About Rossi River
My love for animals sparked at an early age. By the age of twelve, I had already learned to rehabilitate injured wildlife and volunteered at the local animal rescue. Since then I have worked with a variety of pet species, both domesticated and exotic. My educational and career paths depict this passion for animals. After earning a degree with honors in Biology and Biology Education in my home state of North Carolina, I obtained a baccalaureate at Oregon State University in Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences, magna cum laude. There I specialized in large mammal ecology and conservation biology. I spent hundreds of hours researching grey wolves, the controversial red wolf, the critically-endangered vaquita, and elusive okapi. Later this year, I am graduating summa cum laude with a Master of Natural Resources degree focused on wildlife ecology and management. My prior experience at carnivore conservation centers granted me opportunities to care for large carnivores and primates. I am fortunate to have worked with some of the rarest, most endangered animals on the planet including Timbavati lions, Bengal tigers, and Syrian brown bears, as well as baboons and black-crested gibbons.
I grew up loving dogs and even as a child do not remember a time without atleast one running around the house. We owned many bully breeds throughout my childhood, most notably a pair of American bulldogs. Their loyal and friendly nature were the epitome of what I still observe in bully breeds today. My grandfather devoted himself to weimaraners for many years, exhibiting and breeding in Germany until moving back to the states. Similarly, my mother and her siblings always favored this large hunting breed. Although I have owned a couple myself, I am incomplete without a bully causing mischief in my life.
To date, it has been 21 years since I bred my first litter. It all started with a litter of eleven healthy pups. A few years later I stumbled across bull terriers, which were too large and required more space than I had available at the time. From that moment on, I wanted to know everything about the breed. I read historical accounts, talked to breeders, spent hours each day tracking pedigrees, and examined every aspect of the breed. Fortune smiled upon me once more when I finally acquired my first bull terrier. A miniature. And I never looked back.
