Cerberus Bullies: XL and Standard American Bully Breeder in Washington

State your name, your kennel, and where your kennel is located.

My name is LaVon Longtin of Cerberus Bullies, and I am located in Key Peninsula Washington State.  

What type of dogs do you breed, and what inspired you to get involved with that particular breed?

I breed XL and Standard American Bullies. I love how American Bullies are so gentle yet look so big. As a woman, having a "scary" looking dog that is gentle enough with my children was my top priority. We live next to a big forest and having the dogs to walk with us makes us feel safer.

What is your favorite bloodline?

I'm a huge fan of the old blood Gotti lines and Remi. Old school bloodlines are my love, as well as Fred Duran's Primoline. My kennel foundation is based on Saki Bomb and Dually blood. A lot of the XLs have been watered down with Mastiff and my mission is to bring those old school bloodlines back into the XL. Dogs that are 20-23" tall with truly bully characteristics and temperament are my goal. A lot of our future breedings will be frozen to try and bring those characteristics back.

In your opinion, what are the characteristics of a responsible dog breeder?

Responsible dog breeders breed with a true goal in mind. As breeders, it's our responsibility to preserve our breed and make it better. If everyone "breeds to their own vision" after a few years, you have a bunch of dogs that do not represent what the breed originally was. What is the point of breeding a Rottweiler if you make it look like a Doberman? American Bullies have a breed type that should be preserved.

I health test all of our dogs before they are bred. OFA Elbows, Pennhip, OFA eyes, cardiac, etc as well as Embark. It's my mission to breed incredible classic Bully types with excellent health to match. I want my clients to be able to take their dogs to weekend shows, and love their couch potato on the weekdays. We offer a 2 year health guarantee to our clients. We believe so much in our program, we back all our productions. We also do not breed more than a couple of litters per year. Each litter is well planned in advance and most of our lines come from Champions and Grand Champions. 

What type of diet do you keep your dogs on throughout the year?

I feed my dogs high quality kibble and supplement that with NuPro, canned food, farm fresh eggs and meats.

How many times a day do you feed your dogs?

My dogs are fed twice a day for adult dogs, 4x times per day for puppies. 

How do you keep your dogs in shape throughout the year?

We live on a 5 acre farm next to a large 1500 acre forest. We play a lot of ball, fetch and take walks. The dogs themselves love to free run on the farm as well. For my males, we weight train with X-Dog vests to help build muscle. 

Walk us through the process of purchasing a pup from your kennel from start to finish.

• When you purchase one of our puppies, you're purchasing a support system and lifelong relationship. I am here for my clients. Your breeder should be there for you to help you with any questions you may have with your puppy. They are forever family.

• I do a very organic type of vetting process for my puppies. I want to make sure that my pups never end up in a rescue or a pound. 

• We try to vet enough to make sure the family is a right fit. I try to get an idea of what they are looking for and what kind of personality they get along with. Not every puppy is going to work for every home.

• Because I mostly breed XLs, it is  important that my clients realize the size and energy needs of these dogs. All my pups come microchipped, so if any of them do end up in a shelter I am notified.  

Do you currently show any of your dogs?

Yes, all of my males are shown and select females are shown. We show ABKC and UKC. My male, BSK Kronos, is major pointed and I expect he will get his Championship title in ABKC in 2023.

What advice do you have for any upcoming breeders?

Please, please, breed to the ABKC or UKC standards. Make sure to plan your breedings BEFORE the female comes into heat. And please breed to better the breed. This means health testing your dogs with OFA, hips and elbows, Pennhip, etc. If we breed to preserve the American Bully for type and temperament, generations of these dogs can be enjoyed by families worldwide.

What do you think is the most difficult thing for people in the bully game to overcome?

The idea that bloodlines are more important than the dog. Not every dog should be bred, and not all breedings come out to produce good quality pups. I have an XL female right now with incredible bloodlines that looks nothing like her parents or siblings. When she's old enough, she will most likely be spayed as a pet. I believe more people need to do this with their dogs. Dogs that are bred only to produce more dogs are not helpful to the breed as a whole. 

How do you think they can overcome this thing?

By breeding to the standard. Spaying and neutering dogs that don't pass on excellent quality, and by selling more puppies as pets with spay and neuter contracts. 

Who do you look up to in the bully game, and why?

I really look up to Fred Duran, Fred is the man. I love how humble he is while still being on top, having the #2 dog in the nation right now. Fred still takes time out of his day to give me pointers and tips with how to show my dog, Kronos. That's what this is all about. That is what I aspire to be in this game, always humble and always doing what's best for the dogs. 

Tell us about one of your main goals for 2022.

2022 is almost over, so I'm already looking forward to 2023. I want to champ out Kronos in ABKC and UKC next year. He's such a nice boy and one of the rare XLs that is bred to the standard that still looks like an original American Bully. 

Describe how you would want things, in the bully breed Community, to be 10 years from now.

I would like to see more health testing and more responsible breeding. Treating the dogs with respect instead of money. I love merles, but there needs to be less of them and more of a focus on quality instead of color. 

What separates your kennel from the competition?

XLs that are bred to the ABKC standard and health testing with a pure focus on temperament for family dogs. I don't breed dog aggressive or human aggressive animals.

What other hobbies or interests do you take part in?

I'm an avid equestrian, I ride and train my Andalusian mare right now. We also have a mustang mare collected from the range who enjoys trail riding as well.

What do you think of Bully Girl Magazine?

I love that Bully Girl Magazine focuses on women in the bully game. Not enough credit is given to the female breeders, the women in the show ring, even the wives of the big kennels where the men are the face and the women are in the background. So many women are as passionate and amazing to work with as the men when it comes to the dogs.