Champion Diezel of Kahler’s 1st Bully Kennels in Gloucester began life as just a family pet, but success in the show ring brought him fame and ended up spawning a new business for his owners, Gary and Shirley Kahler.

Shirley Kahler said it all began with the pet American bulldog named Nevaeh that she and Gary got from Shirley’s brother-in-law. Nevaeh’s sire died, and at her brother-in-law’s request, Kahler bred Navaeh to Kimbo of Pryor Boys Kennels in Richmond so the blood line could continue. Shirley and her brother-in-law each kept one of the puppies, and Shirley picked the one that stood out the most to her. She named him Diezel.

The muscular little pup learned to sit and stay, but the Kahlers didn’t teach him a lot beyond that. They weren’t into showing dogs, like Shirley’s brother-in-law. They just loved Diezel and treated him like a family member.

Then a man they met at a meet-and-greet for American bulldog owners and their pets told t...