Why do you barrack for the Doggies?

[Dorval6]

Came from overseas in 1987 and settled in Western Suburbs.

Kinda followed the Hawks for a year as they were on top and I didn't know any better but was taken to a Bulldogs game by a mate at the Western Oval and just loved it all.

Been a member every year since.

 

[The Coon Dog]

my neighbour up the road from me went for this team called Footscray because apparantley his uncle played for them (i still don't know to this day who he was - his name was Moloney - did we have a Moloney play for the dogs in '50's or '60's?).

Just checked the Encyclopedia of AFL Footballers.

Brian Moloney, 1957-1959, 17 games 1 goal.

 

[gohardorgohome]

Dad started taking me since I was in grade one at school. He was brought up in Maidstone and his brother played about 20 odd games for the dogs in the 60's. I had no choice in the matter.

In my first year in 1975 i went to 21 out of 22 games. I am remember getting a little bored in the second half of some games so I used to slide down the back of the hill next to the Whitten stand on empty pie boxes.

In '75 missed one game because we had car trouble and could not get to Waverley. I was howling because I wanted to go to the footy. As an alternative dad took me to watch the under 19's play at the Western Oval. I could not understand what someone else was wearing number 24 instead of Gary Dempsey.

 

[Prince Imperial]

This is the greatest mystery in my life. My parents were Scottish immigrants and when I was about 4-5 years old we lived out Croyden way when I must have started supporting us. I have never lived in the western suburbs. My parents did not follow sports (though my dad in recent years has become a keen St Kilda supporter). My older brother (by eight years) was a Geelong supporter, though he later started following the Dogs when I was about 11. I think he must have had something to do with it, but he or others in my family have never been able to tell me why I took up supporting Footscray. Must have been the colours and the fact that dogs are great animals. So for me its been 100% my choice and despite all the heartache and worry, its a decision I don't regret one iota. My passion only grows the longer I wait for premiership success. Our day will come.

 

[Jean Claude Vas Deferens]

Some fantastic stories being shared! We really are a loyal and passionate bunch.... great work!

 

[whythelongface]

Just checked the Encyclopedia of AFL Footballers.

Brian Moloney, 1957-1959, 17 games 1 goal.

Thanks TCD - how easy was that (rather how lazy am I).

 

[The Coon Dog]

Thanks TCD - how easy was that (rather how lazy am I).

I bought it for about $7 on Ebay, it's a terrific resource. They are always for sale on Ebay, worth buying I can assure you.

 

[sjtfitness]

Dad a bulldogs supporter and born at Footscray Hospital. I might now be living in WA but always a bulldog supporter through and through and couldn't be any prouder.

 

[Street Is God]

dad was born in 1954........ he has been a dogs fan all his life, therefore i am a dogs fan.

plus, we have peter street

 

[gangsta deluxe]

my father grew up in the western suburbs. All of his relatives live there. He played in the bulldogs reserves at one stage. first person he met when he arrived at the club was EJ

thats why I barrack for the dogs

 

[kookadog]

My dad and grandparents grew up in Footscray, my great grandfather played for the dogs before we entered the VFL so there is a long family history there, I grew up in sydney but managed the trek down to Vic and remember quite a few games at the Whitten oval. I recall my dad giving me the option of following Sydney when I was six (86), Even back then I knew there was something wrong with swans supporters. It's been the doggies all the way.

 

[cleveland]

I was born and bred in the Eastern Suburbs. No one in my family has barracked for the dogs. My dad followed carlton and reckons i just started barracking for the dogs one day when i was 3 or 4. Since then my dad has been a dogs supporter.

 

[Drunken Bum]

Grew up in country NSW, mum and older sis were both collingwood, dad was Footscray although has never been really passionate about football. Apparantly, i initially followed collingwood before my mum bought me a Footscray jumper because thought would be better for my dad rather than him bein sole Footscray supporter. I will always love my mum no matter what purely for that one act of kindness. I really dodged a bullet there(not sure i believe this story though cause i think i was born a Footscray supporter)
I can't imagine being as passionate about any other club as i am bout the dogs. Being pretty much the only person in the town besides my dad who followed the dogs, and the lack of success have probably made me even more passionate. This was back in the days when very limited TV coverage too(we had 2 channels where i was, a comercial station and the ABC) never got to see the Dogs too often, but every sat would have the radio tuned to ABC waiting to hear the scores from the Footscray game if it wasnt telecast on the ABC which was the only station with footy i we could recieve, until me and a mate rigged up a massive aerial and occasionally could pick up 3kz? 3uz? or some other station if we were really lucky. Devoured every little piece of info on the dogs i could, spent most my pocket money on the sun or the herald during footy season both were 10-20c from memory and inside football which was bout 90c.
Being from a small town in NSW footy players were like rock stars to me, bigger even. I remember travelling down to melb for the melbourne show one day and seeing Gary Dempsy walking around the crowd, i nearly wet myself, couldnt believe it.
Since then i have managed to rescue my little step brother who followed melb because of his dad, before my mum brainwashed him to collingwood, there was no way i was going to allow that and now is a proud passionate doggies fan. Worked at the casino for a while and get heaps of overseas and interstate dealers, and i have managed to convince quite a few of them that the Dogs are the team, at the very least i have made them the 2nd favourite team a lot of them.
If and when i do have kids, there will be no options, they are Doggies, simple as that, i will inform any potential mother of my children this before hand and if the missus doesnt like it that is bad luck, i find an that aceptable reason to break up or divorce.

 

[Wind Sock]

I grew up in the Eastern suburbs, first on my granddad's orchard in Nunawading, just over the fence from the Mitcham football ground, and then in Hawthorn from the age of 3 when parents got their own place. That was in the 50s and 60s. My mother's family lived in Queensland so they had no influence on me.

I'm the only member of my family to barrack for Footscray and I have absolutely no idea when I made the commitment. I can remember listening to matches in '55 and '56 and being taken by parents to watch Footscray at Hawthorn and the MCG but I was very young then.

Dad was a Hawthorn supporter all his life. Some of his brothers and sisters were Collingwood supporters and one of his best mates was Collingwood president Tommy Sherin. A lot of my cousins are Collingwood supporters. Most of dad's family where South supporters though. (It was a pretty large family if you hadn't guessed.) A couple of uncles and aunts were good friends of South legend Bob Pratt who came from Nunawading and Grandpa had a vegetable stall at South Melbourne market for decades and strong South connections. But none of them tried to push me in the direction of Hawthorn, Collingwood or South although, as a kid, I saw a lot of Hawthorn and South as well as Footscray.

 

[The Hawk 7]

My love of the mighty Bulldogs came about because my father followed them and started taking me as a 5 year old.
His story is actually quite a depressing one.
He came to Australia from Austria and lived in a flat in Barkly St overlooking the ground. He had never seen the game before, but was soon hooked, and before long wouldn't miss a game.
The depressing part is that he arrived in Australia in January 1955, so he has been following the Doggies for 52 years, and missed out on their premiership by 5 months.
He still goes to all our home games, and has passed his fanaticism of the dogs onto me, and I have done my part as my son is a born and bred Bulldog that learnt to sing Sons of the West before he could sing Humpty Dumpty.
Hopefully he won't have to wait 50 years.

Go Dogs.

 

[Ant_]

I have done my part as my son is a born and bred Bulldog that learnt to sing Sons of the West before he could sing Humpty Dumpty.


Go Dogs.

Lol Same here both my Daughters can sing the song, 3 yr old see's any football on TV and its "Look daddy Bulldogs".

 

[Lucky Star]

Grew up in the country.

Dad, a mad Essendon supporter, had my brother and I barracking for the Bombers. Then, in 1985, a balding angel descended from Heaven and as a 5 y.o. everything became clear and thanks to Simon Beasley I now support the Dogs.

Funnily enough, my older brother switched to Hawthorn around '87 but a few years later switched to the Dogs because of his little brother... isn't that lovely?

 

[torq]

Grew up in the Waverley area; no family connection. Three fairly arbitrary reasons: the tri-colours RED WHITE and BLUE; Footscray were perennial underdogs, and K. Templeton.

Like all great love stories, it was meant to be

And I'm happy to announce that we're expecting our second baby this September

 

[Tassie Bulldog]

Grew up in a country town down here in Tassie who wore the Bulldog colours when they played so it was a natural progression to follow the Dogs in the VFL (as it was then). Can honestly say that I was the only Bulldog supporter in my class for the entirety of my school days which is probably due to our lack of exposure on TV and lack of success back then.

The big change in me as a supporter was the 1985 finals - I had never seen Dougie play before either on TV or in the flesh and his ability just amazed me. From that moment, I was a diehard doggie supporter and the Hawk was my hero.

Beaser was also a personal favourite and I even managed to talk mum & dad into calling our new dog after the great man about 20 years ago.

Its a lot easier now to follow a team from interstate with coverage of all matches on the box plus the internet giving worldwide access but for me, I doubt I would be as fanatical if I didn't have to do those hard yards back in the late 80's listening to every Dogs match via a very crackly reception from a Vic radio station. Good memories - even though a few portable radios were broken in frustration from time to time!!

 

[davewarr]

my dads old man was an old old bulldogs supporter and my dad is even more so, they were both at the 54 final. guess its just passed on down the line.

 

[scooter600x]

Lol Same here both my Daughters can sing the song, 3 yr old see's any football on TV and its "Look daddy Bulldogs".

Next time she's watching Bananas in Pyjamas, listen to the music between episodes (not the main themesong). It's the music intro to Sons of the Scray. Every time I hear it I can't help myself, I have to start to sing.

 

[Pembleton]

It was passed down the family line for me. I think it started with my Dad's maternal grandfather (a Footscray local).

My Dad was born in September 1954. Family folklore is that my grandmother took a suitcase to the GF, in case she went into labour (checking the dates shows that it was probably the Semi Final).

 

[The Coon Dog]

Pembleton, don't let facts get in the way of a good story!

 

[ubolt]

saw the Dogs beat Adelaide at Football Park, Round 1, 1992 (i think Round 1 anyway) when i was Seven years old. Thought i would stick with the winning team from then on.

 

[Pembleton]

saw the Dogs beat Adelaide at Football Park, Round 1, 1992 (i think Round 1 anyway) when i was Seven years old. Thought i would stick with the winning team from then on.

I remember that one pretty well. Douggie played a good game, and in the on field post game interview he slobbered all over the place when trying to take his mouthguard out.