About The Team

Kamadala's Kovu

PROFILE AND BREED BACKGROUND:

Kovu was born February 06, 2007 and he's a pure Performance American Bulldog, which is also known as the Scott or Standard American Bulldog type. Having said that, the Performance type American Bulldog (AmBull or AB for short) looks like a large, coarse, white American Pit Bull Terrier (Pitbull). The reason also for Kovu to be more often than not to be mistaken for a Pitbull. To date, as sad as it may seem, the American Bulldog breed has yet to gain their rightful recognition with the local general public. Performance type ABs are usually lighter in weight than their counterpart Johnson (Classic or Bully) type ABs and have a very muscular athletic look with their front legs under their body and not thrown out to the sides. This makes them very agile and structurally sound. Aside from that, this type has a closer underbite and longer muzzle than the Johnson type and will usually weigh between 27 to 45 kgs. These are the characteristics that makes the Performance type ABs more suitable for dog sport activities such as Mondioring.

Usually, as they were originally bred for, this dominant breed have a very strong prey drive and most likely to be dog aggressive. The reason being is that for about 300 years ago or so, they were bred to perform their role as protector of the farm from Wolves and Coyotes and do catch work. However, in this modern times, one need not such trait from them, especially if you're not living in a farm. So proper socialization and obedience training needs to be established in an AB pup's formative years in order to enjoy their company when they mature. Given that such homework was done effectively, an AB can prove to be a very good companion and family dog even. Such as with Kovu's case, he has a very stable temperament and is very tolerable of kids. He's a very social and charming AB that having him as a companion in mountain hikings, beach getaways, and other doggie events is perfect.

Well-known Performance line of ABs are the Scott, Hines, Kerschner, Koura, Stover, and Williamson among others and Kovu is a descendant from a couple of the said bloodlines. The most notable of which is the Koura line of ABs including Fujimo Bandit, Lord Waldo, Bama Boy, and Ultimate Knightmare.

TRAININGS:

Kovu started his socialization and obedience trainings since he's three months old and that's the moment he moved in with his owner/handler Carl Michael de Leon and that's May of 2007 to be exact. Carl was the one responsible in laying down all of Kovu's training foundations with the help and advice of seasoned trainers, of course. They then started their Mondioring trainings when Kovu's six months old at the Cavite Mondio Ring Club for the first three years, August 2007 to August 2010. From then on, September 2010 to the present, the tandem have been training at the Eugene Reyes K-9 training camp to further advance their Mondioring trainings. The tandem is training for almost six days a week, wherein three of those days were alloted for their Mondioring trainings and the other three for Kovu's conditioning. In between and if their schedule permits, the tandem's taking some time off of their rigorous training schedules by their mountain hiking activities, beach getaways, and other doggie events.

EXPOSURES:

While the tandem is busy with their usual Mondioring trainings and their once in awhile getaway breaks, they luckily have also been featured in several TV shows like GMA 7's Unang Hirit morning show together with some of the Cavite Mondio Ring Club members. In GMA 7's Pinoy Records, where Kovu challenged DJ Sam YG of Magic 89.9 into a Frisbee Showdown. The most recent is with GMA 7's Kapuso Mo Jessica Soho show, wherein it featured one of the tandem's outdoor adventures with the rest of the tandem's Dog Mountain Hiking buddies. They also got to guest in QTV 11's Tropang Potchi kids show to promote the "TailRunners: The Metro Dog Run 2010" event. While in December 2010, Kovu got to do his acting debut for an Indie Film titled "Agawan Base".

MONDIORING:

Through all those years of training, it was only on the Summer of 2010, month of March, that Kovu started participating in Mondioring Fun Match events outside of the club to gauge how prepared Kovu is for the official Mondio Ring Level 1 Trials. Training and conditioning Kovu continues, especially after evaluating Kovu's weak points after each of the fun match events he participated on. To further prepare the tandem, they even participated on the last leg of the Philippine Mondio Ring Trials for the year 2010, which was held on the month of December with Kovu as the Dog-in-White for the Mondio Ring Level 1 Trials. Come February 2011, Kovu took his Mondio Ring Brevet Trial and luckily passed it. The tandem scored 87 out of 100, wherein 80 is the passing mark.

With Kovu's passing of his Mondio Ring Brevet Trial, marks the start of his Mondioring campaign and the birth of "TEAM KOVU"!

For Kovu's online pedigree, please check this link out: http://www.pedigreedatabase.com/american_bulldog/dog.html?id=946532

Kamadala's Kiara of D' Crusher's

PROFILE:

Kiara was born October 06, 2007 and she's also a pure Performance American Bulldog. Coming from the same Performance line of ABs that Kovu is from and they were actually half-siblings from the same dam, "D' Crusher's Dodge Li'l Miracle of Charnota/Throwback". While Kiara's sire is "D' Crusher's POS Justice of American Pride", the first and if records are still accurate, still the only Mondio Ring Level 2 American Bulldog in the world. This makes both of Kiara's sire and dam direct import from the US.

Kiara, being a female AB, is a little shorter than the built of Kovu. Nevertheless, she still has that muscular female AB body and going along with the size difference, Kiara compensates with her being a lot more agile than Kovu. Her temperament is also stable and goes along with kids as well. She's not that outgoing during her formative years, though, she certainly enjoy pack walks, especially with Kovu around.

TRAININGS:

Kiara moved in with Team Kovu when she was about four months old. Even though she has no regular Mondioring trainings, she was trained by Carl also with regards to her socialization and basic obedience trainings. She also has been trained with some bite foundations and the most notable trait of hers during training sessions is on how she plays tug. Her bite attitude is really suitable for the Mondioring dog sport.

In the near future and if Carl's schedule permits, seeing Kiara on the trial field as well is a certain possibility.

For Kiara's online pedigree, please check this link out: http://www.pedigreedatabase.com/american_bulldog/dog.html?id=947113

Carl Michael de Leon

PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND:

Carl by profession is really a Computer Programmer specializing in database applications, but with the emergence of the Business Process Outsourcing in the country, he used his technical knowledge to work in the emerging industry since 2003. To this day, he is still working as a Data Analyst.

DOG BACKGROUND:

Living with dogs already runs in the family as he grew up with several Aspins (Asong Pinoy - Philippine Native Dog) in their home. However, his passion for the American Bulldog breed started when he first set eyes on his first ever AB in the year 2002. You can consider it as "love at first sight", as on that very same day he saw that cute and charming AB pup, he already have decided to bring it home as well. Acknowledgedly, he is guilty of owning a breed he know nothing about in the first place and later on paid the price for his ignorance. He started learning about the breed... the hard way! This is the time where you'll see him being dragged by his AB during their walks, getting snarled at, and the worst is he got bitten by his once cute and charming, now maturing AB. It was a traumatic experience for Carl! Though, having the heart of a true bulldogger, instead of hating and giving up on the dominant breed, he further researched more about the breed and continues to love the breed to this day.

AMERICAN BULLDOG BREED PASSION:

Carl's past experience with the breed were made even stronger with his continued research to better understand the breed. He patiently waited for the right time to bring in a new AB pup, wherein he plan to apply all of what he has already learned so far. Carl knew that there's a whole lot of difference in knowing and doing what you know, as he still considers first hand experience as the BEST teacher. His first original intention in getting another prospective AB pup is just to keep him company at home and with his outdoor activities, as well as, a stress-buster from his busy and sometimes crazy work. Growing up with dogs, makes him feel that a home without a dog is incomplete. With this, he finds time to follow the current local stock of ABs in the country and one particular AB that got his attention is Justice. Justice is the American Bulldog actively participating in the Philippine Mondio Ring Trials at that time, which he has no idea of what the dog sport is all about yet. Getting more impressed with the breed after seeing the other amazing work it can perform on the trial field, Carl followed Justice's descendants in hopes of getting one for his very own. By May 2007, patience paid off when Kovu filled that empty doggie spot in Carl's home.

MONDIORING TRAINING:

With Carl already enjoying Kovu's company even with just a few months of being together, he got more and more curious as to the potentials Kovu is capable of doing. Not really that interested with the Mondioring dog sport at first, but rather he just got curious if Kovu will also be able to pass the evaluation needed for the dog sport. Since the Cavite Mondio Ring Club is a few kilometers away from their home, they decided to give it a try one fine Saturday morning of August 2007. Luckily, Kovu passed the evaluation and from then on, Carl and Kovu started to regularly train and know more about the dog sport. So it can be said that Carl started his competitive dog training career from here on and from what started out as just a plain hobby and bonding time with Kovu, turned out now as a lifestyle for both Carl and Kovu. It can also be said that Carl is into the Mondioring dog sport, because of Kovu and not the other way around. After getting to know the dog sport more and more, Carl knew that it's just no fad that you can get away with easily, especially with the breed he's trying to campaign with. Passion, dedication, and discipline are needed to successfully campaign any breed and especially the AB breed in the Mondioring dog sport. Having said that, he now lives with two hats on, the Data Analyst hat and the Mondioring Trainer hat!

THE TEAM KOVU IDEA:

With the current status of the American Bulldog breed in the country, Carl made it his personal crusade and contribution to the breed to campaign and promote the breed beyond the Mondioring community. He wants to inform as much people as he can reach in his own simple ways that there is such a dog breed as the American Bulldog breed. As well as, to help the ones interested with the breed not to repeat his careless mistakes in the past when it comes to handling the breed. The general public still has this first impression of American Bulldogs as Pitbulls, which is totally understandable, but he hopes of changing that little by little. After all, informing one person about the American Bulldog breed is less the rest of the other hundreds or millions of people yet to know more about the breed... and that is still considered a "DIFFERENCE".

With Kovu starting his Mondioring campaign together with Carl's crusade of promoting the breed beyond the Mondioring dog sport, he came up with "TEAM KOVU" to give name to all of what he is doing for the breed. Come to think of it, Kovu paved the way for Carl to meet a whole lot more of new friends and acquaintances, not to mention the joy of Kovu's company, now this is his way of giving something back to Kovu and the breed.

Here is Carl's Facebook Account:

Now, this is what TEAM KOVU is all about!