “swallow his pride and accept some major changes.”
What do you think? Do we really need an unbroken line dating back to the original Uga or would it be better for Seiler to start the line over? Should UGA look to another breeder? What would you think of an Uga who wasn’t all-white?
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415 comments Add your comment
59bulldawg
February 9th, 2011
12:23 pm
I don’t know beans about dog breeding and I’ve never met the Seilers. But as much as the Seilers and their dogs have done for UGA I’d like to give Sonny the opportunity to correct the problem before going in a different direction. I think we owe it to the man.
DawgFan
February 9th, 2011
12:26 pm
The selection of “THE University of Georgia Bulldog” should be a marketing decision just like the installation and sales for sky boxes, ticket sales, and merchandising. Although we are indebted to the Seiler family for their loyalty and promotion of the Uga image as it represents the University, we should now do what’s best for the University. An Uga selection process should be established that will allow the our “Bulldog” to be chosen from the best best candidates available, with health screening and personality the two most important traits. Continuing the bloodline from Uga I, or Uga VI, VII, or VIII is no longer important; it may even be better to go to another line as has been suggested. A healthy, good-looking, strong Bulldog, preferabley all-white, with a great personality, is the next Uga IX. Or maybe Uga X. I’m all for Russ being Uga IX!
DMR
February 9th, 2011
12:30 pm
Bloodline should not be the issue. Once a dog has been crowned “UGA” and given the Georgia sweater and doghouse, that dog has become the DAWG in the eyes of the fans and the University. The most important issue is the health of the animals. Seiler should consult the University’s School of Veterinary Medicine and follow whatever advice they give, as their advise should be about the health and maintenance of these animals.
Charles Norris
February 9th, 2011
12:33 pm
If Georgia wants to to “toughen up” its line of UGAs, one might suggest the school contact Bad Newz Kennelz….
…if the proprietors had not gone to prison.
Any dog that lived through that kennel has got to be TOUGH.
Buckeye
February 9th, 2011
12:35 pm
Uga and Munson…..the best of Georgia football.
Otherwise, 10-6 sums it up best.
Mr. Dawg
February 9th, 2011
12:37 pm
AltamahaDawg, thanks for a good, accurate and intelligent post. It never ceases to amaze me how people will gravitate toward the negative side of a situation. I tend to credit that behavior to one’s own personal insecurity. Like the football team, the UGA Bulldog line will undoubtedly bounce back and I will take pride in having remained supportive. Go Dawgs and thank you Sonny Seiler for your dedicated effort in raising the best Bulldogs in the world.
1eyedJack
February 9th, 2011
12:37 pm
If you look at the original Uga, now that was a bulldog, ready to go to work grabbing cows noses and pulling them to the ground. Today’s Ugas look like teddy bears in comparison.
Kelly Lesley
February 9th, 2011
12:42 pm
It needs to change. Continuing to breed animals that are only going to suffer and die young unnecessarily is cruel and wrong. I disagree that the Seilers have been “handling it wonderfully.”
Mr. Dawg
February 9th, 2011
12:43 pm
…and as far as the esteemed English Bulldog breeder referred to in this article as JD is concerned. It’s obvious to me he has an agenda. It’s not standard for any creature – human’s included – to die prematurely. Unfortunately tragedy sometimes strikes. You and your co-horts can keep your Bulldogs. Real Bulldog fans are happy just the way things are.
RIHDawg
February 9th, 2011
12:43 pm
Maybe UGA should give up mascots, athletics, and pretending to be an institution of higher learning and focus on what it does best: giving Atlanta high school grads something useless to do between binge drinking sessions in downtown Athens.
Califdawg
February 9th, 2011
12:43 pm
They should contact Thurber (University of Redlands Bulldog). Their team went 8-1 last year, so it may bring a little more success.
TTOUGH44
February 9th, 2011
12:47 pm
UGA WOULD NOT BE UGA UNLESS PURE WHITE…RUSS POOR THING WAS NOT….THATS WHAT US DAWG FANS CHERISH, ALL WHITE UGA!
joe
February 9th, 2011
12:48 pm
I dont know what we do about the line but I do know this….Sonny needs to have a mascot ready to go on opening night in the Dome…..it should not take over 7 months for him to “carefully choose” the next mascot. If he cant get one in that time, then we need to look elsewhere. We need to be done with fill-in mascots because it takes him so long to find a dog. We need to start this season fresh with a UGA in place!!!!!!!!
Brunswick Marsh Dawg
February 9th, 2011
12:48 pm
I think the blood needs freshened, but still with a link of some sort to the current line. The “Uga’s” should stay with the Seiler’s and must definitely, always stay ALL WHITE. This is a tradition we must never break.
mets stink
February 9th, 2011
12:51 pm
While the idea of all of the Ugas being from the same blood line is nice, it doesn’t trump the fact that the health of the dogs is more important. It’s time for a change. UGA fans will love our mascot no matter what the blood line is. I do think it’s important to make sure an all white bulldog is the mascot.
all white?
February 9th, 2011
12:52 pm
figures.
Murphy
February 9th, 2011
12:58 pm
Big Dawg Woods breads the line of english bulldogs.He has all white ones.He is a good guy with UGA,s best interest in mind.He lives just out of the Athens city limits.They should use some of his dawgs. I have heard talk for many years that he would replace the Silers once the time came to do so.
Murphy
February 9th, 2011
12:58 pm
*breeds
Mutter
February 9th, 2011
1:06 pm
Stupid ugly mutt. Woof woof.
Dream Weaver
February 9th, 2011
1:07 pm
I totally agree with Murphy and Mets Stink. I really don’t care where the dog comes from. He has to be all white, this is what seperates him from other “Bulldog” schools. I also like the idea of the puppy Crowell held up being the next UGA. Great story there!
ClinchPanther
February 9th, 2011
1:07 pm
Leave Sonny alone. He knows what he is doing, your breeder friend just wants to make a name for himself.
zzggyy
February 9th, 2011
1:07 pm
I feel sure that JD meant to say that the average life span of an English bulldog is 10 years, not “. . . the average age of a bulldog is 10.”
Dream Weaver
February 9th, 2011
1:08 pm
Mutter must be from North Ave. Stupid mutter!!!!
Washaun Ealey
February 9th, 2011
1:08 pm
Leroy, you’ve already got me. And I aready know my way in and out od da dawghouse.
Nick
February 9th, 2011
1:08 pm
One thing that baffles me is the fact that VIII was not pure white. He had brown on his left ear. So what happened to the “all-white” stipulation there?
Murphy
February 9th, 2011
1:09 pm
Dream,
That would be agreat story: Crowell with the bulldog puppy as UGA
Fire Mark Richt
February 9th, 2011
1:10 pm
Who cares what line UGA comes from? I’d rather see a healthy bulldog that will be around for 10 years than an unhealthy dog that happens to be a direct descendent of past UGAs. I can’t tell the difference anyway.
Alabama fan
February 9th, 2011
1:10 pm
So what’s wrong with inbreeding? Me and my sister have turned out some studs!
SE Dawg Fan
February 9th, 2011
1:14 pm
My daughter, a UGA alum, was in Milwaukee last weekend. The valet parking attendant noticed the red G decal on her car rear window and asked if she was mourning the death of the Bulldog mascot. It pleased my daughter immensely that someone, especially from Wisconsin, didn’t ask her why the G was red, not green, which is the question she always gets in Chicago. This week she replaced the red G with a Bulldog decal for her beloved UGA.
bdaamwag
February 9th, 2011
1:18 pm
Russ for UGA!!!!
Romedawg
February 9th, 2011
1:19 pm
UGA must be all white…The health of the dog is the most important issue…I do not want anymore unhealthy inbred dogs. Introduce new blood or move away from the seilers altogether….And that little dog Isaiah held up sure was cute……
EW
February 9th, 2011
1:21 pm
Enter your comments here
GreekDawg
February 9th, 2011
1:21 pm
Thanks AltamahaDawg for bringing some sense to this discussion. No one person suffers anymore with the death of each and every UGA than Sonny Seiler. Include his wife and family, all of whom have lived and raised the UGAs. These animals become family pets for them. They care for them, love them and transport them to games and official gatherings. No one wants a long llife for UGA than they do. The Seilers will do what’s best for the next UGA and always for the Bulldog Nation.
EW
February 9th, 2011
1:23 pm
If tradition is jeopardizing the health of the animals then the tradition needs to be altered. End of story.
FAN
February 9th, 2011
1:26 pm
don’t think my first post went through. My idea is to replace the english bulldog with a 150 lb American bulldog. Either will do but imagine a huge american bulldog coming on the field with a spike collar around his neck. A friend had one at Ga Southern while I was there and that dog was a monster. anybody like?
Matt the Brave
February 9th, 2011
1:26 pm
Having lived in Austell, I know that there are a multitude of lines that date back to the original Uga I. I know this because our vet used to take care of some of these dogs, and I got to meet the owner of a female English pure white bulldog that was related to UGA I. In other words, if you want to keep the line back to UGA I pure, it’s completely possible and still have healthy dogs. Look up some of those people you’ve been selling those ‘non-pure’ pups to and get some of those pure white ones back into the fold!
T-Bone
February 9th, 2011
1:26 pm
At least with a car, you just change the oil!
IowaDawg
February 9th, 2011
1:28 pm
I say get the vet school and the bio-engineering guys involved. It’s time to make a new UGA… genetically alter an existing UGA heir’s DNA and make a SUPER UGA. Then we can have an all white bulldog that is twice the size of any existing bulldog and lives a hundred years! We can use him to intimidate opposing players… you know move him down to their end zone right on the sideline so they are afraid to score.
Just kidding… put your eyeballs back in their sockets guys and close your mouths before something flies in.
AltamahaDawg
February 9th, 2011
1:30 pm
Several Ugas served as mascot longer than the average healthy and active lifecycle of the breed as a whole and outlived most. VII was the exception. Who knows, had been cooler/warmer/awake/asleep at that moment, maybe he wouldn’t have had the heartattack. VIII was just a victim of random cancer. That’s not a bad track record if you ask me. I bet anything that the Uga bloodline was healthier than the average breeding stock out there, has great care to selectively take out as much of the inherent problems, and for damn sure get better care and advice. Uga is the mascot of Vet school after all.
UGA Vet school is renown
February 9th, 2011
1:35 pm
UGA has a great Vet school, so they ought to be involved is directing UGA to another breeder and in another part of the nation. This Seiler thing is old. He ain’t the only word when it comes to a dang good dog.
Surely somewhere out there in the Heartland there is a breeder of white Bulldogs.
Go Dogs.
Macon Dog in the Middle East
February 9th, 2011
1:39 pm
I want to echo the thoughtful comments entered by Dandy Don and Lindsey. Georgia had been playing football for almost 100 years when Sonny Seiler showed up with UGA I, proudly garbed in his red sweater with the big “G, and caught Coach Dooley’s eye. Whether Mr. Seiler chooses to bring in fresh blood or declines to do so, it should be his (and his family’s) choice to make. As for other breeders, who have found the Seiler breeding terms too restrictive, they can simply do without the privilege of infusing their dog’s blood and genes into the proudest and most celebrated line of English Bulldogs in all the land! For that matter, no one can tell whether any other line’s “contribution” will be worth celebrating before the puppies are born. Finally, the UGA’s are and should remain pure white. They are the most beautiful and noble examples of the English (not the so-called American) Bulldog.
Your daughter in Milwaukee
February 9th, 2011
1:39 pm
Your girl is also a dang good Georgia Bulldog!! Woof, woof !!
I love it when I travel in my black car with my G all over the SE …………. folks always comment and usually very politely and I am no young cute girl.
Go Dogs
5150 UOAD
February 9th, 2011
1:50 pm
I like the Brindle( Tiger Striped) Color bulldog. Like the Mack Truck Bully, but that is an AMERICAN BULLDOG. The way UGA played lasts year a French Bulldog might make better since.
Coach Grohbo
February 9th, 2011
1:52 pm
Call Michael Vick. Maybe he could send UGA one of the losers.
bd1173
February 9th, 2011
1:53 pm
we need a bulldog from the pound with attitude!!!
Will
February 9th, 2011
1:53 pm
The Seiler son is a real turd. He keeps the dog under tight surveillance while staying at the CE every UGA week. The kids love to see and interact with the dog but young Seiler has none of that. He rushes him up to the 3rd before immediately after a game. This has annoyed me for the past 4 or 5 seasons and if if the Seiler son can’t be a little more accommodating to the fans….then it’s time for a change.
Coach Grohbo
February 9th, 2011
1:56 pm
Georgia has an opportunity to return to its heritage.
Goats typically live longer than bulldogs and many of them are gender-confused.
Gay Goaters!
bd1173
February 9th, 2011
2:02 pm
Is PETA still taken the stand that we should have a robot bulldog as our mascot like they did after UGA VII died?? Might have a servo meltdown and explosion if we have another season like this past one!!!
Coach Grohbo
February 9th, 2011
2:09 pm
I am a Packer fan and when I traveled the Southeast, people who saw my car talked to me very slowly.
It was irritating, so I changed the sticker to a wedge of cheese and it stopped.
Josh
February 9th, 2011
2:17 pm
No need to change the bloodline. It is still strong, just look at Russ Uga VII’s half brother. He has the Uga bloodline just not solid white, that is why he is not Uga. The Seilers always pick a potential Uga from every litter of puppies. So I am willing to bet the next Uga is in training and probably waiting medical clearence. I don’t suspect they will rush the next Uga into action. Maybe 2012 before we see the next Uga. I could be wrong, but the Seilers are trying to put another durable Uga out there. This why they are breeding the line smaller to cut down on heart problems.