You could say it all started when, as a child, Nestor Solis decided to be like Mike.
The Aurora resident grew up around dogs and always wanted to have a dog that would have puppies.
“I just didn’t know what dog I wanted growing up,” he said. “But then I saw the movie ‘Space Jam’ and Michael Jordan had an English bulldog in ‘Space Jam.’ So growing up as a kid, you wanted to be like Michael Jordan and you want to do everything he does.”
So he got an English bulldog. Now, Solis not only breeds bulldogs, he also organizes dog shows like the upcoming Winter Bullyland, which runs 12-8 p.m. Dec. 17 at Kane County Fairgrounds in St. Charles. Tickets can be purchased at the door.
“We’ll be having competitions for breeds including American bully, French bulldog and English bulldog,” said Solis, who owns Bullypen LLC (instagram.com/bullypenllc?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=).
“This is considered a fun show, so there won’t be any points that goes to any registry such as the American Kennel Club or other registries like that … But there will be awards given, just to make things fun for everybody.”
While there’s a variety of categories in the competition, which starts at 2 p.m., it’s the best in the three breeds that will ultimately compete for best in show. A panel of three judges will decide the winners.
“We also have a special guest judge coming in for four different categories,” said Agustin Martinez, who is organizing Winter Bullyland with Solis.
This is the second bulldog show organized by Chicago resident Martinez and Solis. The friends met at a show a few years ago and decided they wanted to bring a similar, family-friendly event to the area. Shows like this help create a better understanding of bulldog breeds, they said.
“I feel like society as a whole, they tend to look at those breeds like it has a negative connotation. We just want to make sure that we’re showing that these dogs aren’t, from what I feel society looks at them as, aggressive,” Solis said.
“So we just want to go ahead and portray that these dogs aren’t aggressive, these dogs are actually well mannered, well taken care of and they can have a great time and there’s people that actually do the right thing with these dogs and everybody is aware of that by coming to the show and checking them out.”
Last year they hosted a show in West Chicago. Since this year’s show is in the winter, they moved it to the Kane County Fairgrounds so it could be indoors.
In addition to the competition, the show will feature a variety of food vendors, along with exhibitors selling dog supplies and other items. There will be games for children, and both kids and canines can visit with Santa throughout the afternoon.
Dogs can be any breed and still attend the show.
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“As long as the dog is not aggressive, you could bring any breed,” Martinez said.
There are even a few competition categories that are open to all breeds, he said. Those include the “Iciest Dog,” aka best dressed, and crowd favorite.
“We’ll let the crowd judge,” Solis said of the favorite category. “We want to get everybody involved.”
The event is expected to draw attendees from more than 10 different states, Martinez said. Those include competitors as well as breeders.
Martinez, a breeder who owns Martinez Bulldogs (instagram.com/martinez_bulldogs?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=), said it’s not about the money for breeders, but for the love of the breed.
People can stay in contact with breeders, “making you sure that you have that lifelong mentor or person you can go to help with your dog,” Martinez said. “I feel like with pet stores you don’t necessarily have that, you just have the representatives and then you’re just on your own from there.”
At the show he and Solis hosted last year, two families — both from Wisconsin — each returned home with a puppy. If someone is looking for a bulldog, it’s likely they will find one they like at the show, they said.
“People do get to leave with puppies in their hands and they get to attend a good show and see all the dogs,” Solis said. “And they possibly get to see the parents too because sometimes breeders bring both parents just to show where the puppies come from. You can see the temperament of the puppies and the temperament of the parents. It just makes for an all around great day.”
Winter Bullyland
When: 12-8 p.m. Dec. 17
Where: Kane County Fairgrounds, 525 S. Randall Road, St. Charles
Tickets: $25 adults; $10 dogs, $10 kids age 14-17; Children 13 and younger are free
Information: facebook.com and search Winter Bullyland
Kathy Cichon is a freelance reporter for the Beacon-News.