Venom The $500,000 American Bully
MATT SIEBENTHAL: The first time I saw an American
bully, I was blown away by the size. I just
assumed it was a pit bull and I had never
seen a pit bull that big before. I was at
a friend’s house and it was kind of staring
at me. I was a little bit worried at first
and then it licked me across the cheek and
I realized I had to get one.
COMM: This is Venom, one of the world’s
most famous American micro bullies. At 12.5
inches tall and 65 pounds, his bodybuilder
stature is unmistakable.
MATT SIEBENTHAL: We were offered $150,000
for Venom and that was before he was a year
old. And I thought it was pretty crazy, but
he is a family member. And how do you explain
that to a seven-year-old boy? He is thinking
“Why would you sell my best friend?”
COMM: Now Venom is valued at over $500,000.
He’s owned by a bully-enthusiast family
– Matt, Deanne and Christian.
COMM: They have two other dogs, King Tyson
and Lucky Lucciano.
DEANNE LANE: Have I always been a fan of American
Bully dogs? I have. Since I have known about
them, I love them and I think they are amazing.
CHRISTIAN REYES: He sleeps with me sometimes
and he loves me more than anyone.
MATT SIEBENTHAL: Micro is a term that a lot
of people are using, what makes him so special
is his build. He is extremely short and it’s
really difficult to get this type of muscle
mass on a dog this height, with the head,
structure of the bone and also an extremely
short back.
MATT SIEBENTHAL: I need a dog that can move,
so the fact that he carries this much muscle
on such a short frame, and can still run and
be active and be a functional dog, is really
what makes him really unique.
COMM: Nowadays, the micro bully super-fan
runs his own magazine dedicated to the breed.
MATT SIEBENTHAL: I started Bully King magazine
because my fiancée said I never shut up about
dogs and I should probably start writing about them.
COMM: And it’s not only Venom who’s in
high demand.
MATT SIEBENTHAL: His puppies have been crazy.
He’s got over 40 on the ground, in different
homes and they are little monsters just that
build on such a short frame, I mean they are
coming out and they look like, they look like
little bulls. They look like him. So, he is
definitely producing his look.
COMM: Venom’s stocky puppies sell for up
to $25,000 and breeders pay $3,000 to breed
with him.
MATT SIEBENTHAL: So our focus is quality.
We only have couple of litters a year because
of that.
DEANNE LANE: I think the biggest misconception
about American bullies is that because of
their size and muscle mass and height that
they’re aggressive or mean because they
have some type of breed but they’re gentle giants.
CHRISTIAN REYES: People should know that American
bullies are only mean to bad people and not
the people that are on our family.
MATT SIEBENTHAL: Don’t judge a book by its
cover and don’t believe everything the media
puts out. I’ve had pit bulls, I’ve had
American bullies. I’ve never had an aggressive dog.
DEANNE LANE: The dogs mean to me family,
love, compassion, support, loyalty.
MATT SIEBENTHAL: How much would I say all three dogs are worth?
MATT SIEBENTHAL: Priceless, they’re part
of the family. I enjoy the time I have with
them. I enjoy what they do for our family,
I don’t think you can put a price tag on them.
