Legacy Bull Terriers is truly a family legacy. Ours is a third-generation Bull Terrier family, which inspired our kennel name. Bull Terriers have been part of our lives for decades, woven into family history and shared across generations. The dogs have never simply been companions; they have been part of who we are. As a family, we have celebrated victories, weathered losses, and built lifelong friendships through these remarkable dogs.
Moses Acosta: The Beginning of a Legacy
No history of Legacy would be complete without recognizing my father, Moses Acosta (seen above), the man who introduced Bull Terriers into my life. He had seen his first bull terrier, Willie, with General Patton during WWII and immediately told himself that one day he would own one.
Fast-forward to the late 60s and early 70s and my father was in England on business and had the opportunity to visit with Eva Weatherill, who worked with Raymond Oppenheimer, the primary figure behind the famed Ormandy Kennels. My father asked for guidance in finding a Bull Terrier in the U.S. Eva suggested he contact Mickey Sottile of Alaric Kennels in Somerville, NJ. (You can read more in my Article, Bull Terriers: Inherited First, Chosen Forever. Click on Read the Current Issue, and Flip to page 10).
He purchased our first Bull Terrier, Lily (Alaric’s Loverly Lily), when I was nine years old (1970) and unknowingly set me on a path that would shape the rest of my life.
Throughout my years in dogs, no one had been a greater supporter of my exhibiting and breeding endeavors than my father, now deceased. His love for Bull Terriers was immediate and enduring, and the dogs always seemed to recognize a fellow enthusiast. His encouragement, enthusiasm, and unwavering support helped create the foundation upon which Legacy was built. Although he is gone now, he did get to see his grandson, Freeman Wilson, win White Bull Terrier Variety at Madison Square Garden in 2006, and exhibit on the floor of Madison Square Garden; a huge highlight for us all.
Lily: The One That Started It All
Lily changed the course of my life. What began as a childhood companion grew into a lifelong passion for the breed, eventually leading to decades of exhibiting, breeding, and preserving Bull Terriers.
She was my childhood best friend and sealed my passions for these dogs. She was incredibly smart and grew up with me in our apartment in Greenwich Village in Manhattan. I have no problem with dogs living in a city.
Joey: The Babysitter
Joey, Shutesbury Flash of Westbrook, was the first Bull Terrier I bought myself as a young adult. Joey brought up all of my children, and in fact, would always situate himself between the kids and the road whenever they were in the yard. He was simply our pet, and sweet as can be.
Joey overlapped with our Jack Russell, Marilyn, and she ruled the roost.
Partnership with Winsor Bull Terriers
In the early 2000s, Marion Dussault of Winsor Bull Terriers became an important mentor and source of treasured show dogs, companions, and breeding stock. The relationship profoundly influenced the development of the Legacy program. The original Legacy & Winsor blog was dedicated to Marion and her bloodlines.
Beckett & Belle
Beckett was my first show dog (seen above), and Belle was my son Freeman’s (seen below).
We went to our very first handling class together, when he was 12.
We put AKC Championships and ROMs on them both. (ROMs are Recognition of Merits, explained HERE). We were both bitten by the show bug and we never looked back.
I mostly showed at specialty Bull Terrier shows, with Freeman alongside, and he exhibited in Junior Showmanship as well.
Early Wins Continued
We made the yearly pilgrimage to Silverwood and the Bull Terrier National, no matter where it was. We flew to Florida, California, and Arizona. We drove all the way up and down the East Coast and into Canada.
We put Championships on about a dozen Winsor dogs between us. Sometimes friends helped, like Dr. Dale Schuur, above, handling Beckett.
Many wins were at significant shows, and we learned something new every time we were in the ring.
Hope: CH Winsors Hope Springs Eternal ROM
Hope was an all-white puppy that Marion chose for Freeman the moment she was born, which happened to be on Freeman’s birthday. She said, “This will be Freeman’s dog. No one else will train or show her, and she will take him to Westminster.” She said this as the dog was in the first weeks of life.
Hope and Freeman had a once-in-a-lifetime connection that was evident to anyone who watched them together.
Hope even did some Target promotion! She did live appearance work in the greater New York City area.
2005: Living History
Since 2005, we have always attended the Morris & Essex Kennel Club Dog Show, which is one of the most prestigious and celebrated dog shows in the United States. Originally founded in 1927 by legendary dog fancier Geraldine Rockefeller Dodge, it is renowned for recreating the elegance and tradition of the golden age of dog shows. Held only every five years at Colonial Park, Morris & Essex attracts many of the nation’s top dogs, breeders, judges, and exhibitors, making an invitation to compete there a special honor and a highlight of the dog show world.
Our dogs have won Best of Breed, Best of Opposite Sex, Winners Dog, and other awards at this incredible show. Read more in my article from SHOWSIGHT magazine – Morris & Essex: A Dog Show Like No Other.
2006: First Westminster Win
A mere three weeks after turning 16 years old, my son Freeman’s bitch Hope (CH Winsors Hope Springs Eternal ROM), won variety at Westminster; she had just turned 18-months old.
That evening will forever be one of the most exciting and heart-warming of my life. We had about a dozen of us in the stands at Madison Square Garden. Friends came down from Massachusetts and over from New Jersey and when they took the floor, I swear you can hear us yell “Freeman!!!!” on the video. My Dad was there and we could not have been prouder; our hearts were bursting.
2010: The Beginning of Homebred Success
By 2010, Legacy had begun establishing itself as a breeder-exhibitor kennel. A particularly meaningful milestone came when we exhibited homebred littermates Legacy Lucky Rose of Winsor and Legacy Hughes Your Daddy of Winsor in Bred-by-Exhibitor competition.
Hope was their Mom. They were siblings who got along quite well!
Rose earned Winners Bitch and her first Canadian points, while Huey earned two Reserve Winners Dog placements during the Bull Terrier Fanciers Association weekend in Niagara Falls. These wins as especially significant because they marked our first experience exhibiting in Bred-by-Exhibitor competition, which more formally started the Legacy kennel name, marking the transition from exhibitor to breeder/exhibitor.
Westminster and International Competition
The Legacy dogs quickly became regular competitors at some of the sport’s most prestigious events, including the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show and Silverwood, among the most important events in the Bull Terrier world.
Building a Breeding Program
Dogs such as CH Winsor’s Hope Springs Eternal ROM (Hope), CH Winsor’s Hot Mocha Java ROM (Java), CH Winsor’s Damned to Fame ROM (“Beckett”), CH Legacy Lucky Rose of Winsor, and other Winsor descendants became important members of the Legacy family and helped establish the foundation upon which future generations would be built. We are AKC Breeders of Merit for Bull Terriers.
2020: Minis Enter Our Lives
In 2018, I reached out to BT and MBT friends, letting them know I was interested in a Mini. I was open to male or female. I figured, maybe I would show a little bit here and there locally, but that my big show career was in the past.
Most importantly, I was willing to wait for the right dog. Our dear friends and mentors, Dale and Christine Schuur, were thinking about breeding their Mini, Teah, who they had imported from Australia. Dale asked me if I would like a Teah puppy, and I think it took me .001 seconds to exclaim, “Yes!”
Dale encouraged me to discuss potential studs, and Wally (GCHB Aldridge It’s A Dundeel) was our chosen boy. The litter hit the ground and when Damon (my husband) and I drove to go see the pups, we still didn’t know which would be coming home with us.
The Universe has a way of showing you what you need, even when you don’t know it yourself. Dale nudged me towards one bitch in particular, whom they had already named Nora, after his recently departed mother.
The picture below is the day we picked Nora up, otherwise known as “gotcha day.”
Little did we know what ride Nora was about to take us on. Nora won Best of Breed out of the 6-month puppy classes, finished her Championship under Breeder judges quickly, started amassing Performance titles, became the first every Platinum Owner-Handled Miniature Bull Terrier, won Breed at Westminster, and most gratifying of all, won the Van Hildrikhusen Trophy. She also won the equivalent, the Don Cherry, in Canada, and so many more awards.
She is my heart girl and the foundation bitch behind our Mini litters.
This is Nora…
And Nora brings us up to the present. Welcome to Legacy Miniature Bull Terriers.
Please do not hesitate to CONTACT us, or if you are looking for a puppy, go to our Puppy Inquiry form.