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
m
February 9th, 2011
3:42 pm
The problem is that they have been allowing uggah to WATCH THE GAMES. That is why uggah VII and uggah VIII committed suicide.
They just can’t stand crappy football.
The answer is this…get a dawg that matches the football team…maybe a poodle OR if you must stay with an inbred bulldawg, don’t let the dawg watch the crappy football team.
The choice is yours.
Sonny Seiler
February 9th, 2011
3:42 pm
To “Too Easy”, please don’t get upset, I am just trying to confess all of the wrong doing that I have done to these poor dogs over the years and make it right. I was just suggesting that if my son takes over the breeding, we will hopefully get back to the “glory” days. Yes, some say that is inbreeding, I just say that I am keeping it in the family.
school dawg
February 9th, 2011
3:44 pm
Bulldogs have numerous genetic health problems. Many of which have already been listed and which can include cardiac, respiratory, skin, and nervous system complications. I have bred bulldogs for years, and so have the Seilers. The fact that there have not been more health problems with the UGA mascots is amazing. The Seilers have been introducing new blood into their bulldog lines on an ongoing basis for as long as they have been breeding bulldogs. The law of averages just finally caught up with them. Their bulldogs are as healthy as any you will find anywhere. While pure white bulldogs tend to have more skin problems than spotted, the other complications are no more common among pure white, than they are among fawn, or brindle. Give the Seilers a break. Oh, and by the way Bill, JD is wrong. 10 years is OLD for a bulldog, and equal to a human living to be 90 or 100. Its at the far end of a bulldogs life expectancy. I know of only a few who ever lived beyond 8.
gomdawg
February 9th, 2011
3:45 pm
There are some SICK AZZ PEOPLE ON THIS PAGE . PLEASE LET’S THESE REST IN PEACE THANK YOU.
Da'Rick
February 9th, 2011
3:46 pm
Gina spoken like a true female…please the men are talking.
gomdawg
February 9th, 2011
3:46 pm
THESE DAWGS REST IN PEACE
Steve
February 9th, 2011
3:48 pm
Does anyone know if UGA VIII produced any offspring? The unbroken line may already be broken.
Fire Mark Richt
February 9th, 2011
3:50 pm
Altamaha, I’m guessing that some of the mommas and daddys are cousins, which is why fresh blood is needed. But I’m just speculating, I don’t know anything about breeding dogs.
Russ The Temporary Mascot
February 9th, 2011
3:53 pm
Gina,
I like the idea. I would be very happy spending a few Saturdays sharing my doghouse with a b!tch.
Russ
bigdsel
February 9th, 2011
3:55 pm
I got an all white English bulldog that looks like the old school Uga, only more beefed up, He is 3, born on Jan 01,2008 the day of the sugar bowl, He is great with kids ( raised around my 4 and 2 year old), and he is very energetic. If only I had ties with the school to give him a shot. And hopefully they will pay for me to go to every UGA game to romp the sidelines with both my DAWGS!!!!. That would be awesome. I would be so animated on the sidelines.
Cuz
February 9th, 2011
3:58 pm
Gina, bless your little soul.
newuganow!
February 9th, 2011
4:09 pm
i think we need to keep the new uga white, since thats what the “UGA” is known for and makes all white bulldogs that more expensive and cherishable. but i do think we need a new bloodline despite the fact it’s “tradition.” maybe a new UGA bloodline is what the school needs to put it back on top and back into the national picture (sports fans and their crazy superstitions!!). i feel that change is comin within the program so why not change the bloodline of dear ole uga!!
David
February 9th, 2011
4:11 pm
I agree with TK maybe the university should explore using other breeder’s. R.I.P UGA VIII he was a Damn Good Dog.
AltamahaDawg
February 9th, 2011
4:18 pm
SIX generation of Ugas serving about a decade and one Dog (VII) has a heart attack. We better get as far away from that bloodline as possible. It’s only defying the odds by a mere long shot. We need to go get the miracle bloodline.
1992 Dawg
February 9th, 2011
4:18 pm
I’ve got 2 English Bulldogs, and have raised some litters to sell myself. First of all, JD is wrong about the privacy agreement. The Sire and Dam shows on the AKC pedigree, and i know this because my female was out of the UGA V line. You can see UGA V and UGA IV on her pedigree with their registered names. Perhaps the breeders aren’t allowed to “advertise” openly, but trust me it’s done by word of mouth because the Sieler’s don’t own females . Their dogs have been bred to hundreds of females across the area, Perhaps the #6 was bred to a bad line, and that presented the issue we have had with #7 and #8? As a rule, they are not the most healthy line of dogs out there anyway, but they are worth every penny I’ve ever spent on mine! I think it wouldn’t be a bad idea to let one with a little “color” on him like Russ be the mascot.
New Owner
February 9th, 2011
4:19 pm
Can the Seilers!!!!
They’ve rode the gravy train of Uga offspring for long enough!
RxDawg
February 9th, 2011
4:21 pm
Meh, much ado about nothing really. I’m sure that the Seilers aren’t inbreeding the UGA line. There is NO way he’s that stupid. Right?
BC
February 9th, 2011
4:23 pm
What is worse than a bunch of Dawg fans that think they know what is the right thing to do about breeding bulldogs is some techmites that are reading this and think they know what is best. UGA has one of the finest vet schools in the country and I am quite sure they can advise the Sieler family how to breed their dogs. To the people that think that they should lose the right to furnish the dogs for UGA just cause a couple died, get a life. They should continue that tradition untill they choose to stop.
Truth about "Big Dawg"
February 9th, 2011
4:25 pm
Mike “Big Dawg” Woods has been on this kick for the last couple of years, trying to become the new Sonny Seiler and telling anyone that will listen that his puppy he had a couple years ago was the “real” UGA. Can’t he just stick to being the stupid looking dude that paints his head and wears the overalls and leave the mascot breeding business to someone else?
VA DAWG
February 9th, 2011
4:27 pm
How about an American Bulldog, they are much more athletic and have a longer life expectancy…along with being pure white. They should get some consideration. GO DAWGS!
AltamahaDawg
February 9th, 2011
4:30 pm
No they are not cousins. That would be stupid, so that’s not what they do. The problem with this entire discussion is that Folks don’t know the difference between purebread bloodline and inbreeding.
Uga is “usually” the son of the previous. I’m guessing that’s not always been the case, but even assuming so. Every Uga would have had a different mama. Thats’s 8 different infusions of “fresh blood” firsthand, and then somebody can calculate the multiplyers because mama had 2 parents not of Uga bloodline.
Top Recruit
February 9th, 2011
4:32 pm
There is a saying among quail hunters about pointers. “You kill birds over dogs, not paper.” On the covey rise you are not interested if it is a FDSB or AKC breeding…or some “drop”. Best pointer I ever had never had papers.
Time to change the line. Not written in stone. The question here is what is the best dawg out there for the Dawgs. Would be good to come from the state of Georgia and from an alum. At present and under the present circumstances I’d take the one held by Crowell. That was beyond cool man. But we can’t have a mascot falling over in September in the second quarter of a game.
FACTS
February 9th, 2011
4:34 pm
I clearly understand the breeding part, but who is in charge of actually getting these dogs the exercise they need to lead normal healthy live. The new advances that have been made in science & understanding of nutrition should prevent things like that. The last time one of UGA’s dogs actually showed some fight is when the Auburn player almost got bit during the game. I’m not saying raise fighting dogs, I’m just saying during the telecasts our dogs look lazy and out of it most of the time. When a dog is healthy & happy it is hard to control his exuberance!!!!
JawjaJeff
February 9th, 2011
4:37 pm
Time for new bloodline! Magical Munson Wood would be perfect for the job.
Sonny Seiler
February 9th, 2011
4:43 pm
New Owner,
I am riding more than just the gravy train!!!
Steve,
UGA VIII did not have any offspring, I am in charge of that dept.
Sonny
FACTS
February 9th, 2011
4:51 pm
I meant “lives” in my last post. Here is some interesting info from the AKC on problems with inbreeding {” The ultimate result of continued inbreeding is terminal lack of vigor & probable extinction, as the gene pool contracts, fertility decreases, abnormalities increase & mortality rates rise. “} ! Whoa talk about hitting the nail on the head, this is what is happening to our mascots right before our very eyes. Think about it Dawg fans, laziness & death has become a regular, for our beloved UGAs!
Einsteindawg
February 9th, 2011
4:52 pm
Ya’ll need to be nice to Sonny…we’re going to need his money to buy out Richt’s last year if we don’t go at least 10-3 this fall.
graham nicholson
February 9th, 2011
4:52 pm
any offspring needs to be introduced to the new S&C coaches, have them line up across the line from John Jenkins, and then afterwards have them run laps. This should do the job of making them last longer into the 4th quarter, and perhaps dominate not only the game, the season but the next ten years…Go Dawgs…:)
boots
February 9th, 2011
4:55 pm
I have faith in Sonny and the UGA vet school. They know what they are doing and will do what is best for the dogs, the Dawgs and the university. RTG
Paul
February 9th, 2011
4:55 pm
Much like everything else in football program, a signifigant change is warranted.
New-Blood-UGA
February 9th, 2011
4:56 pm
Research “Olde english bulldogges” and Incorporate a few of those into the breedings. They are more like the fierce but loyal “bull bating” dogs. It would make for more athletic looking bulldogs but still have that same old UGA look. Make it happen.
Class of '98
February 9th, 2011
4:57 pm
Mike “Big Dawg” Woods is on TV more than dust. I appreciate his passion but is it really necessary to show him MULTIPLE times during every blessed game?
CletusDawg
February 9th, 2011
4:57 pm
Sonny and his family have been making tons of money selling the UGA bloodline to the public for years. This has to stop. The Univerisity should own the mascot……period. By the way Russ…….you suck.
just thinkin'
February 9th, 2011
5:02 pm
Ever wonder why they have the “dawgpound” in the stands at UGA? Isn’t that where dogs go to be euthanized? And why do they sing “Leroy Brown?” Don’t the lyrics say, “meaner than a junkyard dog?” Just thinkin’…. a novel concept, I know!
Andy in Blairsville
February 9th, 2011
5:05 pm
Another soon to be morbidly obese bulldog that will also die young.
Yay!
Allen
February 9th, 2011
5:18 pm
Agree some new blood may be needed . . . but mascot MUST remain ALL WHITE. That, in itself, is a trademark of UGA.
Ceasar
February 9th, 2011
5:20 pm
“All White” sounds so racist! Don’t we need one with black spots?????????
Stormy
February 9th, 2011
5:22 pm
Because UGA is our nation’s favorite mascot, it behooves us to showcase a solid, white, healthy GEM by whomever can provide him.
Ceasar
February 9th, 2011
5:25 pm
Why not consult with Michael Vick for a new bulldog?????????
Big Bee
February 9th, 2011
5:29 pm
Stop breeding and get a dog from a rescue or shelter. Save a life! There were over 100,000 animals killed in shelters in metro Atlanta last year. There are bulldogs and bulldog mixes out there. Find one and use it. Stop the overpopulation.
dawggone
February 9th, 2011
5:34 pm
New blood line …..never did like inbred. Uga is Uga no matter the blood line. Tell Seiler thank you but time to move on. JD’s right lets move on.
Mike Bobo garbage play calling
February 9th, 2011
5:35 pm
Seiler has been a dawg for most of you people were born.Give the guy a break.Yes we lost a couple of dawgs but Seiler will get it back on track.How many of you guys breed dawgs?I say put Russ in and let it ride.
jack bull
February 9th, 2011
5:40 pm
this story brings to mind an old saying,,,,,’squeaky wheel gets the grease’…a few folks mention it, then, bam, it’s a story… well, not really…
FLA DAWG
February 9th, 2011
5:41 pm
All English Bulldogs were inbred a century and more ago. They have that in common with all purebred dogs and other animals.
The notion this bloodline is overly inbred is absurd. They have been bred with the finest of non related English Bulldog bloodlines in the world.
These dogs are DAWGS.
Buzz
February 9th, 2011
5:43 pm
Hmmm..In-breeding and ALL WHITE…that sounds about white…oops I mean right!
dawggirl in nc
February 9th, 2011
5:47 pm
Use Crowell’s pup and call it “Thuga I”
curdog
February 9th, 2011
5:50 pm
I think it’s time the Georgia bulldog came out of some mean hog hunting gyp from somewhere in the piney woods and palmettos instead of an urban mansion. Look at UGA I and II, those hammerknockers look like they might actually have been able to travel on their own four feet and really get after something. And while we’re at it, take the damned sweater off the dog when it’s over forty degrees. We could still do the ‘G’ with a hair cut, tattoo or dye job.
An all white bulldog? Didn’t work for the football team, did it?
All White or Bust
February 9th, 2011
5:57 pm
Do not introduce spots/coloring into the line. No way Jose.
All white or bust!
AltamahaDawg
February 9th, 2011
6:02 pm
Fla Dawg, thank you. It’s like talking to a pile of rocks in here.
It would almost be a topic for debate IF the completely unrelated issues that took VII and VII were even traits that had anythign to do with the breeding of English Bulldogs.
Folks thinking that introducing new blood can somehow lower the chances of a dog having a heart attack or cancer need to bring that science to thier nearest health provider. That would be of huge interest for all of mankind.
If it were problems with the eyes, the hips, the pallet, the skin………..sure. Those are the problems with the breed. That is a “blood” debate. None of the Ugas provided by the Seilers from this line going back to the mid 50s has even had those inherited issues. Not one. These are the best of the best in that breed, and we want to go a new direction?
ugab
February 9th, 2011
6:07 pm
These dawgs are hard to keep alive, period. Rob Dyrdek has a all white dog.”meaty” Meaty’s bloodline would be more of a Mascot type. That puppy Crowell had was cool. RIP and get another. Rus is a darn good fill in. Spray paint Rus and fans will be ok