Marker Ray Nicholas & "Nitro"
Welcome to Hurricane’s Old Southern Bulldogs official website and Birthplace of the “Chucky Project” & New Home of the Old Southern Bulldog!!! The “Chucky Project” is a personalized approach to socialization and training which centers around the bond between man and man’s best friend. Socialization rather than “training” begins at several weeks of age w/ various environments & stimulus geared around the new owner’s lifestyle and needs.
Tim & "Otis"
The OSB was bred to be intelligent, stable, companions and protectors. With proper socialization their flexible and balanced temperaments allow them to adapt to any lifestyle, such as hunting wild hogs or simply relaxing at home as companions. The OSB is not some new strand of Bulldog by any means. With its origins in the original White English Bulldog & Bull fighting Dogs from Spain, it’s one of the oldest working bully breeds.
Hurricane’s Old Southern Bulldogs are the results of Mr. Marker Ray Nicholas’ breeding program in Lithonia, GA in the mid to late 90’s. Thanks to Mr. Nicholas’ hard work and dedication, today the OSB is its own distinct breed separate from the Alapaha Blue Blood Bulldog and the American Bulldog. Although the American Pit Bull Terrier and American Bulldog were used in the original design of the OSB, they were excluded from Mr. Nicholas’ breeding program. This breeding program consisted of over 40 or 50 dogs. These dogs were made up of White English Bulldogs, Old Southern Whites and the Alapaha Blue Blood Bulldogs. For over five years, Marker R Nicholas bred and cross bred these dogs, sometimes keeping entire litters looking for any imperfections in his gene pool. While studying the genetic mutations when each line was crossed, he bred these dogs for himself and close friends before selling them to the public.
"Molly" vs "French Fry"
It is Mr. Nicholas’ distinct ability to identify genetic traits, produce specific traits on a consistent basis and also the careful stacking of genes that distinguishes the OSB from other bully breeds. Mr. Nicholas was able to separate and identify three different “strains” amongst his breeding program (1) ½ White English, ¼ Old Southern White, and ¼ Alapaha Blue Blood (MRN's Nitro), (2) ½ White English, ½ Old Southern White (MRN’s Dollomite), (3) ½ Southern White, ½ Alapaha Blue Blood (Chucky).
Mr. Nicholas put his 30 years of experience and knowledge of genetics into his OSB. This resulted into a superior bulldog/companion & more importantly, a superior gene pool that produces consistently true to its breed’s standards. Those qualities begin to show at a very early age. Ask anyone who has ever owned a MRN OSB and they will tell you how protective and intelligent they were, even as a puppy. They require very little training and are eager to please. They are also versatile and will adapt to any environment. Unfortunately, until recently, Mr. Nicholas was most known for his work in turning around and eventually saving Lana Lou Lane’s ABBB program in the late 80’s. In an attempt to separate himself and his dogs from Ms. Lane’s program, in 1996 Mr. Nicholas officially notified Al Walker, genealogist of the ARF (Animal Research Foundation) that he would be registering and referring to his dogs as Old Southern Bulldogs rather than Alapaha Blue Blood Bulldogs. In 1997, a breed standard was presented by Marker Ray Nicholas and accepted by the ARF. This breed standard was to be used as the criteria for any dog registered as an MRN Old Southern Bulldog. This standard not only gave the physical characteristics of the breed, but also with specific temperaments and specific genetic strains should be bred.
I have personally owned several of MRN’s OSB before I acquired my first “breeding pair” in 2001. Studying the breed and viewing its characteristics on a personal level, I waited until 2005 to produce my first litter. I know many people who become interested in a breed of dog for whatever reason and their 1st or 2nd purchase is a female pup and later this becomes their “foundation female” or “foundation male” for that matter, but have NO IDEA about the particular dogs genetics or how it produces!
My 1st dog “Chucky” purchased in 1997 out of MRN’s “Magic” Marker and MRN’s “Sparkle” Nicholas was actually registered as an Alapaha. My foundation male “Dallas” was out of MRN’s “Dollomite” Nicholas and MRN “Angel” Nicholas. My foundation female “Jada” was out of MRN’s “Big Boi” Nicholas and MRN’s “Meka” Nicholas (a breeding pair chosen by Marker Ray Nicholas, himself). The hardest thing for some people to do is find out exactly where their dogs come from and how these genetics play a major role in the outcome of their breeding programs. Every dog in the pedigree influences the outcome of your breeding program! Many breeders will breed to a dog based on confirmation, physical appearance, or temperament. There is NO GUARENTEE that because a dog carries a specific trait, he/she can produce that trait, or the combination of the two dogs will produce the “desired trait”. This only produces scattered pedigrees and gene pools with no consistency or often unfavorable consistencies. This only “water downs” and ultimately ruins most “working breeds”. The “Chucky Project” is different from most breeding programs because we can verify every dog in our pedigrees, and breeding’s are done to maintain or enhance the gene pool, not to produce random puppies.
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It is my every intention to keep these lines pure!! I have not used any outside dogs in my breeding program and still acquire all of my dogs from MRN as this is the only way to protect the authenticity and integrity of the breed. No Hurricane OSB sold should ever be crossed with an AB, APBT or any of Ray Coleman’s lines. With every breeding it is my honest attempt to produce an intelligent, confident, and stable companion that should mature into a natural protector of their family and property just as Mr. Nicholas intended them to be.
T. Gary, M.R. Nicholas, G. Nicholas, & D. Giddens
“Deacon”, “Chucky”, & “Judah”
October, 2002
Mr. Jason “Hurricane” Carter